Does my product need BIS certification? A five-step method to decide, with borderline cases and exemptions

Your product needs BIS only if a government order names it: the Electronics and IT Goods Compulsory Registration Order for electronics, or a Quality Control Order for everything else. If no order names it, BIS certification is voluntary.

The legal hook is section 17 of the BIS Act, which bans making, importing, selling or storing for sale goods notified under section 16 without a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[1]. Section 16 notifications are the orders. So the question 'does my product need BIS?' is really 'is my product inside any order, and has that order's date arrived?'

Use this five-step method:

1. Describe the product precisely: what it does, power source, rated voltage, wireless features, who it is for.
2. Check the CRS list of electronics categories.
3. Check the Scheme-I list of Quality Control Orders.
4. Check dates, exemptions and transition relief.
5. Confirm in writing with the regulator if any doubt remains.

The free approval checker runs steps 2 and 3 against our database, the HS code approval finder starts from a tariff code, and the QCO deadline checker handles step 4.

CRS products are electronics and IT goods listed by MeitY and registered on a self-declaration basis; QCO products are listed by other ministries and usually need an ISI-mark licence with factory inspection. Both make BIS certification compulsory.

• CRS runs under Scheme-II, based on self-declaration of conformity^[11]. The current order is S.O. 1248(E) of 18 March 2021^[5]. See BIS CRS.
• QCO / ISI runs mostly under Scheme-I, a licence with inspection^[12]. Foreign factories get it through FMCS. See ISI mark.

Not every CRS order comes from MeitY. Solar PV products were notified by MNRE under its own compulsory registration order and are registered through CRS^[11]. The CRS vs ISI vs FMCS guide compares the routes in detail.

Because orders define products by description, function and Indian Standard, not by marketing name. A 'smart lamp', an 'LED module' and an 'LED luminaire' can land in different categories or none.

Write down, before searching:

• Primary function, and any secondary function (a speaker with a power bank inside has two).
• Power: mains, DC adaptor, battery, USB. The 2026 appliances QCO covers DC-supplied and battery-operated appliances too^[6].
• Rated voltage and power, since some CRS entries have thresholds, such as amplifiers with input power 2000 W and above^[19] and musical systems below 200 W^[19].
• Intended user: the Toys QCO covers anything designed or clearly intended for play by children under 14^[13].
• Whether it is a finished product or a component: the CRO applies to finished goods, not spare parts unless separately notified^[20].
• Wireless features such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. They do not decide BIS scope on their own, but they trigger a separate WPC Equipment Type Approval^[21], so note them now and read our WPC approval guide.

Open the CRS portal's standards table, find the category that matches your product's description, and note the Indian Standard. BIS's Scheme-II list shows 66 numbered categories^[2].

The crsbis.in 'Standard Number(s)' table lists each CRS category against its standard^[22]. Our electronics CRS order page shows the full list with links to product pages. Common hits:

During a transition both apply: you may certify to either until the old one is withdrawn. Most IT and audio-video categories are moving to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023.

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^[23], and the old standards may run concurrently only until 1 November 2028^[24]. That is why our product table above shows the older standard while product pages also list 62368. LED lamps are moving to IS 16102 (Part 1):2026, with the last date of implementation extended to 2 February 2027^[25]. See the IS/IEC 62368-1 page and IS 16102 (Part 1).

Search BIS's Scheme-I compulsory certification list for your product description and standard, then read the QCO itself for scope, exclusions and dates. BIS numbers these QCOs serially up to 136^[3].

The QCOs most likely to catch importers of consumer goods:

• Electrical appliances. The 2026 umbrella QCO covers household, commercial and similar appliances up to 250 V single-phase or 480 V other, including DC and battery-operated ones^[6]. Its table names 90 appliance types^[6]. See the electrical appliances QCO.
• Toys for children under 14^[13]; see Toys QCO.
• Plugs and sockets under IS 1293 from 1 June 2022^[26]; see extension boards and IS 1293.
• Cookware, footwear, furniture, helmets, pressure cookers, steel and textiles, each with its own order; see the QCO hub and the full QCO data table.

Orders change often. The QCO tracker records rescissions and deferrals, and BIS's upcoming list showed 30 product entries due for enforcement between 6 November 2026 and 1 May 2027^[4].

No. HS codes help you find candidate orders, but most orders define scope by description and Indian Standard. The 2026 appliances QCO, for example, lists no HS codes at all^[6].

Two more reasons the HS code is only a starting point:

• Toys under any chapter. DGFT's import policy says toys, dolls and similar goods imported under any chapter are governed by the BIS standards in Chapter 95's policy condition^[27]. A toy declared under another heading is still a toy.
• Disputed classifications. CESTAT remanded a case on whether an 'activity tracker' is a smart watch under 8517 62 90, holding that Revenue must prove the classification^[28]. Classification and BIS scope can diverge.

Where an order does list HS codes, as some steel orders do, exemptions can be by code too^[29]. Use the HS code approval finder to surface candidates, then read the order. Our glossary explains HS codes.

Borderline products are decided by the closest listed category, by BIS guidance where it exists, and otherwise by the regulator. Several common cases are already settled.

Check each function. A product can need more than one licence, and BIS's guidance says a separate licence is needed for each product name^[30]. Critical components can also need their own BIS mark.

Where a standard requires conforming critical components, BIS accepts the component's own Standard Mark if the component is under a QCO or CRO^[38]. So a Bluetooth speaker with a lithium battery needs CRS for the speaker^[22], and the cell inside needs to meet IS 16046. A power bank needs CRS for itself^[22], and its cells come under the lithium category too.

Appliances work the other way round. The 2026 appliances QCO does not apply to appliances already within another QCO or another mandatory BIS notification^[6]. Induction stoves and rice cookers, for instance, are CRS categories^[19], so they follow CRS. See induction cooktops.

Check the implementation date and how it applies to imports. For CRS goods made abroad, the date the consignment lands in India decides: goods landing on or after the due date must comply^[9].

Some dates as of November 2026:

• TV sets needing IS 18112: 26 January 2027^[39].
• Smartphone screen protectors: 1 April 2027^[36].
• Standalone hard disk drives: 1 May 2027^[37].
• Electrical appliances QCO: 1 October 2026 for medium and large firms, 1 January 2027 for small and 1 April 2027 for micro enterprises^[6].

MSME dates follow the manufacturer's size, so ask your supplier which applies. The QCO deadline checker, the compliance calendar and new rules for 2026 keep these current.

The main ones are imports for R&D, testing or demonstration, highly specialised low-volume equipment, re-imports after repair, goods for export, and transition relief for consignments shipped before a QCO started. Each has conditions.

No. MeitY's CRS FAQ says the order does not apply to goods imported for testing in India^[7], which is how factories send samples to Indian labs. The samples must not carry the Standard Mark^[45].

For highly specialised equipment, CBIC reportedly told Customs to apply the exemption only on a specific MeitY exemption^[46]. Keep the paperwork with the shipment. Our samples guide covers the customs side.

Write to the ministry that issued the order. BIS advises manufacturers to take questions on whether a product is covered by a QCO, and requests for exemption, to the concerned regulator such as MeitY, not BIS^[10].

A good query:

Show the evidence of non-coverage: the order's scope, the exact category list, and any regulator reply. Platforms ask because BIS enforcement on e-commerce is active.

In FY 2024-25 BIS reportedly bought 344 QCO product samples from e-commerce platforms, found 142 without valid certification, and searched 22 warehouses^[47]. Marketplace sellers must give platforms the mandatory notices required by law^[48]. See our Amazon compliance documents guide and the guide for Amazon sellers.

Not necessarily. Wireless products need a WPC ETA^[21], telecom gear may need MTCTE^[49], LED lamps need a BEE star label^[50], and almost every importer needs LMPC registration^[51] and plastic EPR.

Wi-Fi routers are a good example: no CRS category^[22], but MTCTE^[52] and WPC. See WPC ETA, MTCTE, BEE star label, LMPC and plastic EPR.

Often enough that a check done last year may be wrong today. The 2021 electronics order alone has been amended 14 times, most recently by S.O. 5689(E) of 16 October 2026^[53], and QCOs are added, deferred and rescinded every few months.

Recent examples in both directions:

• Added. Extended reality products joined the CRO at S. No. 65^[24], smartphone screen protectors at S. No. 66^[36], and a Hand Tools QCO was notified on 9 October 2026^[4].
• Widened. The hard disk drive entry moved from USB external drives to all standalone HDDs^[54].
• Removed. On 12 November 2025 the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals rescinded 14 QCOs with immediate effect^[15], and the Cotton Bales QCO was reportedly rescinded in June 2026^[34].
• Relaxed. The Transition Facilitation Order of 25 June 2026 lets DPIIT permit assessed companies to source goods under 10 scheduled QCOs through Scheme-II licences^[55].

Re-run the approval checker before every new purchase order, and follow the QCO tracker for changes.

No. Section 17 of the BIS Act covers manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, hiring, leasing, storing or exhibiting for sale^[1], so the sales channel does not change whether BIS applies. Selling business-to-business or only through your own website is still selling.

What the channel changes is how likely you are to be checked. Customs checks BIS registration at import, as reported for CRS goods^[56]; BIS searches warehouses, including e-commerce warehouses^[47]; and for CRS goods MeitY's surveillance portal asks brands to register each model's sales channel, location and MRP^[57]. A trader holding registered goods supplements the Standard Mark with a copy of the registration certificate and purchase documents when asked^[58].

If you resell goods bought from an Indian importer, check the mark and R-number before you buy. Our guide on how to verify a BIS licence shows how, and the guides for distributors and D2C brands cover your position in the chain.

If a product needed BIS and you sold it without, it is an offence under section 29(3): up to two years' imprisonment or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first contravention, extendable to ten times the goods' value^[1]. Importers are 'persons' under the Act^[1].

Customs may also deform non-compliant CRS goods, as reported^[59]. Read selling without BIS for enforcement examples. If the answer is still unclear after these five steps, ask us for a free compliance check or use a BIS consultant.

A USB-C power bank with wireless charging. Step 2: power banks are a CRS category^[19]. Step 4: in force since 2015. No exemption for sale. Result: CRS needed, plus a WPC check for the wireless charging coil^[60].

A battery-operated milk frother. Step 2: not a CRS category. Step 3: the 2026 appliances QCO covers battery-operated appliances^[6]. Step 4: dates depend on the manufacturer's size^[6]. Step 5: confirm with DPIIT whether it falls within a listed appliance type. Result: likely ISI under the umbrella QCO.

A wooden puzzle for adults. Step 1: is it clearly intended for children under 14? The Toys QCO scope turns on that^[13]. If marketed and packaged for adults, it may fall outside; if age-graded for children, the Toys QCO applies and the toys page explains the ISI route.