BIS ISI mark licence under Scheme-I: who needs it, how to apply and what it costs in 2026

The ISI mark is the Standard Mark that BIS lets a manufacturer apply to goods made under a Scheme-I product certification licence. The licence is not a certificate for a product in general. It is permission for one factory to mark one product made to one Indian Standard, and BIS asks for a separate application for each product or standard and for each factory location^[1].

Four points cover most of what you need to know:

• You apply online. BIS accepts Scheme-I applications and payments only through www.manakonline.in^[1].
• It costs more than the application fee. The application fee is Rs 1,000, inspection is charged at Rs 7,000 per man-day before the preliminary visit, and after BIS decides to grant you pay an annual licence fee of Rs 1,000 plus the product's minimum marking fee^[1]. The marking fee can be the largest item and depends on the Indian Standard^[3].
• It can be quick or slow. BIS gives an average of about one month under option-2, where you submit a test report from a BIS or BIS-recognised lab, and about four months under option-1^[1].
• Small firms pay less in 2026. From 17 March 2026 to 31 May 2029, micro enterprises and start-ups get 80% off the annual minimum marking fee, small enterprises get 50%, and women-led enterprises get a further 10%^[2].

If your factory is outside India, the same kind of licence is granted through the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme, which has its own steps, a bank guarantee and inspection travel costs. If your product is an electronics item on the CRS list, you need BIS CRS registration instead, not an ISI mark.

It is compulsory for goods that the government has notified for compulsory use of the Standard Mark. Section 17 of the BIS Act 2016 prohibits manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, hiring, leasing, storing or exhibiting for sale goods notified under section 16 unless they carry a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[4]. The Act came into force on 12 October 2017^[5].

The word "person" in the Act includes manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, sellers and their representatives^[4]. That matters for anyone in the supply chain: an importer or a shop that sells a notified product without a valid mark is directly exposed, not just the factory.

Notification works product by product, through government orders. So the practical first question is not "do I need an ISI mark?" but "is my product covered by an order, and what does that order require?" Our approval checker and Quality Control Order pages help with that question, but the order itself is the authority.

Any product named in a Quality Control Order that calls for the Standard Mark under Scheme-I needs an ISI licence, whether it is made in India or imported. The table lists the orders consumer-goods businesses meet most often. For the full list, see the QCO hub, the QCO tracker and our data table of QCO orders; the QCO deadline checker gives the date for your product.

Other Scheme-I orders cover cookware, footwear, furniture, textiles and chemicals. Electronics and IT goods notified by MeitY are the big exception: they need CRS registration instead^[6].

BIS runs more than one conformity assessment scheme, and people often mix them up. The ISI mark is Scheme-I. The Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) is a different scheme: it runs under Scheme-II of Schedule-II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 and is based on self-declaration of conformity^[18]. CRS applications go through a separate portal, crsbis.in^[19], while Scheme-I goes through Manakonline^[1].

The table below shows how to tell which route you are on. It does not replace the order that covers your product.

2026 rewrote much of the Scheme-I rulebook: new grant, surveillance and non-conformity guidelines in February, new marking fee concessions in March, a wider household appliances order from October, and an amendment to the conformity assessment regulations whose effect on validity is still unclear.

One change from late 2025 helps small factories most. Since BIS's circular of 16 December 2025, a manufacturer no longer needs an in-house laboratory; shared, cluster or sub-contracted testing at BIS-recognised or ISO/IEC 17025 labs is allowed, except for some products such as helmets^[23]. The household appliances order then brought 90 named appliance types under Scheme-I^[7]. For the wider picture, see new rules for 2026 and our round-up of QCO changes in 2026.

The licence belongs to the manufacturing unit. Because BIS needs a separate application for each product or Indian Standard and for each factory location^[1], a company with two factories making the same product needs two licences, and a factory making products to two different standards needs two licences.

Indian manufacturers apply directly on Manakonline^[1].

Foreign manufacturers apply under the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme. They submit the application with documents and nominate an Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) on the prescribed nomination form^[22]. The AIR must be an Indian resident who agrees to be responsible for compliance with the BIS Act, Rules, Regulations and licence terms on the manufacturer's behalf^[30]. One AIR may represent only one foreign manufacturing firm, except for firms in the same group of companies or related importers nominated as AIR^[30]. See our full guide to FMCS.

Importers and traders cannot get round the requirement by holding the licence themselves for someone else's factory; the licence is tied to the factory that makes the goods. What an importer can do is check that the factory it buys from holds a valid licence for the exact product and standard, and that the goods are marked.

BIS describes two ways of processing a Scheme-I application, and they have very different average times.

Under option-2, you submit a test report from BIS or a BIS-recognised or empanelled lab with your application, and the report should generally be not more than 90 days old^[1]. BIS gives an average grant time of about one month under this option^[1].

Under option-1, the average is about four months^[1]. Both averages are counted from when BIS receives and records a complete application, so time spent fixing an incomplete application is not included.

If you can get a recent test report from a recognised lab, option-2 saves a lot of time. The catch is the 90-day age limit: if your lab takes longer than planned or your application is delayed, the report can go stale before you file, and you will have to test again.

These are the steps as they appear from BIS's published fees, FAQ and timelines. BIS may add steps for particular products, so read the product's order and the Manakonline instructions as you go. Our Manakonline portal guide shows each screen, and the ISI documents guide covers the papers in detail.

Manakonline shows the document list for your product and route when you apply. We have not found a single official checklist for every Scheme-I product that we could verify, so we do not reproduce one here. What the official sources do establish:

• A recent test report, if you use option-2. It must come from BIS or a BIS-recognised or empanelled lab and should generally be not more than 90 days old^[1].
• One application per product and per factory. Prepare factory details for the specific site and product details for the specific standard^[1].
• For foreign factories, the AIR nomination. FMCS applicants nominate an AIR on the prescribed nomination form along with the application and documents^[22].

Beyond these, the inspection is about whether your factory can make and test the product to the standard; for foreign factories BIS says its visit verifies manufacturing and testing infrastructure^[31]. This is not an official list, but it is sensible to have the following ready before you file:

The 2026 grant guidelines. BIS's Grant of Licence guidelines of 25 February 2026 require the application in Form-V with the documents listed in the form and a self-evaluation-cum-verification report, Annexure-I^[26]. They also say a factory visit normally lasts one day for an Indian factory and two days for a foreign one, and that grant is expected within 90 days under option-1 and 30 days under option-2 when everything is right first time^[32]. Option-2 is not open to foreign manufacturers; their applications go through option-1 with a factory visit^[33]. Our ISI documents guide goes through Annexure-I line by line.

BIS's government fees for Scheme-I fall into three groups: one-off charges to apply, charges for BIS's time, and recurring fees for holding the licence. All of the amounts below are the official figures as published; testing charges at a private or BIS-recognised lab are separate and are set by the lab.

The marking fee is the item that is easiest to underestimate. BIS notifies it per Indian Standard as an annual minimum marking fee, which is different for large enterprises and for MSMEs, plus unit rates per unit of production in up to three slabs^[3]. As one example from that notification, IS 4665-2-1:2023 has a minimum marking fee 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^[3]. The notification has been amended many times, most recently on 2 January 2026 and 10 June 2026^[24], so check the current IS-wise list on the BIS website before you budget.

For the full list, see our ISI mark fees guide and the ISI licence cost breakdown, which adds lab testing and consultant charges. To compare with other approvals, use the compliance cost estimator or our 2026 table of compliance fees.

From 17 March 2026 until 31 May 2029, BIS gives concessions on the annual minimum marking fee for Scheme-I licences, measured against the large-enterprise rate^[2]:

The concession replaces the earlier notification of 21 June 2023, which gave micro enterprises 80% for the period 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026^[2]. The new one adds a 50% concession for small enterprises, the same 80% for start-ups, and an extra 10% for enterprises run by women entrepreneurs.

What it does not cover. The concession, as notified, is on the annual minimum marking fee. It does not say it reduces the application fee, inspection charges or the per-unit marking rates, so budget for those at full rate unless BIS tells you otherwise.

An illustration. Take the IS 4665-2-1:2023 example from BIS's marking fee notification: a minimum marking fee of Rs 2,22,000 at the large-enterprise rate^[3]. If the 80% concession is applied to that large-enterprise figure, as the notification describes, a micro enterprise or start-up would pay 20% of it, which is Rs 44,400 a year; a small enterprise at 50% would pay Rs 1,11,000. This is our arithmetic on the published figures, not a BIS-issued number. How the extra 10% for women-led enterprises combines with the other concessions is set out in the notification itself; read it, or ask BIS, before you rely on a figure.

Not the same as the CRS concession. The CRS (Scheme-II) concession is a separate scheme on the CRS processing fee. Under the 2024 amendment it was 80% for micro enterprises and start-ups, 50% for small and 20% for medium, due to become 20% for all MSMEs from 1 June 2026; an extension to 31 May 2029 has been reported but not confirmed from the gazette^[34]. See what BIS CRS registration costs.

On BIS's published figures, a small toy maker's first-year government charges come to about Rs 58,000 and a large helmet maker's to about Rs 62,000, before lab testing. The number of inspection man-days is BIS's decision; we assume one for the toy maker and two for the helmet maker.

1. A small enterprise making toys to IS 9873 (Part 1). Application fee Rs 1,000, one man-day of inspection at Rs 7,000 and the annual licence fee of Rs 1,000, so Rs 9,000^[1]. BIS's 2021 marking fee table set the IS 9873 (Part 1) minimum at Rs 79,000 for the small-medium band^[35]; the 2026 concession for a small enterprise is 50% of the large-enterprise rate^[2], which on the Rs 98,000 large rate^[35] would be Rs 49,000, for a total of Rs 58,000. Confirm the current figure on Manakonline, because the table has been amended since^[24].

2. A large enterprise making two-wheeler helmets to IS 4151. Application fee Rs 1,000, two man-days of inspection at Rs 7,000 (Rs 14,000) and the Rs 1,000 licence fee^[1], plus the Rs 46,000 minimum marking fee for a large enterprise^[36]: Rs 62,000 before testing. The unit rate is Rs 0.45 per helmet^[36]. Helmets are one of the products where the December 2025 relief on in-house labs does not apply^[23], so budget for test equipment at the factory.

BIS's average is about one month under option-2 and about four months under option-1, counted from receipt and recording of a complete application^[1]. For foreign factories under FMCS, BIS states the average is generally six months from recording of a complete application^[31].

Those are averages, not promises. Your real timeline also includes things BIS's clock does not count:

• Time before the application is complete. Gathering documents, setting up in-house testing and booking a lab all come first.
• Lab time. Under option-2, the test report has to be issued and still be generally under 90 days old when you file^[1].
• Scheduling the visit. Inspection is charged per man-day before the preliminary visit^[1], and the visit has to fit both BIS's and your calendar.
• Queries. Every question BIS raises and you answer slowly stretches the timeline.

Plan production and sales launches around the slower end, and do not ship marked goods until the licence is granted.

BIS's Scheme-I FAQ states that a licence may be granted initially for up to two years and renewed for up to five years^[1].

That FAQ may be out of date. The Bureau of Indian Standards (Conformity Assessment) Amendment Regulations, 2026 were notified on 25 February 2026 as F. No. BS/XI/11/01/2025-26, with a corrigendum dated 28 April 2026^[29]. For CRS (Scheme-II), BIS has said that following this amendment a licence is granted for five years at first and renewed for five more, with fees paid annually in advance^[37].

We could not find the full text of the 2026 amendment on the BIS website or the e-Gazette, so we cannot confirm what it says about Scheme-I validity. Treat the two-year initial figure as what BIS's FAQ currently says, and check the validity printed on your licence and Manakonline when you apply. We will update this page when the amended Scheme-I wording is published in full.

Renewal is done on Manakonline, as all Scheme-I applications and payments are online^[1]. BIS lists a renewal application fee of Rs 1,000 and a late fee of Rs 5,000 for renewal on its FMCS fee page, and says FMCS fees are the same as for domestic Scheme-I manufacturers^[21]. The annual licence fee and marking fees keep falling due while you hold the licence^[1].

For foreign licensees, BIS asks for Form XII, month-wise production details with consignee addresses, an extended performance bank guarantee and payment of marking fees at renewal^[38]. Indian licensees should expect to give production details too, because marking fees depend on production^[3].

Practical rules:

• Start well before expiry. A late renewal costs Rs 5,000 more, and the renewal still has to be processed.
• Keep production records month by month from the day you are granted, so the renewal is not a scramble.
• If your validity changes under the 2026 amendment, follow the date on your licence and Manakonline, not an old rule of thumb.

How domestic renewal works under BIS's 2025 guidelines. A licence may be renewed for one to five years at the licensee's request, with the fees paid for the period asked for^[39]. After you submit, the portal renews the licence automatically unless it is suspended, in cancellation or expiry proceedings, or the self-compliance report is missing^[40].

Miss the date and the clock starts. Manakonline automatically defers licences past their validity and expires them after 90 days^[41]. A renewal filed within those 90 days with a Rs 5,000 late fee runs from the old validity date^[42]. If you will not produce for a while, you can ask BIS at least 30 days before validity to keep the licence dormant for up to a year, paying ten per cent of the minimum marking fee or Rs 7,000, whichever is higher^[43].

The ISI renewal guide has the full sequence. Put your validity date into the licence renewal date tool and your compliance calendar.

The mark may only be used under a valid licence: section 17 of the BIS Act requires goods notified under section 16 to carry a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[4]. In practice that means three things.

1. Mark only what the licence covers. A BIS circular states that the Standard Mark must not be applied to products outside the licence scope, giving as an example samples sent to labs for an intended grant of licence^[44]. Do not mark goods, packaging or listings before the grant.
2. Mark only from the licensed factory. Because a licence is granted per factory location^[1], goods made at a second site cannot carry the mark of the first site's licence.
3. Follow your licence and the standard. Use the mark artwork and the details BIS specifies for your licence and Indian Standard, rather than copying another company's label.

We have verified the detailed marking rules for CRS products (licence number, IS number, minimum font size and colours), but not yet the equivalent Scheme-I rules for each product. For CRS marking, see BIS CRS labelling.

BIS also requires the licence number to appear with the mark, preferably below it, as CM/L followed by the number^[45]. Check your artwork with the label checker and the product label checklist.

Getting the licence is the start of an ongoing relationship with BIS. After grant, BIS carries out surprise factory surveillance inspections and also buys ISI-marked samples from the market for third-party testing^[1].

If marked goods are found not to conform, BIS can direct the licence holder or its representative to stop supply and recall them, and can direct repair, replacement or compensation to consumers^[4].

To stay out of trouble:

• Keep testing to the frequency the standard and the licence require, and keep the records.
• Pay the annual licence fee and marking fee on time^[1].
• Tell BIS before you change the factory, the product design or the varieties covered. New varieties are added by inclusion, charged at Rs 5,000 per variety or group of varieties on BIS's published fee list^[21].

The February 2026 surveillance rules. BIS's market surveillance guidelines say generally two samples a year may be bought from the market for each licence, rising to three or four depending on your record over the previous two years^[27]. Its non-conformity guidelines allow suspension for a second consecutive critical failure, a third consecutive failure, or failures in more than a third of surveillance reports, after a 10-day notice^[28]. Suspended, cancelled and expired licences are shown publicly on the e-BIS dashboard^[46], which is how buyers verify a BIS licence. The CRS equivalent is covered in our CRS surveillance guide.

BIS does not publish a list of rejection reasons for Scheme-I, so the table below is built from the rules above: each row is a rule that, if missed, stops or slows an application. Use it as a pre-filing check.

Contravening section 17 is punishable with imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of not less than Rs 2 lakh for a first contravention and not less than Rs 5 lakh for later ones, which can extend to ten times the value of the goods, or both; the offence is cognizable^[4]. Where the value cannot be determined, one year's production or the previous year's annual turnover is taken as the value^[4].

Where a company commits the offence, every responsible director, manager or officer and the authorised representative are deemed guilty along with the company^[4]. That is why the AIR role for foreign manufacturers is a real legal responsibility. A first offence not punishable with imprisonment only may be compounded by an officer authorised by the BIS Director General, for no more than the maximum fine^[4].

Misusing the BIS name or the words "Indian Standard" is a separate offence, punishable with a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh^[4].

We have verified these penalties from the 2016 Act as enacted. We have not confirmed whether later amendments changed section 29, so check the current text if you face enforcement.

A BIS-recognised lab and, if you need one, a consultant who files on Manakonline every week will save you most of the back-and-forth.

• Labs. Option-2 test reports must come from BIS or BIS-recognised labs^[1]. Our BIS lab directory lists them by city, including Delhi NCR, Chennai and Hyderabad. Read how to read a BIS test report before you file.
• Consultants. See our BIS consultant guide and city pages for Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata, and how to choose a consultant.
• Importers and brands. If you buy ISI goods rather than make them, our guides for first-time importers, D2C brands and distributors explain what to ask your supplier. Foreign factories should read our FMCS guide.
• Not sure your product is covered? Try the approval checker, the HS code approval finder or ask us for a free compliance check.

The three are often treated as one thing. They are not. The table gives the official differences in one place; our comparison guide goes further.