How long does BIS registration take? Realistic timelines for CRS, ISI and FMCS, stage by stage

BIS's official figures are 20 working days for CRS after testing, about one or four months for ISI, and about six months for FMCS. It depends on the scheme, and on how much of the time is in your hands.

• CRS (electronics): BIS states that the grant-of-licence process is expected to be completed within 20 working days, provided documentation and product conformity are satisfactory at first instance^[1]. Before that comes testing, which the CRS FAQ says depends on the chosen lab's workload and on the manufacturer supplying technical details^[2]. See the BIS CRS guide.
• ISI mark (Scheme-I) for Indian factories: the average time to grant is about one month under option 2 (test report from a BIS or recognised lab) and four months under option 1, from receipt of a complete application^[5]. See the ISI mark guide.
• FMCS (ISI mark for factories abroad): BIS says the average is generally six months from recording of a complete application^[6]. See the FMCS guide.

None of these is a guarantee. Each figure assumes a complete, correct file, and each excludes the preparation time on your side. Anyone who promises a fixed date for a BIS licence is promising something BIS itself does not. If you are not sure which scheme your product falls under, read CRS vs ISI vs FMCS or run the approval checker first.

The official figures measure different things, so compare the 'clock starts' column before comparing the numbers.

Mostly in preparation and lab testing; the 20 working days are only the last stage. A CRS file goes through these stages, with BIS's deadlines where they exist. The BIS CRS application checklist turns them into a to-do list.

There is no official testing time; it depends on the lab's queue and on how quickly the factory supplies technical details^[2]. What BIS does fix is the edges: samples must reach the lab within 60 days of the test request^[3], and once testing is complete a recognised lab must issue the report within 7 days and may not withhold it^[4].

Lab choice matters for speed and price. On 1 November 2026 BIS's LIMS listed 68 labs recognised for IS 13252 (Part 1), with declared charges from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2,00,000^[11], and 72 lab entries for IS 16046 battery testing, from Rs 37,500 to Rs 4,80,000^[12]. With that many labs, it is worth asking three or four for their current queue in writing. Our CRS test labs guide and the city pages for Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Mumbai and Pune help you shortlist.

Two tools can save weeks:

• Parallel testing. Since 9 January 2024 components and the end product can be tested at the same time for all CRO 2021 categories, though BIS grants licences in sequence and the manufacturer carries the risk if a component fails^[13].
• Getting the test request right first time. Product category, models and brands in the test request cannot be changed at the application stage; an error means cancelling and generating a fresh request^[14].

Clean paperwork and grouped models make it faster; queries, expired reports and late affidavits make it slower.

Things that slow it down:

• A query round. Each deficiency notice gives you at least 30 days to respond^[1]; a sloppy reply invites another round.
• An expired report. A report more than 90 days old on receipt cannot be used^[1], which sends you back to the lab.
• A late affidavit. If BIS does not have the original within 30 days of online submission, the application is liable to be cancelled^[10].
• Samples stuck in transit. The 60-day sample window runs while the box sits at the port^[3]. See importing samples for BIS testing.
• Several brands. Each brand needs its own application unless the brand owner is the same^[1].

Things that speed it up:

• Series grouping. Testing a representative model and adding others via supplementary reports^[1]. Most electronics categories allow up to 10 models in one series^[15]; see series guidelines.
• A common report for several brands from the same factory^[16].
• Inclusion instead of a new licence when you add models later^[17].
• A ready AIR and a clean business licence before the test request is generated^[3].

At least a month per query round, and a rejection can mean starting again from testing. BIS gives at least 30 days to answer a deficiency notice^[1]. If the reply is not satisfactory, BIS can reject the application; its listed grounds include a non-conforming test report, false declarations, tampered documents and failure to answer queries in time^[18]. Fees are not refunded when an application is rejected after processing because of unsatisfactory replies^[19].

Most delays come from mismatches, not product failures. BIS's own list of frequent deficiencies includes factory names and addresses that differ across documents, missing or unsigned AIR nominations, brand certificates that do not match the label in the report, and wrong model numbers in the undertaking^[20]. At the login stage, missing or conflicting English translations of a foreign business licence are a common hold-up^[21].

There is limited relief: a BIS DDG may accept test reports outside the time norms for genuine reasons on justification^[18]. Do not plan around it. Our CRS rejections guide lists each common reason and its fix.

Plan in stages with BIS's fixed windows as anchors. This is an illustration, not a promise. A brand owner in India asks its supplier abroad to register a new power bank, a CRS category under IS 13252 (Part 1)^[22], with the Indian company as AIR^[23]. The only fixed numbers in the plan are BIS's windows; the rest depends on the lab and on how fast each party works.

Every fixed window in the example is a BIS rule; the query buffer is our planning assumption. The 60-day sample window^[3], the 90-day report window^[1], the 30-day affidavit deadline^[10] and the 20-working-day target^[1] are BIS rules. Printing the mark only after grant follows from the rule that the Standard Mark carries the licence's R-number^[24] and must not be applied outside the licence scope^[25]. When queries come, the minimum reply window is 30 days^[1].

Put together, a clean file runs: sample shipment (up to 60 days allowed), testing (lab-dependent), report issue (up to 7 days after testing^[4]), filing (inside 90 days), then about 20 working days of scrutiny. Add 30 or more days for each query round. To budget the fees for the same plan, use the CRS fee calculator and our guide to BIS certificate cost.

Yes. Products with extra requirements or standards in transition need more testing, and some categories are not yet enforceable at all. The table shows what adds time for common products.

Not for a new application today, but it adds a testing project for existing licensees before 1 November 2028. New applications can still be processed under IS 13252 (Part 1) or IS 616, or under IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, until 1 November 2028, with a declaration to implement the new standard^[33]. BIS encourages new applications under the new standard^[34], which avoids testing twice.

Existing licensees in 38 categories must submit complete IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 reports for all lead models by 1 November 2028^[35]. BIS says one representative sample per licence is not enough, migrating registered models through the Standard Revision module carries no fee, and separate reports are needed for each manufacturing location^[36]. The R-number stays the same^[34]. See IS/IEC 62368-1 for the details and the compliance calendar for the deadline.

Because BIS inspects the factory. Under Scheme-I option 1, BIS scrutinises the application, visits the factory and draws samples for testing; under option 2 the applicant submits a test report with the application and BIS then verifies the factory^[37]. That is why option 2 averages about one month and option 1 about four^[5].

FMCS adds international travel. BIS officers visit the foreign factory to verify manufacturing and testing infrastructure and draw samples for independent testing, and the licence is granted after a satisfactory inspection and conforming test reports^[6]. All FMCS visits are treated as special visits, with the applicant paying officers' travel^[38], and samples are tested in India at the applicant's cost^[39]. After grant, the manufacturer must furnish a USD 10,000 performance bank guarantee^[6]. Since 1 June 2026 FMCS applications are accepted online only^[40].

One recent change helps Indian Scheme-I factories: a BIS circular of 16 December 2025 says manufacturers no longer need an in-house laboratory to operate BIS certification, and may use shared, cluster or sub-contracted testing^[41]. For fees, see ISI licence costs.

Under CRS, usually only at the start, because a foreign factory needs a translated business licence and an AIR before it can file. Under Scheme-I, yes: an Indian factory uses the ISI route and a foreign one uses FMCS, which BIS says averages about six months^[6].

A CRS licence now lasts up to five years, renewable for up to five more, with fees paid every year. After the 25 February 2026 amendment, a CRS licence is granted initially for up to five years and renewed for up to five more, with fees paid annually in advance^[7]. Missing the yearly fee and production statement suspends the licence for 90 days; a Rs 5,000 late fee within that window lifts it, otherwise it is cancelled^[43]. Renewal should be applied for before three months of validity remain^[8]; if it is late, a Rs 5,000 late fee applies and the licence expires 90 days after the validity date^[8].

Scheme-I (ISI) licences now follow the same pattern: up to five years at first, renewable for up to five more, with fees paid yearly in advance^[43]. Adding models to a CRS licence later is done by inclusion, which goes through the same test-report route^[17]. A supplementary report adding series models must be submitted within 90 days of its issue^[18]. Our CRS renewal guide and the licence renewal date tool help you diary these dates.

BIS is usually the longest; most other approvals run in days or weeks and can be done in parallel. Plan these alongside BIS:

A consultant can cut preparation time and query rounds, but cannot change BIS's processing or a lab's queue. BIS's own 20-working-day figure is conditional on a complete, conforming file^[1], and testing time depends on the lab^[2], so be wary of guaranteed dates. One consultancy's page for wireless headphones reportedly quotes 20-25 days to registration alongside its fees^[51]; treat that as a target, not a promise.

Where a consultant genuinely helps is the paperwork that causes queries: matching factory names across documents, the AIR nomination and brand authorisations^[20]. Read how to choose a BIS consultant, browse the BIS consultants directory, or ask us for a free compliance check to see what your file is missing.

Start BIS first and in parallel with everything else, and book launches against the grant date, not the target. Every other approval can be done while the lab works. Do not book shipping or marketplace launches against BIS's 20-working-day target; book them against the date the licence is actually granted. Importing finished goods before the licence is not an option for CRS products, because Customs checks BIS registration on arrival^[52]. For a new CRS category, the date the consignment lands in India decides whether the requirement applies^[53], so ship with margin before an enforcement date.

Use the BIS CRS application checklist to keep the file moving, the CRS fee calculator to budget, and the QCO deadline checker to see upcoming dates. If you are importing from China for the first time, our China electronics import guide puts BIS in the wider sequence.