BIS ISI mark (Scheme-I) fees in 2026: application, inspection, licence and marking fees, FMCS extras and MSME concessions

The fixed BIS fees are small. The BIS FAQ lists an application fee of Rs 1,000, an inspection fee of Rs 7,000 per man-day before the preliminary visit, and, after BIS decides to grant, an annual licence fee of Rs 1,000 plus the minimum marking fee for the product^[1]. The marking fee is the big number, and it varies by Indian Standard.

The marking fee is what a licensee pays BIS for the right to put the ISI mark on its goods. BIS notifies it per Indian Standard under notification CMD-2/G-18 of 5 August 2021, as amended, as an annual minimum marking fee plus unit rates per unit of production in up to three slabs^[2]. The notification has been amended many times, most recently in January and June 2026^[10].

BIS's consolidated list (September 2026) shows, for each standard, the minimum fee for large, medium, small (half the large rate) and micro (one fifth of the large rate) enterprises, the unit of product and the unit rates^[11].

How the two parts work together:

1. The minimum marking fee is paid in advance. A BIS grant letter says it is payable whether or not the product is actually marked^[12].
2. At renewal, the factory submits a production statement certified by a chartered or cost accountant, and BIS calculates the actual marking fee^[13]. The BIS FAQ confirms production details are used to calculate the actual marking fee^[14].
3. The same BIS grant letter states the actual fee (unit rate times production marked) or the minimum, whichever is higher, is payable^[12]. That letter is a licensee's copy, not a BIS web page, so treat the 'whichever is higher' rule as BIS practice we have not seen in a regulation.

Where a product is certified to both a safety and a performance standard, only one marking fee, the higher of the two, is charged^[15].

Marking fees for the four standards Comploa covers in detail, from BIS's September 2026 list. 'Break-even' is our arithmetic: the yearly volume at which the unit-rate fee equals the large-firm minimum.

Electrical goods are where most new ISI licences are being taken in 2026, because the household appliances order made the ISI mark compulsory for a long list of appliances. These rows come from the same BIS list, which now runs to 1,682 Indian Standards^[8]. Break-even is again our own arithmetic against the large-firm minimum.

IS 302 (Part 1) is the general safety standard behind the household appliances QCO, so it is priced differently from single-product standards. A large firm pays Rs 2,41,000 for the first appliance on the licence and Rs 50,000 for each further appliance; a medium firm pays Rs 1,93,000 for the first and Rs 50,000 for each further one; the unit rate is Rs 1.00 per piece^[8]. The order itself names 90 appliance types^[19], and its ISI-mark dates were 1 October 2026 for medium and large firms, 1 January 2027 for small and 1 April 2027 for micro enterprises^[19].

Worked example (our arithmetic). A large factory licensing an electric kettle, a coffee maker and a fabric steamer under IS 302 (Part 1) has a minimum of Rs 2,41,000 + 2 x Rs 50,000 = Rs 3,41,000 a year^[8]. If it marks 4,00,000 pieces in a year across the three, the unit-rate fee is Rs 4,00,000, which is higher than the minimum, so (on the 'whichever is higher' practice) it pays Rs 4,00,000^[12].

The small and micro columns are not printed in the IS 302 row, but the list's header defines small as half and micro as one fifth of the large rate^[11]. Check the figure BIS shows on Manakonline when you apply. Product pages for electric kettles, induction cooktops and room heaters say which Part 2 standard sits on top of IS 302 (Part 1).

Toys have two of the highest minimums in this group, and the unit rates are per 1,000 pieces, so almost no factory produces enough to pass the minimum. For an electric toy licence, the minimum of Rs 1,46,000^[17] is what a large factory pays in practice.

The 2021 notification had treated toys differently, with unit rates that fell for smaller firms (Rs 80, 40 and 20 per 1,000 pieces for IS 15644)^[20]. The 2026 list shows a single unit rate and a minimum that scales by enterprise size instead^[17].

For other products, use BIS's search tool or the full PDF linked from the BIS fee page^[11].

BIS builds the minimum from what it costs to police the mark. Its 2020 standard operating procedure adds up testing charges for two factory samples and two market samples, the cost of buying the two market samples, and a BIS overhead of Rs 37,000 (as on that date), then rounds up to the next thousand^[21].

The unit rate is the large-scale minimum divided by the total production capacity of the industry, then trimmed so that it is not less than 0.01% and not more than 0.2% of the cost of production^[21]. That is why a cheap high-volume item such as a plug socket has a unit rate of Rs 1.75 per 100 pieces^[8], while a water heater carries Rs 6 per piece^[8].

Two practical lessons follow:

• Expensive testing means a high minimum. LED lamp performance testing is long, and the IS 16102 (Part 2) minimum is Rs 2,11,000 for a large firm^[8]. Compare the safety side of IS 16102, which is a CRS standard with a flat processing fee instead (see BIS CRS fees).
• Most small licensees only ever pay the minimum. Break-even volumes in the tables above run to lakhs of units, so budget for the minimum and treat the unit rate as a top-up for big producers.

Yes, on the minimum marking fee only. From 17 March 2026 until 31 May 2029, BIS gives these concessions against the large-enterprise rate^[4]:

BIS uses the MSMED Act, 2006 definitions for micro, small and medium enterprises, the Income Tax Act, 1961 definition of a start-up, and defines a women entrepreneur enterprise as one owned and controlled by a woman with at least 51% financial interest^[22].

Two consequences:

• Foreign factories. The MSMED Act is an Indian law. In our reading, a factory abroad applying under FMCS cannot be a micro or small enterprise under it and pays the large-enterprise rate. BIS has not published a statement on this that we have seen, so ask FMCD if you think your case differs.
• Application, inspection and licence fees are not discounted; only the minimum marking fee is^[3].

The previous concession ran from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026 at 80% for micro units; the 2026 notification replaced it^[3].

FMCS fees are the same as for Indian Scheme-I licensees, plus the costs of sending BIS officers abroad^[6].

These add up BIS fees only, using the rates above. Testing, consultants and travel are extra; the compliance cost estimator and BIS ISI licence cost page add those in.

BIS fees are often the smaller half of the bill. Plan for these as well:

• GST on BIS fees. A sample BIS tax invoice shows 18% IGST charged on the Rs 1,000 application fee^[23]; this is reported from an indexed invoice, so check your own.
• Testing. Paid to the lab, not BIS^[1]. Find recognised labs on BIS CRS test labs (the same recognised-lab system) and read how to read a BIS test report.
• Consultants. One consultancy lists a professional fee starting from Rs 40,000 for an ISI licence and 60 to 90 working days to certification^[24]; that is one firm's advertised price, not a market rate. See how to choose a BIS consultant and the BIS consultants directory.
• Authorised Indian Representative (foreign factories). One consultancy's 2026 guide lists an AIR fee of Rs 46,000 per year per licence under FMCS^[25]. Again a single reported price.
• Time. BIS says grant takes about one month under option-2 and four months under option-1 for Indian factories^[1], and generally six months for FMCS^[7]. Stock that cannot be sold while you wait is a real cost.

One licence covers one standard at one factory, so a second product or a second plant means a second set of fees^[1].

No. Testing is paid separately to the lab. Under option-2, test reports must come from BIS or BIS-recognised labs and be generally not more than 90 days old^[1]. BIS does not publish a single price list for third-party product testing that we could verify, so get quotes from recognised labs for your standard.

Two BIS-set testing charges do appear in the fee list: counter-sample testing at twice normal testing rates, and Rs 10,000 plus travel to witness counter-sample testing^[6].

A licence is first granted for up to two years and can be renewed for up to five^[1]. At renewal you pay, for the period you choose, the licence fee and the advance minimum marking fee^[26], plus a renewal application fee, listed at Rs 1,000 in the BIS FMCS fee schedule^[6], and settle the actual marking fee from the CA-certified production statement^[13].

Example. A large IS 4151 helmet licensee renewing for three years pays Rs 3,000 in licence fees and Rs 1,38,000 in advance minimum marking fees (3 x Rs 46,000)^[9], plus the renewal application fee, plus any shortfall if the past period's production at Rs 0.45 a helmet exceeded the minimum already paid.

Miss the date and the factory cannot mark or dispatch marked goods; it can still renew within 90 days with a Rs 5,000 late fee, and still owes marking fee for the gap^[5].

These come up again and again when licences are renewed or audited:

1. Claiming the MSME rate without a valid Udyam certificate. The concession follows the MSMED Act definitions^[22]. Keep the Udyam certificate current; if turnover pushes you into a bigger class, the concession changes too.
2. Paying for a short renewal and then lapsing. Renewal can be for one to five years, depending on the fees paid^[26]. Missing the date stops marking and dispatch; within 90 days you can still renew with the Rs 5,000 late fee^[5]. Put the date into the licence renewal date tool and the compliance calendar.
3. Under-reporting production. The actual marking fee is calculated from a CA- or cost-accountant-certified production statement^[13], and BIS also buys market samples^[1]. Quantities that do not match sales are easy to spot.
4. Licensing two standards and paying two marking fees. If a product is certified to both a safety and a performance standard, only the higher marking fee applies^[15]. Ask BIS to apply this if your demand note shows both.
5. Forgetting variety inclusion fees. Under FMCS, each new variety or group costs Rs 5,000 to include^[6]. Group models in the first application where grouping guidelines allow it.

Renewal paperwork is covered on ISI licence renewal and the document list on ISI mark documents.

Online. BIS accepts Scheme-I applications and payments only through Manakonline^[1]. Before an FMCS licence is granted, the applicant pays the licence fee, the advance minimum marking fee and any outstanding dues^[7]. Foreign applicants pay by RTGS, NEFT or SWIFT, net of bank charges^[6].

Compare with the electronics route: CRS has a Rs 1,000 application fee and Rs 1,000 annual licence fee too, but a Rs 50,000 processing fee instead of a marking fee^[27]. See BIS CRS fees and, for the total cost of a licence with worked examples, BIS ISI licence cost.

Four changes matter for budgets this year:

• January and June 2026 amendments to the marking fee notification revised entries for several standards^[10]. Re-check your standard's row before renewing rather than relying on an old demand note.
• New MSME concession to 31 May 2029. The 17 March 2026 notification set 80% for micro firms and start-ups, 50% for small firms and an extra 10% for women-led firms^[4].
• A consolidated list in September 2026 gives every standard's minimum by enterprise size in one PDF, with 1,682 entries^[8].
• FMCS went online-only from 1 June 2026^[28], so foreign applicants now pay through the same portal flow as Indian ones.

Meanwhile new QCOs keep adding products to Scheme-I: appliances from 1 October 2026^[19] and aluminium utensils on the same date^[29]. Track them on the QCO tracker and new rules for 2026, and read QCO changes in 2026.

Usually not, for the same product size. CRS has no marking fee: you pay a Rs 1,000 application fee, a Rs 1,000 annual licence fee and a Rs 50,000 processing fee^[27]. Under Scheme-I, a large firm's minimum marking fee alone is Rs 78,000 for plugs and sockets^[8] and Rs 1,76,000 for ceiling fans^[8], before inspection man-days.

You do not choose the scheme, though. The QCO for your product decides it: electronics like power banks and LED bulbs are on CRS, while appliances, toys, helmets and cookware are on Scheme-I. The approval checker tells you which applies, and CRS vs ISI vs FMCS compares the three. For a costed second opinion on your product, ask for a free compliance check.