How to verify a BIS licence or CRS R-number before you buy, import or list a product

Because the law puts the risk on you, not only on the factory. Section 17 of the BIS Act bars importing, selling or storing for sale notified goods without a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[9], and the Act's definition of person covers importers, distributors, retailers and sellers^[9]. A supplier's PDF certificate is not proof that the licence is valid today, that it covers your brand, or that it covers the model you are buying.

Fake or borrowed R-numbers are a known problem: one of the complaint categories in BIS's own app is misuse of the ISI, Hallmark and CRS marks^[1]. Customs also checks BIS registration for CRS imports, according to a CBIC instruction^[10], so a mismatch you miss will likely be found at the port, at a worse time. Our guide to why shipments get held at Indian ports shows what that looks like.

Verifying takes ten minutes. This guide shows where to look, what to compare, and what to do when the answer is not the one you wanted. If you are not yet sure your product needs BIS at all, start with the approval checker or our explainer on whether your product needs BIS.

It depends on the scheme: CRS electronics carry an R-number, ISI-mark (Scheme-I) products carry a CM/L number. Read the mark on the product or carton first. If you are unsure which scheme applies, our comparison of CRS, ISI and FMCS explains the split.

A genuine CRS mark shows the R-number and the Indian Standard, so you can read both off the product before opening any app. The CRS Standard Mark must carry the licence (R-) number and the IS reference^[13], the text must be at least Arial size 6^[13], and www.bis.gov.in must appear on the product or package^[16]. Small products such as earphones may carry the mark on the packaging only^[17]. Devices with a screen can also show an e-label, but a physical label is still required on the packaging at import, storage and sale^[18].

For ISI-mark goods, BIS requires the licence number on the product with the mark, preferably below it, as CM/L- followed by ten digits^[19].

Expect the IS number on CRS marks to change over the next two years. MeitY's S.O. 4997(E) moved most CRS electronics to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, with the old standards allowed until 1 November 2028^[20]. BIS's FAQ shows the migrated mark as 'IS/IEC 62368-1' with the R-number^[21], and says the R-number stays the same after migration^[21]. So a box marked IS 13252 and a newer box marked IS/IEC 62368-1 with the same R-number are not a red flag in themselves. See IS/IEC 62368-1 and CRS labelling rules for the full marking rules.

Install BIS Care, open 'Verify R-No under CRS' and enter the eight-digit number. BIS Care is BIS's official consumer app, launched on 27 July 2020; you register once with your name and mobile number, verified by OTP^[1]. BIS says the app is free on Android and iOS and works in 12 languages^[2].

The manufacturer, the registration and its validity, and the varieties covered. BIS describes the features this way: 'Verify R-No under CRS' checks an R-number and the manufacturer's self-declaration registration from a valid eight-digit R-number, and QR codes on licence documents can be scanned^[1]. 'Registered Manufacturer under CRS' searches by product category or model with brand and status filters^[1]. For ISI licences, 'Verify Licence Details' fetches the licensee's details from the CM/L number, and the app also lists products under compulsory certification and BIS-recognised labs^[1]. The app store listing adds that results show the manufacturer's name and address, the validity of the licence or registration and the varieties covered^[22].

BIS's own description also lists a directory of laboratories with filters, BIS labs and offices on a map, products under the simplified procedure and a 'Know your Standard' feature^[23]. App menus change between versions, so the labels you see may differ slightly. The underlying data is BIS's.

Enter the CM/L number in BIS Care's 'Verify Licence Details' or in the Manakonline licence search. For Scheme-I products, the licence number appears below the Standard Mark in the form CM/L- followed by the licence digits^[4]. Enter it in BIS Care^[1], or use the licence search on Manakonline's conformity assessment page^[3].

When reading the result, remember how Scheme-I licences lapse. Manakonline states that since 1 January 2023 licences past their validity are automatically deferred, and licences more than 90 days past validity automatically expire^[7]. A licence shown as deferred is not one to buy against. Also check the Indian Standard on the licence matches the one in the QCO for your product; BIS grants one Scheme-I licence for one product and one standard^[24], and a separate application is needed for each product, standard and factory^[15]. For example, a helmet licence must be against IS 4151^[25] and a pressure cooker licence against IS 2347^[26]. Our ISI mark guide and the QCO tracker list which standard each order requires.

The same way as any ISI licence: by CM/L number, because FMCS licences are Scheme-I licences granted to factories abroad. The difference is that you should pay closer attention to the status field. BIS's country-wise list of FMCS licensees showed 3,216 records on 30 October 2026, of which 2,752 were operative, 438 deferred and 26 under stop marking^[8]. Roughly one licence in seven on that list was therefore not operative on that date.

The largest FMCS source countries on the same list were Vietnam (325), South Korea (321), Nepal (260), China (256), Japan (220) and Thailand (208)^[8]. If you buy ISI-mark goods from China, Vietnam or South Korea, check the licence before each order, not just the first.

Two more FMCS checks matter. Under FMCS the application must be made by the foreign manufacturer itself; an importer cannot hold the licence for it^[27]. And the licence is valid only for the varieties listed in it^[27], so a different size or grade from the same factory may not be covered. See the FMCS guide for how these licences are granted.

Compare five things: factory, brand, model, status and standard. A licence that exists is only the first test. Most problems are a valid licence that does not cover the goods in front of you.

Yes, if you are about to commission or rely on new testing, because a licence is only as good as the lab report it was granted on. CRS accepts reports from labs established, maintained or recognised by BIS for that product^[6]. Each recognised lab gets a unique OSL code and a three-year recognition^[31], and BIS's July 2026 FAQ says recognised labs can be searched on the LIMS portal by Indian Standard number^[32].

Three things are worth checking on a report a supplier sends you:

• The lab is on BIS's list. BIS's Group-1 list of 30 October 2026 had 444 entries, all located in India^[33]. A report from an overseas lab not on that list is not a CRS report.
• The lab was not suspended when it issued the report. BIS does not accept reports a lab issued during its suspension^[34].
• The model numbers match. BIS's January 2025 advisory says model numbers in the report must match the test request^[35].

Our guides to CRS test labs, how to read a BIS test report and BIS labs in Delhi NCR go further. If a supplier's report covers a family of models, the series guidelines explain how one report can cover several.

The biggest red flags are a number that returns nothing, a different factory and a missing brand or model. In full:

• The R-number does not return a result, or returns a different product category.
• The factory on the licence is not your factory. A trading company in the middle is fine, but the licence must be the actual factory's^[5].
• Your brand is missing. The factory may hold a licence for its own brand only^[6].
• The model on the invoice is not on the list. Ask for proof of inclusion^[28].
• Two R-numbers for the same product and brand from one factory. BIS grants one registration number per manufacturer for a product with a particular brand, and cancels duplicates it detects^[36].
• The Standard Mark on the sample lacks the IS number or uses tiny text. Text must be Arial size 6 or larger^[13].
• The certificate PDF looks fine but the status is lapsed. Since the 2026 amendment, CRS fees are paid annually and missing them brings suspension and cancellation provisions^[37].
• The mark is on samples sent to you for approval before grant. Samples for an intended grant must not carry the mark^[38].
• The goods are made somewhere else. BIS warns that making licensed products at premises other than the licensed one is misuse that may lead to cancellation^[39].

Through expiry, missed annual fees, a late affidavit or a model withdrawal. A licence you checked last quarter may not be valid today. These are the ways status changes, and why repeat checks matter:

Most results fall into one of four patterns. The table shows what each looks like and the next step. The facts behind each next step are cited in the right-hand column.

Stop the order or shipment, tell the supplier exactly what is missing, and get the gap closed before goods leave the factory. These steps work for most failures.

You can face a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first offence, seizure of stock and a recall order. Under the BIS Act as published, contravening section 17 is punishable with imprisonment up to two years or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first contravention and Rs 5 lakh for later ones, extendable to ten times the value of the goods^[9]. A BIS officer who suspects such goods are hidden on any premises can search and seize them^[45], and BIS can direct a licence holder to stop supply and recall non-conforming marked goods^[9].

Online sellers are not out of reach. A Ministry of Consumer Affairs reply in the Lok Sabha reportedly said BIS bought 344 QCO product samples from e-commerce platforms in FY 2024-25, found 142 without valid certification and carried out search and seizure at 22 e-commerce warehouses^[46]. For the full picture see what happens if you sell without BIS.

Check at three moments: before the purchase order, before each shipment and before listing online.

1. Before the purchase order. Check licence, brand and model list. If your brand is not there, the factory must apply or extend first; BIS targets 20 working days for a complete, conforming application^[6]. Our guide to how long BIS registration takes covers the testing time before that.
2. Before each shipment. Re-check status. CRS licences are now five-year licences with annual fees^[43], so a licence can be suspended mid-term. The licence renewal date tool helps you diary the dates.
3. Before listing online. Marketplaces and regulators check listings, and BIS buys products online for testing^[46]. Use the before listing on Amazon checklist or the Flipkart version.

Keep the screenshots with the licence copy and the factory's model list. During BIS market surveillance a trader may be asked for the registration certificate and source-of-procurement documents^[47]. If you are the brand owner or AIR, note also that MeitY's CRS market surveillance portal at STPI asks for each R-number to be registered with model details^[48]. For the rest of the file, see Amazon compliance documents.

A copy of the licence, the dated verification screenshot and the model list, filed by model. Under CRS the licence is the factory's^[5], so a reseller never holds its own; what you hold is evidence that the goods you list are covered. That evidence matters because BIS's surveillance FAQ says a trader may be asked to supplement the mark with a copy of the registration certificate and procurement documents^[47].

The same applies to ISI goods sold online. In August 2022 the Central Consumer Protection Authority ordered Amazon to notify buyers of 2,265 domestic pressure cookers sold on its platform in violation of the QCO^[49]. Our guides for Amazon sellers and Flipkart sellers list the other documents to keep beside the BIS proof.

Partly: each regulator has its own portal. In brief:

• IEC. DGFT lets anyone view IEC details under 'View IEC Related Details' on its website^[50]. See the IEC guide.
• Legal Metrology registration. The Department of Consumer Affairs publishes the list of issued and surrendered packaged-commodity registration certificates^[51]. See LMPC importer registration.
• BEE star labels. The label carries a QR code embedding the label particulars^[52]. See the BEE star label guide.
• Labs. BIS Care lists BIS-recognised, registered and empanelled labs, so you can check that a test report came from an accepted lab^[1].

If you find a fake mark, report it through BIS Care's complaint feature^[1]. If you would rather have someone else run these checks across a whole catalogue, our guide to choosing a BIS consultant and the BIS consultants directory can help, or ask us for a free compliance check.