Import compliance checklists: which list to use when, and one master checklist for every shipment

Pick the moment you are at. Each list is short enough to print and tick, and each links back to the full guide for the step.

Run through this before you pay the supplier's balance. Every line is a rule, not a nice-to-have; the citation shows where it comes from. Lines that do not apply to your product (for example, BEE for a power bank) can be skipped, and the approval checker tells you which those are.

Check that the product can legally enter India before you commit money. The order of work matters because BIS, the slowest step, sits with the factory.

1. Classify the product. The HS code decides the import policy and often the approval list; see HS code.
2. List the approvals. Use the approval checker or the product guides under Import.
3. Check the factory's BIS status. Under CRS the factory applies, per manufacturing unit^[28]. Verify any R-number or CM/L number it gives you with the BIS Care app^[14]; see how to verify a BIS licence.
4. Check deadlines. Goods landing on or after a new CRS due date must comply^[27]. Use the QCO deadline checker and the QCO tracker.
5. Budget. Price the approvals with the compliance cost estimator.

It covers the factory's side of CRS, with its hard deadlines. These are the ones that most often sink applications:

BIS's January 2025 advisory adds that model numbers in the test report must match the test request^[30]. The full list is the BIS CRS application checklist; the common failures are in CRS rejections and the CRS documents guide.

Your own registrations. Battery EPR must be in place before you import battery-powered goods^[5], and CPCB has asked Customs to check battery and plastic EPR registrations at clearance^[31][32]. The EPR registration checklist lists the documents: for batteries, PAN, CIN and GST copies^[5]; for plastic, PAN, GST and CIN plus the authorised person's Aadhaar and PAN^[33].

Labels must be right at the factory, because stickers that alter mandatory declarations are restricted^[6]. Importers using an AEO Tier-2 or Tier-3 bonded warehouse may complete declarations there^[34]. Work through the product label checklist or the label checker.

A Bill of Entry filed on time, with the right documents behind it. The import documents are the bill of lading or airway bill, the commercial invoice cum packing list, and any licence or certificate the goods need^[1].

• Timing: file by the end of the day before arrival^[7]; airports and land customs stations can file until the end of the arrival day^[35].
• Late filing: Rs 5,000 a day for three days, then Rs 10,000 a day^[8].
• Assessment: the Bill of Entry is self-assessed when the EDI system generates its number^[9].
• Compliance checks: Customs is reported to check BIS registration for every CRS consignment^[36]; toys are sampled from each consignment^[37].

The full list is customs clearance documents. Read why shipments get held for the usual causes, and documents required for import for the longer explanation.

The seller's disclosures and the product's paperwork. Marketplace sellers must give the platform the price breakup, mandatory notices, country of origin, grievance officer details and the importer's name and details^[38], and keep a grievance officer who acknowledges complaints within 48 hours^[38].

The BIS Standard Mark must appear on the product or pack^[21], and BEE-labelled appliances must show the label online as well as offline^[18]. Use before listing on Amazon or before listing on Flipkart, and keep the documents in Amazon India compliance documents ready.

Compliance does not end at clearance. These dates recur; put them in your calendar or use the compliance calendar.

From the rules and the rejection lists, five misses recur:

1. A brand the registration does not cover. CRS needs a separate application for each brand unless the brand owner is the same^[3].
2. A model added without inclusion. New models join a licence only through an inclusion with its own test report^[41].
3. An expired licence. After validity, a licensee may not mark or dispatch even stock in hand^[12]. Check with the licence renewal date tool.
4. No EPR number on the battery. Imported batteries must carry the producer's EPR registration number, on the equipment or packaging if needed^[42].
5. Mismatched names. BIS's frequent deficiencies include factory names and addresses that differ across the application, test report and documents^[43].

Some products sit on a boundary, for example smart glasses, which BIS places under different CRS categories depending on their features^[44]. For borderline cases, BIS advises taking scope questions to the regulator that issued the order^[30].

Read does my product need BIS?, check the FAQ, or ask us for a free compliance check.