What happens if you sell without BIS certification in India: fines, seizure, port holds and marketplace takedowns

It is, if the product is notified. Section 17 of the BIS Act prohibits manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, hiring, leasing, storing or exhibiting for sale goods notified under section 16 without a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[1]. Notified goods are those covered by a Compulsory Registration Order (CRS, mostly electronics) or a Quality Control Order (ISI mark products such as toys, cookware and footwear).

The ban is not limited to manufacturers. The Act defines "person" to include manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers, sellers and their representatives^[1]. An online seller who stores unmarked power banks in a fulfilment warehouse is "storing for sale", even before a single unit ships. The CRS Orders say the same in their own words: no person may store for sale, import, sell or distribute covered goods without the Standard Mark and a BIS registration number^[5].

If the product is not notified, BIS certification is voluntary. The question to answer first is therefore whether your product is on a list. See CRS vs ISI vs FMCS, does my product need BIS?, the approval checker and the HS code approval finder.

Any product covered by a Compulsory Registration Order or a Quality Control Order on the date it is made, imported or sold. The CRS list for electronics has 66 numbered categories^[6], and the ISI-mark QCOs keep growing: BIS lists 30 product entries due for enforcement between 6 November 2026 and 1 May 2027^[7]. For imports, the date the consignment lands in India decides whether a CRS deadline applies^[8].

The table shows the families that sellers most often get wrong. Track new dates on the QCO tracker, the QCO deadline checker and our list of QCO orders in India.

The BIS Act sets out penalties by section. For an importer or seller of uncertified notified goods, section 29(3) is the one that matters.

The floor is Rs 2 lakh for a first contravention and Rs 5 lakh for later ones, but the ceiling is ten times the value of the goods produced, sold or offered for sale^[1]. Take a seller holding 2,000 uncertified power banks valued at Rs 1,000 each: the goods are worth Rs 20 lakh, so the fine could in principle reach Rs 2 crore. Where the value cannot be determined, the Act presumes one year's production was in contravention and takes the previous year's annual turnover as the value^[1]. That proviso is the one that should worry a small business without clean stock records.

The offence under section 29(3) is cognizable^[1], which matters for how it can be investigated. A first offence that is not punishable with imprisonment only can be compounded by an officer authorised by the BIS Director General, for a sum not exceeding the maximum fine^[1]. Compounding is a settlement, not a waiver.

These are illustrations of the statutory limits, not predictions of what a court would order.

1. A marketplace seller with 500 uncertified Bluetooth earphones. Wireless earphones are a CRS category^[15], so the stock needs a registered factory and R-number. Say the stock is worth Rs 800 a unit, Rs 4 lakh in all. The section 29(3) floor for a first contravention is Rs 2 lakh and the ceiling is ten times the value, Rs 40 lakh, with prison of up to two years possible^[1]. The fine floor alone is half the stock's value. Compare that with the government fees for a CRS licence: Rs 1,000 application plus Rs 25,000 processing a year^[16]. See Bluetooth earphones.

2. A distributor holding ISI-less pressure cookers. Here two regimes bite. Under the BIS Act, storing for sale is enough^[1]. Under consumer law, CCPA has already ordered a platform to notify buyers, recall 2,265 cookers and refund them^[17]. A recall means paying for the goods twice. See pressure cookers and our guide for distributors.

3. An importer whose supplier's licence lapsed. The goods carry an R-number, but the licence expired before they were marked. After validity the licensee may not mark or dispatch, including stock in hand^[18], so the importer is holding goods with a Standard Mark that was not valid when applied. A director who signed off the order can be deemed guilty along with the company^[1]. Checking status on BIS Care before shipping costs nothing.

4. Where the value is unknown. A small trader without stock records faces the worst version: the Act presumes a year's production was in contravention and uses the previous year's turnover as the value^[1]. Keep Bills of Entry and invoices for every lot; the importer must keep customs documents for five years anyway^[19].

All of them can be. Where a company commits an offence, every director, manager or officer responsible for the business at the time, the authorised representative, and the company itself are deemed guilty^[1]. For a foreign factory selling through an Indian Authorised Indian Representative, that representative has accepted responsibility for compliance with the BIS Act on the manufacturer's behalf^[20].

For goods that carry a Standard Mark but do not actually conform, a separate rule applies. The licence holder or its representative must compensate consumers injured by non-conforming marked goods^[21], and BIS can direct the licence holder to stop supply and recall non-conforming goods^[1].

A complaint can start from many places. Courts take cognizance of BIS Act offences on a complaint by BIS, a police officer of DSP rank or above, an empowered government officer, a consumer or an association^[3].

Yes. Under section 28, a BIS certification officer who has reason to believe that goods involved in a section 17 contravention are kept in any place, premises or vehicle may enter and search it and seize the goods and relevant documents. If seizure is not practicable, the officer can order the owner not to move or deal with the goods without permission^[2]. A police officer of DSP rank or above can also search and seize without a warrant for section 29(3) offences^[3], and a court can order the goods forfeited to BIS and the fine paid to BIS^[3].

These powers are used. In 2025 BIS turned its attention to e-commerce warehouses:

• On 19 March 2025 BIS reportedly searched an Amazon Sellers Pvt Ltd warehouse in Delhi and seized over 3,500 products, including geysers and food mixers, without ISI marks or with fake ones, worth about Rs 70 lakh^[22].
• In the same month BIS reportedly searched an Instakart (Flipkart group) warehouse in Delhi and found about 590 pairs of sports footwear packed without the ISI mark and date of manufacture^[14].
• For FY 2024-25, a ministry reply in Parliament reportedly said BIS bought 344 samples of QCO products online, found 142 without valid certification, and carried out search and seizure at 22 e-commerce warehouses: 14 of Amazon, 7 of Instakart and 1 of Blinkit^[4].

The stock in those warehouses belonged to sellers, not to the platforms. That is the practical lesson: storing for sale in someone else's warehouse is still your offence.

Imports are the first checkpoint. For CRS electronics, a CBIC instruction reported as 28/2023-Customs tells officers to check BIS registration in the system in every case. The risk management system randomly selects consignments for testing at BIS-recognised labs, out of charge is given only if the sample passes, and failing consignments may be sent back or destroyed at the importer's cost^[23]. A MeitY office memorandum cited in the same instruction authorises Customs to deform non-compliant or unregistered CRS goods^[24].

For QCO steel, the order itself says non-conforming material must be disposed of as scrap^[25]. Whatever the product, demurrage and storage run while the goods sit at the port. See why shipments get held at Indian ports. Customs also expects the importer, not the broker, to answer for what is declared: in a 2026 order JNCH held the importer liable for a section 112(a) penalty over invalid licences its broker had submitted^[26].

Three routes feed enforcement:

1. Market surveillance. MeitY runs CRS market surveillance through a project unit at STPI, whose portal asks manufacturers, AIRs and brands to register each R-number with model details, including the market name, sales channel and MRP, and to pay surveillance charges^[27]. The CRS FAQ says surveillance costs are borne by the registered entity and samples are picked up for testing during surveillance^[28].
2. Online test purchases. BIS buys products from marketplaces for testing, as the FY 2024-25 figures show^[4].
3. Consumer complaints. The BIS Care app lets consumers report misuse of the ISI or CRS mark, poor quality and misleading claims^[29], and verify R-numbers themselves^[29].

During surveillance, a trader may be asked for a copy of the registration certificate and source-of-procurement documents^[30].

BIS buys certified products off the shelf and tests them in third-party labs, generally twice a year per ISI licence. Its circular CMD-I/2:12:7 of 25 February 2026 sets the rules for Scheme-I licences, with a Certification, Surveillance and Monitoring Department at BIS headquarters planning surveillance across India^[31].

• How often. Generally two market samples a year per licence, raised to three or four for manufacturers with a poor record over the previous two years^[31].
• Where from. Normally the open market, but also organised buyers or any point in the supply chain, including the port of entry; failing that, the factory's despatch point^[31].
• Which state. At least one sample must be bought in a state other than the licensee's, unless the licensee supplied nothing outside it^[31]. Selling only far from the factory does not avoid surveillance.
• What the licensee reports. Month-wise production and consignee details, every quarter, through the portal^[31].
• Unmarked variants. If the grade, type or class is not marked where the standard requires it, BIS may test against the most stringent one^[31]. A missing label detail can turn a pass into a fail.
• Unlicensed goods. The same branch offices may run surveillance for any violation of the BIS Act and QCOs, with follow-up under BIS's enforcement guidelines^[31].

For CRS electronics the equivalent is MeitY's surveillance through STPI, described below. Our CRS surveillance guide covers it in detail.

They do. After the 2025 searches, Amazon reportedly said it removes non-compliant products as part of keeping its selection safe^[32]. The platforms have their own reasons to act: the E-Commerce Rules require sellers to give the platform all mandatory notices and information required by law for display^[33], and regulators other than BIS also reach listings directly. For appliances, BEE directs the platform to de-register a non-compliant model^[34]; for package declarations, the 2026 Legal Metrology penalties expressly cover goods offered through e-commerce platforms^[35].

A delisting usually comes with a request for documents. Sellers with a licence copy, model list and Bills of Entry ready can often reinstate quickly; sellers without them lose the listing and the stock. See before listing on Flipkart.

BIS is not the only one. Consumer, telecom, energy and metrology regulators each have their own powers, and one listing can breach several rules at once.

An expired licence is treated like no licence for new marking. After the validity date of a CRS licence that has not been renewed, the licensee may not mark or dispatch products with the Standard Mark, including stock in hand^[18]. Renewal can be deferred for up to 90 days, after which the licence expires^[18]. On Manakonline, Scheme-I licences past their validity are automatically deferred and expire more than 90 days after validity^[39].

Under the 2026 CRS rules, fees are paid annually in advance, and missing the annual fee and production details brings in the suspension and cancellation provisions^[40]. For a seller this means checking licence status regularly, not just once at onboarding. See how to verify a BIS licence. Our licence renewal date tool works out the dates, and CRS renewal explains the process.

Yes, and then the goods are back to being unmarked for legal purposes. Licensees may not use the Standard Mark during deferment, suspension, expiry or cancellation^[41]. BIS's February 2026 guidelines on unsatisfactory performance of ISI licences list several paperwork triggers^[42]:

• Unpaid fees: suspension after 21 days' notice, revoked as soon as the fee arrives^[42].
• Missing consignee details: first a 30-day window to update them on Manakonline, then suspension proceedings^[42].
• Other shortcomings: the licensee is asked to take corrective action and reply within 30 days^[42].

For CRS and ISI licences, the 2026 amendment makes a missed yearly fee and production statement an automatic trigger, with no notice: the licence is suspended for 90 days, a Rs 5,000 late fee within that window lifts it, and otherwise it is cancelled^[16]. Making licensed goods at an unlicensed site is misuse that can lead to cancellation^[41], and duplicate applications for the same product and brand get every pending one rejected and granted R-numbers cancelled^[43]. If you buy from a factory, check its status on the Manakonline portal or the CRS portal before every order, not once.

• "The marketplace is responsible, not me." The 2025 searches were at platform warehouses, but the stock belonged to sellers, and the Act's 'person' includes sellers and importers^[1].
• "My supplier has a BIS licence, so I'm covered." Only if the licence covers that factory, brand and model^[5][44].
• "Small quantities don't count." Section 17 has no quantity threshold^[1], and the fine floor of Rs 2 lakh applies regardless of value^[1].
• "A fake or copied R-number is a quick fix." Consumers can check any R-number in the BIS Care app^[29] and report misuse of the mark^[29].
• "Old stock can always be sold." Only where an order gives transition relief, such as furniture's twelve months on self-declaration^[45]. Pressure cooker and helmet QCOs contain no old-stock relief^[12][13].

Five checks cover almost every case. Do them before paying for stock, and again before each reorder. Our before listing on Amazon checklist and the guide for Amazon sellers put them in marketplace order. The facts behind the steps: R-numbers can be checked in BIS Care^[29], licence numbers too^[29], and during surveillance a trader may be asked for the registration certificate and source-of-procurement documents^[30]. For costs if you need your own licence, see BIS certificate cost or ask us for a free compliance check.

This is general information, not legal advice. If you discover that a product you sell is notified and uncertified:

• Stop listing and dispatching it. Every further sale or day in storage is a further act under section 17^[1].
• Find out whether the factory can get a licence. The licence is the manufacturer's, per factory^[5], and BIS targets 20 working days once the file is complete^[44]. Stock made before the licence cannot be marked retroactively.
• Check transition reliefs. Some QCOs allow pre-implementation stock to be sold for a period, for example furniture stock for up to twelve months on self-declaration^[45].
• Take advice before talking to BIS if a search has already happened, because compounding is available only in limited cases^[1].