BIS CRS labelling: how to print the Standard Mark, R-number and product details

The BIS Act bans importing, selling or storing for sale notified goods unless they carry a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[7]. For CRS products, the orders spell this out as the Standard Mark with a unique registration number from BIS^[8]. So the label is not a formality: it is the visible proof that the product is registered.

A complete CRS marking has these parts.

The R-number is the unique registration number BIS issues with your CRS licence^[8]. It appears in the form R-XXXXXXXX, and the Standard Mark must carry it together with the Indian Standard reference, written as IS xxxx^[1].

Place the R-number beneath the mark. If the layout leaves no room beneath, put it close to the mark in a linear manner^[1].

Use the R-number for the factory and brand that made the unit. Licences are granted per manufacturing unit^[8], and a separate application is needed for each brand unless the brand owner is the same^[9]. A product from factory B printed with factory A's R-number is not covered by factory A's licence.

The IS number printed should be the one the product was registered against. Where a standard has been revised and the old and new versions run together, as with the IS 10322 Part 5 standards for seven LED luminaire categories until 2 February 2027^[10], make sure the label matches the licence.

Size. The IS number, the registration number and any words in the Standard Mark must be no smaller than Arial font size 6^[1]. On compact packaging, check the final artwork, not the design file at screen zoom.

Colour. The mark may be printed in a single colour, which can be any colour, or in multicolour. If you use multicolour it must be red, blue and black^[1].

Durability. The marking must be legible, indelible and non-removable^[1]. On our reading, a loose sticker that peels off, or ink that rubs away, does not meet that test. Plan a permanent method, such as printing, moulding or etching, at the design stage.

The rule allows the product, its package, or both, provided the mark is easily visible^[1]. MeitY's FAQ adds practical guidance: mark both the product and the package where possible, but if the product is too small, as with earphones, the mark can be put on the packaging only^[4].

For most importers, marking both is the safer choice. A product separated from its box, for example a charger in a bundle or a unit returned without packaging, still shows its registration.

The BIS website reference, www.bis.gov.in, has to appear on the product or package or both^[2].

Yes, for devices with a built-in display, such as phones, smartwatches and tablets. Showing the Standard Mark electronically is optional, and comes with three conditions^[3]:

1. A physical label is still required on the packaging at the point of import, storage and sale.
2. The e-label must be reachable within four menu steps.
3. No special codes or access permissions may be needed to reach it.

And even with e-labelling, the BIS website reference www.bis.gov.in must still be marked on the product or package^[2].

The rules are the same for every CRS product; what changes is how much room you have and whether the device has a screen. This table applies them to the products importers ask us about most. Each product page covers the full approval set.

The BIS mark is one of four or five label regimes on the same box. For a typical imported gadget the others are Legal Metrology declarations, battery and plastic EPR markings and, for some appliances, the BEE star label.

• Legal Metrology. Every pre-packaged commodity declares the manufacturer, packer or importer's name and address, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer care details^[12]. Consumer care means a name, address, phone number and email for complaints^[15]. Details are on our Legal Metrology label rules page.
• Batteries. Every battery or pack carries the crossed-out wheeled bin symbol, sized at least 3% of the largest side up to 5 cm by 5 cm^[11], and the producer's EPR registration number^[13]. For imported batteries, the number may go on the equipment or its packaging^[16]. See battery EPR.
• Plastic packaging. Plastic packaging shows the name and registration number of the producer or brand owner, and the rule applies to importers^[17]. See plastic EPR.
• Energy label. Products on BEE's mandatory list carry the star label; see the BEE star label page.

The product label checklist puts all of these on one page, and the label checker tool walks through them for your product. The principal display panel entry explains where the Legal Metrology declarations sit.

Besides the mark, the product, its package or an attached label must show the details the Indian Standard requires, such as^[1]:

• the variety;
• the model number;
• the lot or batch number;
• the date or week of manufacture; and
• the complete address of the manufacturer.

The exact list depends on the standard, so check the marking clause of the one your product was tested to. The model number on the label should match a model on your licence; models not on the licence are outside its scope and must not carry the mark^[5].

If BIS requires it, the label must also say "self-declaration of conformity to" followed by the IS number^[1].

CRS marking sits alongside other labelling rules for packaged goods, such as the Legal Metrology declarations covered on our label rules page.

Because BIS checks it. Its January 2025 advisory requires the marking labels of all applied models to appear in the test report, with ratings that match the product description^[18]. A label redesigned after testing, with a new model name or a different rating, no longer matches the report the licence was granted on.

The rule also governs brands. Different brands must be registered separately, but they can share a common test report if the product and factory are the same; samples of each brand need not be sent, but every brand and model must be listed and each brand's label placed in the report^[19]. Our guide to reading a BIS test report shows where the label page sits, and the series guidelines page explains which models one report can cover.

Practical rule: freeze the label artwork before the sample goes to the lab, and send the lab the label files for every model and brand in the series^[20].

A brand imports a power bank registered under CRS against IS 13252 (Part 1)^[21]. Here is what goes where, and the rule behind each item.

The mark may only be used on products within the scope of a valid licence. That rules out three common situations:

• Test samples. Samples sent to a lab for an intended grant must not carry the mark^[5].
• Models not on the licence. Products outside the licence scope must not be marked^[5]. Add the model by inclusion first^[23].
• After the licence lapses. Once the validity date passes without renewal, the licensee may not mark or dispatch products with the mark, including stock in hand^[6].

Misuse has consequences. Selling or importing notified goods without the Standard Mark under a valid licence is punishable, under section 29 as enacted, with up to two years' imprisonment or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh, rising to at least Rs 5 lakh for later offences; we have not checked for later amendments^[7]. Misusing the BIS name or the words "Indian Standard" can bring a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh^[7]. BIS can also direct a licence holder to stop supply of non-conforming marked goods and recall them^[7].

Yes, because the IS reference is part of the Standard Mark^[1]. When a product migrates to a new standard, the IS number on the label has to follow the licence, not the old artwork.

Three revisions are running now:

• IS/IEC 62368-1:2023. It replaced IS 13252 (Part 1) and IS 616 in the CRO schedule, with the old standards allowed only until 1 November 2028^[24][25]. See the IS/IEC 62368-1 page.
• LED lamps. Revised IS 16102 (Part 1):2026 adds photobiological safety marking and a new marking for lamps not suitable for water contact^[26]; implementation is due by 2 February 2027^[27]. See IS 16102 (Part 1).
• LED luminaires. IS 10322 (Part 1):2026 brings revised marking among other changes^[28], and old and new Part 5 standards run together until 2 February 2027^[10]. See IS 10322 (Part 1).

Print the new IS number only once the licence shows the migrated standard; until then, the label should match what the licence says.

These come up again and again in shipment photos and BIS queries.

Through the public registration search and market purchases. Anyone can look up a CRS registration on crsbis.in by R-number, model or brand and see the status, validity, models and brands covered^[29], and the BIS Care app offers the same search^[30]. A label whose R-number shows a different brand or an expired licence is easy to spot.

E-commerce platforms must also display the mandatory Legal Metrology declarations for pre-packaged goods they sell, as reported^[31]. Amazon sellers should keep a photo of the marked product and box with each listing, as our pre-listing checklist suggests. How BIS samples products from the market is covered in CRS surveillance, and how to verify a BIS licence shows the search step by step. If you want a second opinion on artwork, a BIS consultant can review it, or send it to us for a free compliance check.

The licensee is the manufacturer, licensed per factory^[8], so the factory is the one authorised to apply the Standard Mark. In practice the brand owner often designs the packaging, and the importer brings the goods in. All three have a stake in getting it right.

• The factory marks only the models on its licence, only while the licence is valid^[6].
• The brand owner should check that the R-number on its artwork belongs to the licence for that factory and that brand^[9].
• The importer is bound directly: the BIS Act's definition of "person" includes importers, distributors, retailers and sellers^[7]. If the importer is also the Authorised Indian Representative, it carries responsibility for compliance on the manufacturer's behalf^[32].

Before a shipment leaves the factory, ask for photos of the marked product and packaging and check them against the checklist below.