BIS consultants in India: what they do, what they charge and how to pick one

A BIS consultant prepares and files your BIS application on the right portal, books testing at a BIS-recognised lab and answers BIS queries. They cannot grant anything: BIS decides, and BIS fees are fixed by regulation.

In practice the work splits into five jobs:

• Scoping. Confirming whether your product is covered, under which scheme and which Indian Standard. For electronics this usually means the Compulsory Registration Scheme; for steel, toys, cookware and many appliances it means the ISI mark through a Quality Control Order.
• Testing. Choosing a lab from BIS's lists, generating the online test request and getting the sample there. Under CRS, labs accept samples only against an online test request from the CRS portal^[9].
• Paperwork. Drafting Form I, the affidavit and, for foreign factories, the nomination of an Authorised Indian Representative.
• Filing and queries. Paying fees, uploading documents and replying to BIS's deficiency notices.
• After grant. Renewals, adding models, annual fees and surveillance.

A good consultant saves you time on a process that punishes small mistakes. A bad one costs you a rejected file, because BIS does not refund fees once it has started processing an application^[8].

You can apply without a consultant: CRS is filed online at crsbis.in and ISI on Manakonline, and neither portal requires an agent^[10][11]. Consultants earn their fee when the factory is abroad, the product is borderline or you have many models.

The honest test is who will do the work on your side. Under CRS the applicant is the manufacturer, and the licence is granted per factory, not to the importer^[1]. So if you import power banks from a factory in Shenzhen, someone has to get that factory's business licence translated, its Form I sealed, its test sample shipped and its AIR nominated. Many importers find that the factory's own export team cannot do this in English, on time, against an Indian portal.

Before you spend anything, run your product through the free approval checker and the BIS CRS fee calculator. If the product is not covered, you do not need a BIS consultant at all.

The factory is always the applicant, and the consultant is only its agent. Under CRS, the licence is granted to a manufacturing unit, and a foreign factory must nominate an Authorised Indian Representative in Form IV^[1][3].

This matters for three reasons:

1. Ownership of the licence. The R-number belongs to the factory. If you change suppliers, you need a new licence from the new factory. A consultant cannot "transfer" a licence to you.
2. The AIR is legally accountable. For a foreign factory, the AIR may be its Indian branch or liaison office, the Indian brand owner, or another Indian entity, in which case the brand owner must declare that it has no Indian proprietor or registered user^[12]. An AIR may represent only one foreign manufacturer, except within a group of companies or a related importer^[13].
3. The importer is still bound. The BIS Act defines "person" to include importers, distributors and sellers, so you are directly liable if you import uncertified goods^[14].

If a consultant offers to be your AIR, read the AIR guide first. Changing the AIR later costs Rs 5,000 plus GST^[2], and it needs the factory's cooperation.

The work changes with the scheme: CRS is testing plus paperwork, while ISI and FMCS add a factory inspection and ongoing marking fees. Ask which scheme applies before you compare quotes.

For a new CRS licence, BIS charges Rs 1,000 application fee, Rs 1,000 annual licence fee and Rs 50,000 processing fee including one test report, plus GST^[2]. Lab charges and consultant fees come on top.

Any quote you get should show these as separate lines. If a consultant bundles everything into one number, ask for the split. The full schedule is on our BIS CRS fees page.

Published BIS consultant fees are low four- to five-figure sums on top of BIS and lab fees: one firm lists a Rs 14,999 professional fee for CRS, and another starts its BIS service at Rs 7,899^[17][18]. These are the firms' own published prices, not regulated rates.

What the published prices show:

• Professional Utilities lists a professional fee of Rs 14,999 for CRS, with a Rs 25,000 lab figure and a Rs 15,340 "application fee", says the fees exclude GST, and quotes 20 to 25 working days^[17]. Its Delhi page says BIS certification charges start from Rs 9,999 excluding GST^[19].
• IndiaFilings advertises BIS consultation and registration from Rs 7,899 and does not say whether government or lab fees are included^[18].

Notice the gap. The government fee on the first page (Rs 15,340) and its two-year validity do not match BIS's current table: a Rs 50,000 processing fee including one test report^[2] and, since the February 2026 amendment, five-year validity^[4]. Old numbers on a price page are a sign the page is not maintained, and worth asking about.

For a fuller breakdown, see what BIS certification costs and BIS CRS registration costs.

For one power bank model from a foreign factory, expect Rs 52,000 in BIS fees plus GST, a lab charge from the lab's LIMS listing, and the consultant's fee. Here is how the numbers add up.

The case. A Delhi importer brings in one power bank model. Power banks are a CRS category under IS/IEC 62368 (Part 1):2023, with IS 13252 (Part 1) also listed^[20].

1. BIS fees. Rs 1,000 application + Rs 1,000 annual licence + Rs 50,000 processing = Rs 52,000, plus GST^[2].
2. Lab. For IS 13252 (Part 1), the 68 labs on LIMS declare Rs 25,000 to Rs 2,00,000, with a median of about Rs 63,750^[5]. Take the median: Rs 63,750 plus taxes.
3. Consultant. Using the published Rs 14,999 professional fee as an example^[17].

Before GST, that is about Rs 1,30,749. A second model in the same series that needs its own report adds Rs 20,000 in BIS fees^[2] plus another lab charge.

If the factory adds a model a year later, it is an inclusion: Rs 30,000 including one report^[2]. Run your own numbers in the compliance cost estimator.

BIS aims to finish a CRS grant in 20 working days if documents and the product are right first time^[3]. Testing, sample shipping and query replies come before and around that, so plan for weeks of lab time on top.

The clock has hard edges a consultant must manage:

• The sample and test request must reach the lab within 60 days of generating the request^[10].
• The test report must be no more than 90 days old when BIS receives the application^[3].
• Labs must issue a report within 7 days of finishing testing^[6].
• If BIS finds a deficiency, you get at least 30 days to answer^[3].

For ISI, BIS's own average is about one month when you submit a lab report with the application (option 2), and about four months under option 1^[11]. Consultants' published timelines are their own estimates: one Delhi page says CRS usually takes 30 to 45 days and ISI 60 to 90 days^[19]. See how long BIS registration takes for the full picture.

A consultant-led CRS file follows BIS's official steps: log in, generate a test request, test at a recognised lab, verify the report, apply within 90 days of the report, upload documents and answer queries^[10].

Lab choice drives most of the cost and the waiting time, because each BIS-recognised lab declares its own charges on LIMS and those charges stay fixed for three years^[6]. A consultant should show you the LIMS listing for your standard, not just name a lab.

You can check it yourself: BIS says the list of recognised labs is on lims.bis.gov.in, searchable by Indian Standard^[21]. Each entry shows the clause-wise charge breakup and any excluded tests^[5].

Labs are concentrated in a few places. On 1 November 2026, at least 32 of the 68 labs on the IS 13252 (Part 1) list had names in Delhi NCR^[22], while only three were named in the Mumbai region^[22] and none in Ahmedabad^[22]. That is why so many BIS consultants work out of Delhi, Noida and Gurugram.

One rule protects you: a recognised lab must not use agents or pay commissions for referrals^[6]. If a consultant insists on one lab without showing alternatives, ask why. Read more in BIS CRS test labs and our BIS labs directory.

For CRS it matters less than people think, because the whole process is online and BIS's CRS work is not done at a local branch. It matters more for ISI inspections, lab visits and Legal Metrology registration, which is state-run.

BIS's directory lists 36 branch offices and 10 BIS laboratories^[7]. Our city guides cover the local office, labs, ports and Legal Metrology route for each city:

The biggest red flag is a promise BIS itself does not make: a guaranteed date, "no testing needed" or a fee that hides the official charges. BIS states a 20-working-day target only when documents and product are right first time^[3].

Watch for these:

• "We guarantee approval." BIS lists grounds for rejection, including non-conforming reports, false declarations and unanswered queries^[28]. Nobody can guarantee the outcome.
• "One licence for all your suppliers." CRS is per factory^[1]. Each new factory needs its own licence.
• Duplicate filings. BIS grants one registration number per manufacturer per product and brand; if it detects multiple applications, it rejects all pending ones and may act on numbers already granted^[29].
• A single lab, no alternatives. Labs may not pay referral commissions^[6].
• Stale numbers. Price pages still quoting two-year validity or old fees, when BIS moved to five-year licences in 2026^[4].
• No R-number check. After grant you should be able to verify the R-number yourself in the BIS Care app^[30].
• Pressure to pay everything upfront, with no written split of BIS, lab and professional fees.

Our guide on how to choose a BIS consultant goes deeper.

Ask for proof of past work you can verify, a written fee split and a named person who will file. Then check one of their past R-numbers yourself in the BIS Care app, which searches CRS registrations by product, model and brand^[30].

The letter should name the scheme, standard, models, lab, fees and who owns the portal account. It should also say what happens on a query or rejection, because BIS keeps fees once processing starts^[8].

Points worth putting in writing:

• Scope by model. List every model and brand. Different brands need separate registration, though they can share a common test report when the product and factory are the same^[31].
• Report validity. The consultant should commit to filing inside the 90-day window^[3]; a report that ages out means paying for testing again.
• Renewal reminders. Renewal should be applied for three months before expiry^[16].
• Annual fee. Under the 2026 amendment, fees are paid annually in advance^[4]. Missing them is reported to lead to suspension^[32].
• Data and logins. Who holds the factory's portal credentials, and how they are handed back.

Most rejections come from mismatches: factory name and address differing across documents, model numbers in the report not matching the test request, or unsigned forms^[33]. These are paperwork failures a consultant should catch.

BIS's January 2025 advisory spells out the checks: the factory address proof must match the portal entry, MSME applicants must give the current-year MSME certificate, and the brand in Form I must match the trade mark document^[34]. On the report side, model numbers must match the test request and marking labels for all models must be in the report^[34].

Our BIS CRS rejections guide lists more.

After grant, the work is renewals, model inclusions, annual fees and surveillance. Many importers drop their consultant at this point and then miss a deadline.

• Surveillance registration. MeitY's CRS market surveillance runs through a portal at STPI where manufacturers, AIRs and brands register each R-number with model details^[36].
• Inclusions. New models go on the licence by inclusion, using a fresh test report and Form VIII A^[37].
• Renewal. Apply three months before expiry^[16]; after the validity date a Rs 5,000 late fee applies and you have 90 days before the licence expires^[16].
• Surveillance costs. The registered entity bears the cost of registration including surveillance^[38].

Set the dates in our licence renewal date tool and read the CRS renewal guide.

Often yes, because an importer of electronics usually needs several approvals at once. A power bank, for example, needs BIS CRS plus battery EPR and plastic EPR, and LMPC registration on our reading^[20].

Published consultant prices for the other approvals are similar in size: one consultancy lists LMPC importer help at Rs 4,999 plus the Rs 500 government fee^[39], and one lists WPC ETA help at Rs 7,500 on top of the Rs 10,000 government fee^[40]. See EPR consultants, WPC consultants and LMPC consultants, or the consultants hub for the full picture.

Comploa is a free reference and a first check, not a filing agent. We tell you which approvals your product needs, what the official fees are and what to ask a consultant, with every number linked to its source.

When you ask for a free compliance check, we review your product, HS code and supplier situation and send back a written list of approvals, official fees and likely timelines. If you want help filing, we can introduce you to a consultant from our partner network; you deal with them directly and agree their fee with them. Consultants who want to join can apply through become a partner. We do not take money to change what our guides say. See our editorial policy.