CRS vs ISI mark vs FMCS: which BIS scheme applies to your product and your factory

Electronics on the CRS list use CRS; goods under a Scheme-I order use the ISI mark; a factory abroad making a Scheme-I product uses FMCS. All three are ways of getting a BIS Standard Mark onto a product legally. Section 17 of the BIS Act prohibits making, importing, selling or storing for sale goods notified under section 16 without a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[10]. The scheme you use is decided by the order that notifies your product and by where the factory is:

• CRS is the Compulsory Registration Scheme, which BIS runs under Scheme-II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. It is based on self-declaration of conformity^[1], backed by a test report from a BIS-recognised lab^[2]. It covers products listed under the Compulsory Registration Orders, mostly electronics and IT goods^[11], and applications go through crsbis.in^[2]. Full guide: BIS CRS.
• The ISI mark is a Scheme-I product certification licence. A factory applies on Manakonline^[4], BIS inspects it, and the licence holder pays an annual licence fee and a marking fee^[4]. Full guide: ISI mark.
• FMCS, the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme, is how a factory outside India gets a Scheme-I licence. Fees are the same as for domestic Scheme-I, plus the cost of BIS officers' travel^[12], and the manufacturer furnishes a USD 10,000 performance bank guarantee after grant^[8]. Full guide: FMCS.

A foreign factory making a CRS product does not use FMCS. BIS says FMCS covers all products except the electronics and IT goods MeitY notifies, which go through CRS^[5]. Such a factory registers under CRS like an Indian factory, and nominates an Authorised Indian Representative^[7].

CRS is self-declaration with a lab report; ISI and FMCS add a BIS factory inspection. Every figure in this table is from BIS unless marked as reported. CRS fees and validity for all three schemes follow the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Amendment Regulations, 2026 in Gazette No. 142 of 25 February 2026^[13], which replaced the 2018 CRS fee table^[13].

Work from the product to the order, then from the order to the factory location. The approval checker and the HS code approval finder do the first step for common products; our explainer does my product need BIS? covers borderline cases.

Electronics and IT goods named on the CRS list: BIS's Scheme-II list shows 66 numbered categories, the latest being smartphone screen protectors^[3]. The list on crsbis.in names each product and the Indian Standard it must meet. A few common examples:

Yes. Most IS 13252 (Part 1) and IS 616 categories are moving to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, with the old standards allowed until 1 November 2028. MeitY's S.O. 4997(E) replaced IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 and IS 616:2017 in the CRO schedule with IS/IEC 62368 (Part 1):2023^[20], and the old standards may run concurrently until 1 November 2028, after which they stand withdrawn^[21]. BIS's March 2026 guidelines list 38 CRS categories affected^[22].

This changes the standard on a CRS licence, not the scheme. The R-number stays the same after migration^[23]. See IS/IEC 62368-1, IS 13252 (Part 1) and IS 616.

New categories and deferred dates, not a move between schemes. The CRS list keeps growing, so a product that needed nothing last year may need registration now.

• Hard disk drives. MeitY's S.O. 2204(E) of 5 May 2026 changed the CRO entry to "Standalone Hard Disk Drives": USB-type external drives stay covered as before, and the broader entry was due from 5 November 2026^[17]. MeitY's S.O. 5689(E) of 16 October 2026 then extended implementation to 1 May 2027^[24].
• Glass screen protectors. MeitY added glass screen protectors for smartphones as a 66th entry to the 2021 order, to IS 19348:2025, and BIS issued grant guidelines on 15 October 2026^[25]. S.O. 5190(E) of 21 September 2026 makes the entry effective from 1 April 2027^[26].
• Smart and audio glasses. BIS guidance of 13 August 2026 puts audio glasses under wireless earphones and headphones, smart glasses with a photo-only camera under digital cameras, those with video under video cameras, and AR or MR glasses under extended reality products^[27].
• TV satellite receiver standard. MeitY extended the implementation date of IS 18112 for TVs to 26 January 2027^[28].

None of these move a product from CRS to Scheme-I or the other way. They change whether a product is covered and to which standard. Track them on the QCO tracker, the 2026 rules page and the compliance calendar.

Products brought under Scheme-I by a Quality Control Order, such as toys, pressure cookers, helmets, plugs and sockets, furniture and household electrical appliances. BIS's Scheme-I compulsory certification table numbers QCOs serially up to 136^[29], so the examples below are a small sample. Check the order covering your product; the QCO hub and the QCO data page list them.

Only when the factory making a Scheme-I product is outside India. The application, the AIR nomination, the factory visit and the bank guarantee are all part of the FMCS process^[6][8]. Who owns the brand or who imports the goods does not change the scheme: the licence attaches to the factory^[4], and under FMCS an importer cannot apply on the manufacturer's behalf^[36].

FMCS is test-to-Indian-Standard only. BIS does not accept reports against IEC or other non-Indian standards for FMCS^[36]. On 30 October 2026, BIS's FMCS list had 3,216 records, 2,752 of them operative^[37], with Vietnam, South Korea, Nepal, China, Japan and Thailand the largest source countries^[37]. Country guides: China, Vietnam, South Korea.

It depends on volume: CRS fees are flat per licence and paid every year, while ISI and FMCS charge a marking fee per unit with an annual minimum. The ISI marking fee is set per Indian Standard^[38], so two Scheme-I products can cost very differently.

Use the fee pages for each scheme and the calculators. CRS fees exclude GST, which is added to every payment^[14]. For CRS, the CRS fee calculator and CRS fees give the line items; for Scheme-I, see ISI mark fees and ISI licence costs; for FMCS, see FMCS fees. The compliance cost estimator and our 2026 fee data put BIS alongside the other approvals, and BIS certificate cost explains consultant and lab charges on top.

A CRS mark carries an R-number and the IS reference; an ISI mark carries a CM/L licence number. The CRS Standard Mark must show the R-number and the Indian Standard^[42], with text no smaller than Arial size 6^[42]. Scheme-I goods show the licence number with the mark, preferably below it, as CM/L- followed by the digits^[43]. That difference is also how you verify each: see how to verify a BIS licence and CRS labelling.

An importer of Chinese power banks uses CRS; an Indian Scheme-I factory uses ISI; a Vietnamese Scheme-I factory uses FMCS.

An Indian importer of power banks made in China. Power banks are on the CRS list^[19]. The Chinese factory registers under CRS, because the licence is granted to the manufacturing unit, not the importer^[1]. The factory nominates an AIR, which can be the Indian brand owner or another Indian entity under the conditions BIS sets^[44]. FMCS is not involved.

An Indian factory making a product under Scheme-I. It applies on Manakonline for an ISI licence^[4]. If it is a micro enterprise, it gets 80% off the annual minimum marking fee from 17 March 2026 to 31 May 2029^[9]. With a recent test report from a recognised lab, BIS's average is about one month^[4].

A factory in Vietnam making the same Scheme-I product for an Indian buyer. It applies through FMCS, online on Manakonline^[6], nominates an AIR who is an Indian resident^[45], pays in USD as a non-SAARC applicant^[12], pays for BIS officers' visit^[12], and furnishes a USD 10,000 bank guarantee after grant^[8]. BIS's average is about six months^[8].

In a narrow case, yes, under the 2026 Transition Facilitation Order. DPIIT's Transition Facilitation (Quality Control) Order, 2026 lets DPIIT permit companies incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, after assessment by an Implementation Committee, to source goods under 10 scheduled QCOs via BIS Scheme-II licences; the list includes toys, both footwear orders, ACs, water heaters, washing machines, furniture and electrical appliances^[46]. Applications are accepted for 24 months from commencement, and the order lapses after 5 years unless extended^[46].

This is a permission granted case by case, not a choice an importer can make on its own. For everyone else, the order covering the product still decides the scheme.

The commonest mix-ups are about the mark, who holds the licence and when FMCS applies.

• "CRS products carry the ISI mark." CRS uses its own Standard Mark carrying the registration (R-) number and the Indian Standard reference^[42], applied on the product, its package or both^[42]. See CRS labelling.
• "The importer can get the licence." Under CRS the licence is granted to the manufacturing unit, not to an importer or trader^[1]. Under Scheme-I it is per factory^[4].
• "Foreign factories always use FMCS." Only for Scheme-I products. For CRS products, a foreign factory registers under CRS with an AIR^[7].
• "One AIR can handle all our suppliers." An AIR may represent only one foreign manufacturing firm, except for group companies and related importers^[45].
• "An IEC test report is fine for FMCS." BIS accepts only reports against the relevant Indian Standard for FMCS^[36].
• "The rules apply only to manufacturers." The BIS Act's definition of "person" includes importers, distributors, retailers and sellers^[10], and under the Act as published, breaching section 17 can lead to a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh, up to ten times the value of the goods, or imprisonment of up to two years^[10]; we have not checked whether later amendments changed this. See what happens if you sell without BIS.

It changed validity and fees, not which scheme applies. The BIS (Conformity Assessment) Amendment Regulations, 2026 were notified in Gazette No. 142 on 25 February 2026^[13].

• CRS. Licences now run for up to five years and are renewed for up to five more, with fees paid annually in advance^[15]. The processing fee became Rs 25,000 a year instead of Rs 50,000 once^[13][14].
• ISI and FMCS. Scheme-I para 8 was replaced: a licence is granted for up to five years and renewed for up to five more, with fees paid every year in advance^[13]. BIS's ISI FAQ and FMCS pages still show the older periods of up to two years at first^[4][47], but the Gazette governs.
• All licences. If a yearly fee and production statement are missed, the licence is suspended for 90 days; a Rs 5,000 late fee in that window lifts it, otherwise it is cancelled^[13].

Separately, from 1 June 2026 BIS accepts FMCS applications only online^[6], and from 17 March 2026 small Scheme-I licensees get marking fee concessions^[9]. For CRS costs after the amendment, see what CRS registration costs.

Start with the free tools, then use a consultant or lab if the product is borderline or the factory is abroad. The approval checker tells you which approvals a product needs. Our BIS consultants directory lists firms by city, and how to choose a BIS consultant explains what to ask. For testing, start at CRS test labs. Foreign brands should also read compliance for foreign manufacturers. Or ask us for a free compliance check.