BIS Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS): how a factory outside India gets the ISI mark

The Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS) is how BIS licenses factories outside India to use the Standard Mark (the ISI mark) on products covered by Scheme-I. The fees are the same as for domestic Scheme-I manufacturers, with extra charges because BIS officers have to travel to your factory^[1].

What makes FMCS different from an Indian ISI mark licence:

• An Indian representative is required. You nominate an Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) on the prescribed nomination form with your application^[2].
• Applications are online only. Paper applications were accepted only up to 31 May 2026; from 1 June 2026 BIS accepts FMCS applications only through the online Manakonline portal^[2].
• You pay for the inspection trip. Inspection is charged at Rs 7,000 per man-day^[1], and you also pay per-diem charges and the cost of tickets, visa and insurance for BIS officers, with every visit treated as a special visit^[1].
• You pay in US dollars. Non-SAARC applicants and licensees pay the equivalent in USD, by RTGS, NEFT or SWIFT only, net of bank charges^[1].
• You furnish a bank guarantee. After grant you sign an Agreement and Indemnity Bond and furnish a Performance Bank Guarantee of USD 10,000 from a bank with an RBI-approved branch in India^[3].
• It takes longer. BIS says the average time is generally six months from recording a complete application^[3].

If your product is an electronics item under the Compulsory Registration Order, such as a power bank^[6], FMCS is the wrong scheme: foreign factories register those under BIS CRS, with an AIR^[7].

You need FMCS if all three of these are true:

1. Your product is notified for the Standard Mark. Section 17 of the BIS Act prohibits manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, storing or exhibiting for sale goods notified under section 16 without a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[8].
2. The scheme for that product is Scheme-I (the ISI mark), not CRS. CRS is Scheme-II, based on self-declaration^[9], and has its own portal^[10].
3. The factory that makes the product is outside India. Licences are granted per factory location^[11], so it is where the goods are made that counts, not where your company is headquartered.

The importer is not a way around this. The BIS Act's definition of "person" includes importers, distributors, retailers and sellers^[8], so an Indian importer that brings in notified goods without a valid mark is itself in breach of section 17. Importers should ask their supplier for the FMCS licence covering the exact factory and product before they place an order.

Any product under a Quality Control Order that calls for the ISI mark under Scheme-I needs FMCS when it is made abroad. Electronics and IT goods notified by MeitY are the exception: they go through CRS instead^[12].

The toy licences show how FMCS works in practice: on 30 October 2026 BIS's FMCS list had 60 toy licence records, 28 of them for factories in Vietnam and none in China^[13]. See our guide to importing toys from China for what that means for sourcing.

That split catches importers out. A Bluetooth speaker from a factory in Shenzhen goes through BIS CRS. A ceiling fan, pressure cooker or helmet from the same city goes through FMCS, with a BIS factory visit and a bank guarantee. The table lists Scheme-I orders that matter most to consumer-goods importers. For the full set, see our QCO hub, the QCO tracker and the data table of QCO orders, or check dates for your product in the QCO deadline checker.

Every FMCS applicant nominates an AIR on the prescribed nomination form^[2]. The rules BIS publishes on its FMCS pages:

• Indian resident. The AIR must be an Indian resident who consents to be responsible for compliance with the BIS Act, Rules, Regulations and licence terms on behalf of the foreign manufacturer^[25].
• One manufacturer per AIR. An AIR may represent only one foreign manufacturing firm under BIS conformity assessment schemes. The exceptions are manufacturers in the same group of companies, or related importers nominated as AIR^[25].

This is a real legal role. Where a company commits an offence under the BIS Act, the authorised representative is deemed guilty along with the company and its responsible officers^[8]. BIS can also direct a licence holder or its representative to stop supply and recall non-conforming marked goods^[8]. An AIR should understand the product, have access to the manufacturer's records and be willing to deal with BIS.

Choosing an AIR. Options to consider include your own Indian subsidiary or branch, your main Indian importer, or an independent representative. Because of the one-manufacturer rule, a professional AIR who already represents another unrelated foreign factory cannot take you on. Check this before you sign anything.

For CRS, BIS lists specific options for who the AIR may be and charges Rs 5,000 for a change of AIR^[26][27]; those are CRS rules, and we have not found the equivalent FMCS list.

See our glossary entry on the Authorised Indian Representative for how the role works across CRS and FMCS.

BIS stopped accepting offline, hard-copy FMCS applications after 31 May 2026. From 1 June 2026, it accepts only applications submitted through the online Manakonline portal^[2]. Before that date, applications could be sent to the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Department (FMCD) at BIS headquarters in New Delhi or filed online^[2].

What this means in practice:

• No more couriered application packs. Documents are uploaded, so prepare clear scans in advance. Domestic Scheme-I applications were already online only^[11].
• The account is the record. Queries, payments and status updates come through the portal, so decide early who controls the login: the manufacturer, the AIR or both.
• Pending paper applications. If you sent a hard-copy application before 1 June 2026 and have not heard back, contact FMCD to confirm its status rather than assuming it is still being processed.

Beyond the move to online-only applications, 2026 brought new marking fee rates and concessions, an amendment to BIS's conformity assessment regulations and a much wider household appliances order. Each one changes either who needs FMCS or what it costs.

The household appliances order is the big one for importers. It names 90 appliance types^[14], so many foreign factories that never needed a BIS licence before now need FMCS. Small and micro enterprises got later dates^[14], but on our reading those dates turn on the size of the manufacturer, so a large foreign factory does not benefit from the later dates because its Indian importer is small. Check with BIS if you are unsure.

The same order sits on top of a standards change. BIS has let the old and new editions of IS 302 Part 1 run side by side until 23 February 2027^[28]. A factory applying now should test to the 2024 edition so it does not have to change over a year later. See the new rules for 2026 for the wider picture.

The order below follows the grant process BIS publishes for FMCS^[3], with the fees that fall due at each stage. Our Manakonline portal guide shows the screens, and the ISI documents guide lists the papers most Scheme-I applications need.

BIS's FMCS pages say applicants submit the application form with documents and nominate an AIR using the prescribed nomination form^[2]. Manakonline shows the full list for your product when you apply. We have not verified a complete official document list for every product, so we do not publish one as if it were official.

What the official sources establish, and what follows from them:

• AIR nomination form, signed, with the AIR's details^[2].
• Evidence of the factory's manufacturing and testing capability. The BIS visit verifies manufacturing and testing infrastructure^[3], so the application should describe both accurately.
• Payment proof. Payment is by RTGS, NEFT or SWIFT only, net of bank charges^[1], so keep the remittance records.
• After grant: the signed Agreement and Indemnity Bond and the bank guarantee^[3].

The following checklist is our suggestion for a smooth application, not a BIS list:

BIS says FMCS fees are the same as for domestic Scheme-I manufacturers, plus per-diem charges and the cost of tickets, visa and insurance for BIS officers (all visits are treated as special visits), plus a contingency fund payment of INR 10,000^[1].

Currency. BIS publishes the fees in rupees. Applicants and licensees outside the SAARC region must pay the equivalent amount in US dollars. SAARC applicants may pay in rupees with GST, or in USD. Payment is accepted only by RTGS, NEFT or SWIFT, and must arrive net of bank charges^[1], so instruct your bank that the remitter pays all charges, or the amount received will fall short. We do not publish a USD conversion: the rate depends on the day of payment.

The bank guarantee, by contrast, is stated directly in dollars: USD 10,000^[3].

For the full fee list, line by line, see our FMCS fees guide. The domestic equivalents are in the ISI mark fees guide and the ISI licence cost breakdown.

The marking fee is set per Indian Standard. BIS notifies an annual minimum marking fee, which differs for large enterprises and MSMEs, and unit rates per unit of production in up to three slabs^[32]. As an example from BIS's notification, IS 4665-2-1:2023 has a minimum of Rs 2,22,000 for large enterprises and Rs 1,78,000 for MSMEs, with a unit rate of Rs 3.00 per piece^[32]. The notification was last amended on 2 January 2026 and 10 June 2026^[29], so look up your own standard on BIS's current list.

FMCS licensees pay the advance minimum marking fee before grant^[3] and pay marking fees again at renewal^[5].

Concessions. From 17 March 2026 to 31 May 2029, BIS gives Scheme-I concessions on the annual minimum marking fee of 80% for micro enterprises, 50% for small enterprises and 80% for start-ups, plus an extra 10% for women-entrepreneur enterprises^[30]. These categories are defined by Indian law. We have not found a BIS statement on whether a foreign factory can qualify, so do not budget on a concession unless BIS confirms it for your firm in writing.

For a large pressure cooker factory abroad, published BIS charges in year one come to roughly Rs 86,000 before travel, testing and the bank guarantee, using the arithmetic below.

Take a large overseas factory making domestic pressure cookers to IS 2347. Assume BIS sends two officers for two days (four man-days); that number is BIS's call, not ours.

• Application fee: Rs 1,000^[1].
• Visit charges: 4 × Rs 7,000 = Rs 28,000^[1].
• Contingency fund: Rs 10,000^[1].
• Annual licence fee: Rs 1,000^[1].
• Advance minimum marking fee for IS 2347, large enterprise: Rs 46,000^[33].

That is Rs 86,000 in published BIS charges. On top come the officers' tickets, visa, insurance and per diem^[1], the actual testing charges at a BIS or BIS-recognised lab in India^[34], bank charges you must cover so the net amount reaches BIS^[35], and the USD 10,000 guarantee^[3].

The marking fee also has a unit rate. For pressure cookers it is Rs 0.87 per piece^[33], so the unit rate on 1,00,000 cookers a year comes to Rs 87,000. BIS describes the marking fee as an annual minimum plus unit rates^[32]; confirm with BIS how the two combine at your volume before you budget. A flashlight maker faces a much higher minimum: Rs 2,87,000 for a large enterprise under IS 2083^[36]. Our compliance cost estimator and the 2026 fee table help you compare products.

After BIS grants an FMCS licence, the manufacturer must sign an Agreement and Indemnity Bond and furnish a Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) of USD 10,000. The guarantee must come from a bank that has an RBI-approved branch in India^[3].

At renewal you must provide an extended PBG that stays valid for six months beyond the licence validity^[5]. Diary this: a guarantee that lapses before renewal is complete will hold up the renewal.

What we could not confirm: BIS's pages do not state the conditions under which the PBG is invoked or released, or when it is returned after a licence ends. Ask BIS directly, and keep the original guarantee documents and bank correspondence.

Practical tips:

• Talk to your bank early. Not every bank has an RBI-approved branch in India, and arranging a guarantee across borders can take time.
• Match the guarantee's validity to the licence plus the six-month margin BIS asks for at renewal.
• The PBG is a guarantee, not a fee, but your bank will charge you for issuing it. Those bank charges are set by your bank, not BIS.

During the grant process, BIS officers visit the factory to verify the manufacturing and testing infrastructure and to draw samples for independent testing^[3]. After grant, surveillance visits check that the factory operates according to the Scheme of Inspection and Testing, include testing in the factory, and draw further samples^[31].

Who pays. You do. Visits are charged at Rs 7,000 per man-day^[1], and BIS treats every FMCS visit as a special visit, so you also pay per-diem charges and the cost of tickets, visa and insurance for the officers^[1].

An illustration of how man-days add up. A man-day is one officer for one day. If two officers spent two days at your factory, that would be four man-days, or Rs 28,000 in visit charges at the published rate, before travel, visa, insurance and per diem. The number of officers and days is BIS's decision; this is only arithmetic to show how the charge scales.

Getting ready for the visit:

• Have the production line running the product applied for, so officers can see it made.
• Have the test equipment the standard needs calibrated and working, with someone who can operate it.
• Keep records of raw-material checks, in-process checks and final tests to hand.
• Have finished products available for samples to be drawn.
• Make sure someone who can speak for the company, and ideally the AIR, is available.

Grant follows only after a satisfactory inspection and conforming independent test reports^[3].

BIS states the average time for grant of an FMCS licence is generally six months from recording of a complete application^[3]. For comparison, BIS's average for a domestic Scheme-I licence is about one month under option-2 and four months under option-1^[11].

The six months covers the BIS process: scrutiny, the visit, independent testing and grant^[3]. It does not include the time you need before applying to choose an AIR, prepare documents or arrange remittances, or the time after grant to arrange the bank guarantee. Visa and travel arrangements for the visit can also move the date.

Build in buffer. Do not commit to Indian customers or ship marked goods until the licence is granted.

An FMCS licence is a Scheme-I licence. Since 25 February 2026, Scheme-I says a licence is granted initially for up to five years and may be renewed for up to five more, with fees paid in advance every year before the due date^[4]. The amendment is Gazette of India Extraordinary No. 142, F. No. BS/XI/11/01/2025-26^[4].

The yearly payment. If the annual fee and production statement are not received by the due date, the licence stands suspended for 90 days; paying within that window with a Rs 5,000 late fee lifts it, otherwise the licence is cancelled^[4]. For a factory abroad, that means one missed bank transfer can stop its Indian importer's shipments.

What changed. BIS's FMCS pages still describe the old rule of one to two years at first and one to five years on renewal^[5]. Licences granted before the amendment keep the validity date printed on them, so check yours in Manakonline.

Renewal. BIS asks for:

The steps for domestic licences are in our ISI renewal guide. Put the expiry date and the bank guarantee's end date into the licence renewal date tool or your compliance calendar, so neither lapses unnoticed.

BIS surveils FMCS licences in two ways^[31]:

• Visits to the factory, to verify that it operates under the Scheme of Inspection and Testing, to watch testing in the factory and to draw samples.
• Market sampling, buying marked products in India for testing.

Licensees also report production and dispatch to BIS monthly or quarterly^[31]. These reports feed the production details BIS asks for at renewal^[5], so keeping them accurate from the start saves work later.

If a sample fails. You can ask for counter-sample testing at twice the normal testing rate, and can have it witnessed for Rs 10,000 plus the BIS official's travel and lodging^[1]. If BIS finds marked goods non-conforming, it can direct the licence holder or its representative to stop supply and recall them^[8].

Adding products. New varieties are added by inclusion, at Rs 5,000 per variety or per group of varieties where grouping guidelines exist^[1].

BIS does not publish a list of FMCS rejection reasons. The table below lists problems that follow directly from the published rules.

Importing or selling notified goods without a Standard Mark under a valid licence breaches section 17 of the BIS Act^[8]. The penalty is imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first contravention and at least Rs 5 lakh for later ones, which can extend to ten times the value of the goods, or both; the offence is cognizable^[8].

The Act's definition of "person" includes importers and sellers^[8], and where a company commits an offence the authorised representative is deemed guilty with it^[8]. So the risk lands on the Indian side of the trade: the importer and the AIR.

A first offence not punishable with imprisonment only may be compounded by an officer authorised by the BIS Director General, for up to the maximum fine^[8]. We verified these penalties against the 2016 Act; we have not confirmed whether later amendments changed section 29.

Your Indian importer, an experienced AIR and a BIS-recognised lab do most of the work; consultants fill the gaps.

• Labs. Samples drawn at your factory are tested only in BIS or BIS-recognised labs in India^[34], and only test reports against the Indian Standard count^[34]. Find one in our BIS lab directory, for example in Delhi NCR or Mumbai and Pune. Our guide on reading a BIS test report helps you check the result.
• Consultants. Many BIS consultants offer AIR services; Delhi-based firms sit closest to BIS headquarters, where FMCS licences are granted^[12]. Read how to choose a BIS consultant before you sign.
• Country guides. Our sourcing guides for China, Germany, Japan and Taiwan cover the approvals by origin, and the foreign manufacturers guide covers all BIS routes.
• Checking a licence. Before you buy from a supplier that says it holds FMCS, verify the BIS licence.
• Not sure which route? Run the product through the approval checker or ask for a free compliance check.

See our comparison of CRS, ISI and FMCS for a fuller walk-through.