How to import electronics from China to India: every step from IEC to your first marketplace listing

You get an Importer Exporter Code, pick a Chinese factory that holds (or will obtain) BIS registration for your model, secure WPC, EPR and Legal Metrology approvals, then file a Bill of Entry and clear customs. Order matters: approvals come before you ship, not after.

Indian law treats imported goods exactly like goods made here. Domestic laws, technical specifications and safety norms apply equally to imports unless specifically exempted^[10]. For electronics that means four regulators can touch one shipment: BIS (product safety), DoT's WPC Wing (radio), CPCB (EPR for packaging, batteries and e-waste) and Legal Metrology (the retail label). Customs checks evidence of several of these at the port.

The nine stages, in the order we recommend:

1. Get your IEC and ICEGATE access.
2. Map every approval your product needs with the approval checker.
3. Vet the Chinese factory, especially its BIS CRS status.
4. Agree who acts as the factory's Authorised Indian Representative.
5. Get WPC ETA, MTCTE (if applicable), EPR and LMPC registration in India.
6. Approve the final label and carton print.
7. Ship, and file the Bill of Entry in advance.
8. Clear customs, including any BIS sampling.
9. List on a marketplace with the compliance documents ready.

The rest of this guide goes through each stage, with a timeline table and a worked example at the end.

Yes. No one may import goods into India without an Importer Exporter Code unless specifically exempted^[10]. It is the first thing to get because customs registration and several approvals ask for it.

The IEC is a 10-character number that, since GST, is the same as your entity's PAN, though DGFT issues it through a separate online application^[10]. You apply on dgft.gov.in in form ANF-2A; the IEC is auto-generated and sent by email and SMS^[2]. The fee is Rs 500^[1], paid through Bharatkosh after the application is signed^[11].

What to have ready:

• An active PAN for the firm, a bank account in the firm's name and a valid address^[12].
• A cancelled cheque with the entity's pre-printed name (or a bank certificate) and address proof^[2].
• A digital signature token or Aadhaar e-sign to sign the application^[11].

Two traps catch new importers. First, bank details are validated with NPCI, which DGFT says can take up to 2 weeks for some banks, and the IEC is created only after that succeeds^[11]. Second, the IEC must be updated online every year between April and June, even if nothing changed^[10]; an IEC that is not updated is de-activated^[10]. A de-activated IEC stops clearance at the port.

Once the IEC exists, register on ICEGATE, the customs portal. ICEGATE registration is a prerequisite for filing bills of entry online^[13], and a submitted registration is normally processed in 3-4 working days^[13]. If you will use a customs broker to file for you, you still need the IEC; the broker files under it. Our IEC guide and DGFT portal walkthrough cover the screens.

Most consumer electronics need BIS CRS registration, plus WPC ETA if they have Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, plus EPR and LMPC registration for the importer. A handful also need MTCTE or a BEE star label. Check your product before you negotiate price, because approvals change landed cost.

The table maps common China-sourced products to their approvals. Each product page has the full detail.

Because under CRS the applicant is the manufacturer and the registration is granted per manufacturing unit, not to an importer or trader^[3]. You cannot get a BIS registration in your own name for goods someone else makes in Shenzhen.

The legal rule is simple and hard. Under the Compulsory Registration Order, no one may make, store for sale, import, sell or distribute covered goods that do not meet the Indian Standard and do not carry the Standard Mark with a BIS registration number^[3]. The current order is the Electronics and IT Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021^[22], and BIS's Scheme-II list shows 66 numbered product categories^[23]. Our electronics CRS order page lists them.

Three consequences for you as the importer:

• Brand matters. A separate CRS application is needed for each brand name unless the brand owner is the same^[4]. If you sell under your own brand, the factory's registration for its own brand does not cover you. The factory must register your brand too; BIS lets this run on a common test report when the product and factory are the same^[24].
• Model matters. Every model you import must be inside the licence scope. New models are added by inclusion with a fresh test report^[25].
• Factory address matters. Making licensed goods at premises other than the licensed one is misuse that can lead to cancellation^[26]. If your supplier quietly moves production to a sister plant, the R-number on your goods no longer covers them.

The CRS, ISI and FMCS comparison explains why a few electrical products follow the ISI-mark route through FMCS instead.

Ask for the R-number, then check it yourself in the BIS Care app or on the CRS portal before you pay a deposit. Confirm the factory address, brand and exact model numbers match what you are buying.

The BIS Care app's 'Verify R-No under CRS' feature checks a registration from a valid eight-digit R-number^[27], and its 'Registered Manufacturer under CRS' search filters by product category, model, brand and registration status^[27]. Our guide on how to verify a BIS licence shows each screen.

Use this checklist on every supplier:

Then the factory must register before you ship, which in practice means lab testing in India plus a BIS application of at least a few weeks. Budget the time and decide early who pays.

The official CRS steps are: log in on crsbis.in, generate a test request, test at a BIS-recognised lab, verify the report, apply within 90 days of the report's issue, and submit documents^[34]. Samples must reach the lab within 60 days of generating the test request^[34]. BIS expects to finish the grant within 20 working days if documents and product conformity are satisfactory first time^[4].

For a Chinese factory three things are different in practice:

• Testing happens in India. BIS's Group-1 list of recognised labs (30 October 2026) has 444 entries, all in Indian states or union territories, with no overseas lab^[35]. Samples have to be shipped in. Our guide on importing samples for BIS testing covers that, and the CRS test labs page lists how to find a lab.
• Business licence in English. To get portal credentials the factory uploads its business licence in English, with a certified translation if it is in another language^[34]. Missing or conflicting translations of a foreign business licence are a common login-stage problem^[36].
• An AIR is mandatory. Foreign manufacturers must nominate an Authorised Indian Representative using Form IV^[4].

The CRS documents list and CRS rejections guide help the factory get it right first time. Fees are on our CRS fees page and in the BIS certificate cost guide.

Often the Indian importer or brand owner, because the AIR must be an Indian resident who accepts responsibility for BIS compliance on the factory's behalf^[37]. Choose deliberately; the role carries legal exposure.

For a foreign CRS applicant the AIR may be its own Indian liaison or branch office, the brand owner or registered user of the brand in India, or another Indian entity, in which case the brand owner must declare it has no proprietor or registered user of the brand in India^[38]. An AIR can represent only one foreign manufacturing firm, except for group companies or related importers^[37].

Why this matters to an importer:

• If you sell under your own brand, being the AIR keeps control of the licence in your hands.
• If the factory's AIR is a stranger, you depend on that person for renewals and model inclusions. A change of AIR later costs Rs 5,000 plus GST^[39].
• Under section 30 of the BIS Act, the authorised representative can be deemed guilty along with the company for an offence^[9].

See the glossary entry on the Authorised Indian Representative and our page for foreign manufacturers.

Yes. Wireless devices in de-licensed bands need an Equipment Type Approval from DoT's WPC Wing before import, sale or use^[5]. For most consumer gadgets it is a self-declaration on Saral Sanchar at Rs 10,000 per model^[5].

Since a DoT OM of 9 September 2024, all ETA applications for licence-exempt wireless devices are granted on self-declaration, and the certificate is downloaded on submission^[40]. You need an RF test report, the manufacturer's authorisation if you apply as its Indian representative, and technical literature^[5]. The ETA lasts for the lifetime of the model unless revoked^[5].

A China-specific point: the 2019 self-declaration format only asks that the RF report come from an accredited lab with its name and country stated^[41], so a Chinese lab's RF report is not ruled out by that text. MTCTE is different. A foreign lab can be recognised for telecom testing only if it is not in a country sharing a land border with India^[42], which excludes Chinese labs for MTCTE products such as Wi-Fi routers.

Full steps are in our guide to getting WPC approval and the WPC ETA page.

You, the importer, usually need plastic packaging EPR, battery EPR if the product has a battery, e-waste EPR if the product is on Schedule I, and LMPC importer registration. Unlike BIS, these are in your name, not the factory's.

• Plastic packaging EPR. An importer of any commodity in plastic packaging is an 'importer' under the EPR guidelines^[43]. CPCB has asked Customs to verify plastic EPR registration on clearance^[44]. See plastic EPR.
• Battery EPR. Importers of batteries and of equipment containing batteries are producers and must register with CPCB before importing^[45]. CPCB asked CBIC to have Customs verify these registrations^[46]. See battery EPR.
• E-waste EPR. Producers, including importers, of Schedule I equipment must register on the CPCB portal^[47]. Some gadgets are not named in Schedule I and depend on generic entries^[47]. See e-waste EPR.
• LMPC. Anyone who imports a commodity for sale in packaged form must register under rule 27^[6], within 90 days of starting^[6], for a Rs 500 fee^[6]. See LMPC importer registration.

Our EPR guide for small importers explains which of these bite at low volumes.

Two sets of marks: the BIS Standard Mark with the R-number and IS number, and the Legal Metrology declarations including your name and address as importer. Print them at the factory; fixing labels in India is slow and sometimes not allowed.

BIS marking. The Standard Mark must carry the R-number and the Indian Standard reference^[28], on the product, the package or both, legibly and indelibly^[28], with text no smaller than Arial 6^[28]. www.bis.gov.in must also appear^[53]. Small products such as earphones can carry the mark on the packaging only^[54]. Details are on our CRS labelling page.

LMPC declarations. Every pre-packaged commodity must declare the maker, packer or importer's name and address, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer care details^[55]. For imports, the importer's name and complete address must appear^[6], and the package must give a consumer-complaint contact with phone and email^[6]. Stickers that alter mandatory declarations are prohibited, except a reduced-MRP sticker^[6]. See LMPC label rules and the product label checklist.

Other marks. MTCTE products need the TEC label^[56], and plastic packaging needs EPR marking under rule 11^[57]. Run your artwork through the label checker before the factory prints.

The bill of lading or airway bill, the commercial invoice cum packing list, and then your Bill of Entry. These three are the mandatory import documents under the Foreign Trade Policy^[10].

Ask your supplier for these before the ship sails:

• Commercial invoice and packing list with model numbers that match the BIS licence exactly.
• Bill of lading (sea) or airway bill (air).
• Copy of the CRS registration certificate and the R-number list.
• The WPC ETA certificate for each wireless model, which you hold, not the factory.
• A certificate of origin only if you plan to claim a trade-agreement duty rate.

On origin claims: an importer claiming a preferential rate must make an origin declaration on the Bill of Entry under CAROTAR^[58]. Whether any preference is available for a given Chinese product is outside this guide; ask your customs broker.

For a full document list see the customs clearance documents checklist.

File it in advance: for most sea cargo by the end of the day before the vessel arrives, and you may file up to 30 days ahead^[7]. Late filing costs money every day.

At airports, land customs stations and for sea imports from certain neighbouring countries, the deadline is the end of the day of arrival; all other sea imports and all ICD imports must be filed by the end of the previous day^[59]. Shipments from China by sea fall in the stricter group. Late presentation charges are Rs 5,000 per day for the first three days and Rs 10,000 per day after that^[8].

The Bill of Entry is filed electronically by the importer or a licensed customs broker^[60]. It is deemed filed, and self-assessment complete, when the customs EDI system generates a Bill of Entry number^[60]. Keep the assessed Bill of Entry and all supporting documents for five years^[60].

Self-assessment means you are responsible for the HS code and value you declare. Use the HS code approval finder to see which approvals your code triggers, and read the glossary entries on HS codes and out of charge.

Customs checks the BIS registration for every consignment of CRS goods and may draw samples for testing before releasing them, as reported from CBIC Instruction 28/2023-Customs^[61]. A failed sample can mean re-export or destruction at your cost.

As reported, that instruction says the Risk Management System randomly selects consignments, samples go to BIS-recognised labs for limited non-destructive safety tests, and out of charge is given only if the sample passes^[61]. A DGFT notification reportedly makes BIS registration, or a MeitY exemption letter, a condition of import for CRS goods, and a MeitY OM authorises Customs to deform non-compliant notified goods^[62].

What this means in practice:

• Your declared model numbers must match the R-number's scope.
• Goods must physically carry the Standard Mark at the port.
• Battery and plastic EPR certificates should be at hand, since CPCB has asked Customs to verify them^[46][44].

While goods wait, port charges grow; see demurrage and our article on why shipments get held at Indian ports.

Plan for roughly two to three months for a first import if the factory already holds CRS for your brand, and longer if it must register. The table shows each stage with the official time where one exists; ocean transit and production time depend on your supplier and forwarder.

Your BIS R-number and certificate, WPC ETA where relevant, EPR registrations and a label that meets Legal Metrology rules, because marketplaces must display the mandatory declarations and BIS raids warehouses. Have the documents ready before you send stock to a fulfilment centre.

A marketplace seller must give the platform all mandatory notices and information required by law for display^[65]. E-commerce entities have had to display the Legal Metrology declarations since 2018, as reported^[66]. For radio equipment, CCPA rules require listings to show operating frequencies and a downloadable ETA copy and test report^[67].

Enforcement is real. In FY 2024-25 BIS reportedly bought 344 samples of QCO products from e-commerce platforms, found 142 without valid certification, and searched 22 e-commerce warehouses^[68]. On top of that, MeitY's CRS surveillance portal requires manufacturers, AIRs and brands to register each R-number with model, channel and MRP details^[69].

Use the Amazon listing checklist, the Flipkart listing checklist and our Amazon document guide.

Official fees for the importer's own approvals are modest; the big variable is BIS testing and registration if your factory is not yet registered. The table lists the official fees we can cite. Duty, freight and consultant fees are extra.

Say you are a Delhi company launching your own brand of TWS earbuds made by a Shenzhen factory that already holds a CRS registration for its own brand. Here is what it takes, using only official fees.

Step 1: your registrations. IEC Rs 500^[1]. LMPC registration Rs 500^[6]. Plastic EPR Rs 10,000 at under 1,000 TPA^[48]. Battery EPR Rs 10,000 at under Rs 5 crore turnover^[49], because TWS earbuds and their cases contain lithium batteries^[16]. Subtotal: Rs 21,000.

Step 2: BIS for your brand. The factory's registration covers its brand, not yours^[4]. It files a new application for your brand, which can use a common test report because product and factory are the same^[24]. Year one: application Rs 1,000^[70] + processing Rs 25,000^[70] + annual licence Rs 1,000^[70] = Rs 27,000 plus GST^[39]. After that the licence costs Rs 26,000 a year, paid in advance, so about Rs 1,31,000 over five years; run your own case in the fee calculator.

Step 3: WPC. Two models (standard and ANC) means two ETAs at Rs 10,000 each^[5]: Rs 20,000.

Step 4: label. The Standard Mark with your R-number goes on the box if the earbud is too small^[54], plus LMPC declarations with your Delhi address as importer.

Official total for year one, before testing: Rs 21,000 + Rs 27,000 + Rs 20,000 = Rs 68,000 plus GST. Add RF testing (one consultancy estimates Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 per model^[72]), freight, duty and any consultant fees. The compliance cost estimator and our electronics import cost page let you rerun this for your product.

The most expensive mistakes are shipping before the BIS registration covers your brand and model, and printing labels without the importer's details. Both are found at the port or on a marketplace audit, when fixing them costs most.

Yes, for testing, demonstration or R&D. MeitY's CRS FAQ says the Compulsory Registration Order does not apply to goods imported for demonstration, research and development or testing in India^[74]. That exemption does not cover goods for sale.

WPC has a parallel exemption: RF devices imported for testing, prototype or pre-launch purposes are exempt from ETA, but the importer gives Customs an undertaking in the prescribed format^[75]. Samples for BIS testing must not carry the Standard Mark^[73].

Also watch the landing date. For goods made overseas, the date a consignment lands in India decides whether a new CRS deadline applies^[76]. With TV sets under IS 18112 due on 26 January 2027, screen protectors on 1 April 2027 and standalone HDDs on 1 May 2027^[77], time your orders accordingly. The QCO tracker and new rules for 2026 list upcoming dates.

It is a cognizable offence: up to two years' imprisonment or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first contravention, at least Rs 5 lakh after that, extendable to ten times the value of the goods^[9]. Importers are directly bound, because the BIS Act defines 'person' to include importers^[9].

BIS officers can search premises and seize goods^[78], and courts can order the goods forfeited^[79]. Our article on selling without BIS describes recent raids.

Legal Metrology adds its own exposure: after the 2026 amendment, a second label offence carries a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh^[80]. If you are unsure where you stand, ask for a free compliance check.

Start by running your product through the approval checker, then apply for your IEC while you check suppliers' R-numbers. Those two steps cost little and stop the most expensive mistakes.

Useful next pages: our China sourcing guide, the first electronics import checklist, the guide for first-time importers, and BIS consultants if you want help. For a second opinion on your plan, request a free compliance check.