How much does WPC Equipment Type Approval cost in 2026? The Rs 10,000 fee, RF testing, consultants and worked totals

The official cost is Rs 10,000 per model, paid through Bharat Kosh^[1]. For devices in licence-exempt bands, such as Bluetooth and most Wi-Fi products, the ETA is granted on self-declaration and the certificate is downloaded as soon as you submit^[2]. It is valid for the life of the model unless WPC revokes it^[1], so there is no renewal fee.

Two private costs sit on top:

• The RF test report. You must attach one^[1]. One compliance firm estimates RF testing at Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 per model, depending on the number of radio modules, bands and the lab^[4].
• A consultant, if you use one. One consultancy lists Rs 7,500 and says fees run from Rs 7,000 to Rs 12,000^[5].

Both of those are reported market prices, not government fees. For how the approval works, see WPC ETA, the official fee rules on WPC ETA fees and the paperwork on WPC ETA documents. To add ETA to BIS, EPR and LMPC costs for one product, use the compliance cost estimator; all regulators' fees sit side by side in India compliance fees 2026.

WPC publishes one fee for self-declaration ETAs, for devices in a de-licensed frequency band.

The fee is per model^[1], and the Saral Sanchar application records the equipment category, make, model and RF test report details for each one^[7]. Each separately named model needs its own ETA and its own fee. If you sell one device under two model numbers, budget for two ETAs unless WPC accepts otherwise.

The ETA does not depend on the brand alone, and it does not replace other approvals. Many wireless products also need BIS CRS, and Wi-Fi access points and customer equipment also need MTCTE^[8].

A radio change can also cost a fresh fee. DoT's notice to ETA holders for PMR 446 radios says the certificate is not valid if the approved parameters change^[9]. If a supplier swaps the wireless chipset, adds a band or raises output power, budget for a new RF report and a new Rs 10,000 ETA rather than assuming the old one still covers the product.

There is no official price for RF testing; labs set their own charges. What WPC requires is that the importer declares the report came from an accredited laboratory, naming the lab and its country^[3]. The official format does not name an accreditation body or require an Indian lab^[3]. Some consultants say otherwise, so check what your filing agent expects before paying for a new test.

Reported figures:

• More radios. The same estimate says each RF module is tested separately^[4]. A device with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi costs more to test than one with Bluetooth only.
• More bands. Testing more frequency bands adds cost^[4].
• A new report when one already exists. If the factory already holds an RF report from an accredited lab, the self-declaration format allows a lab in any country^[3]. Reusing it can avoid a second test.

Filing a self-declaration ETA on Saral Sanchar is a set of online steps: registration, company and equipment details, document upload, the undertaking, payment and the OTP-signed submission^[7]. Many importers do it themselves. Those that use a consultant pay a private fee. Compare firms in our WPC consultants directory.

Because some consultant pages are out of date or wrong. One March 2026 consultancy blog gives the WPC government fee as Rs 1,000 to Rs 5,000 per model^[10]. The official self-declaration fee is Rs 10,000 per model, paid through Bharat Kosh^[1]. If a quote shows a lower government line, the difference will reappear somewhere else on the invoice, or the filing is not what you think it is.

The same blog lists an import licence fee and an "expedited processing" charge^[10]. For licence-exempt devices that are "Free" under DGFT policy, the system-generated import undertaking from Saral Sanchar is enough and no separate WPC import licence is needed^[6], and the self-declaration certificate is downloaded as soon as you submit^[2], so there is nothing for a government fast-track fee to buy.

The government step is fast; the RF report is what takes time. A self-declaration ETA is downloaded as soon as you submit^[2]. Consultants advertise different turnarounds: one quotes 5-7 working days once the RF reports are ready^[5], another 20-30 days as typical^[11]. The gap is mostly testing and document chasing, not WPC.

Waiting costs money only if goods are already moving. Plan the order so they are not: import samples under the testing exemption, which needs only an undertaking to Customs^[6], get the report, file the ETA, and only then ship commercial stock. If the stock is already at the port, every day after the free period adds ground rent, as the CFS figures below show. The same logic applies to products that also need MTCTE or BIS CRS: start the slowest approval first.

The Rs 10,000 government fee is paid through Bharat Kosh^[1], and we found no official statement that GST is added to it. Private costs are quoted before tax: the consultant prices above exclude GST^[5]. At 18%, a Rs 7,500 consultant fee becomes Rs 8,850, and a Rs 40,000 RF test Rs 47,200, on our arithmetic. A GST-registered importer can usually claim input credit on those; check with your accountant.

Three cases, small (self-filed, report reused), medium (one model with a consultant) and complex (several models). These totals combine the official fee with the reported ranges above. They exclude GST on private fees, BIS and other approvals.

• Case 2 assumes each earbud model needs its own test and its own ETA^[1], and that a consultant charges per model. Some will quote a package price.
• Case 3 assumes the factory's existing report meets the declaration in the format^[3] and that you file yourself.
• Wi-Fi routers and access points also need MTCTE^[8]. The MTCTE administrative fee for equipment in the 2.4/5 GHz bands is Group B, Rs 20,000^[12]. See MTCTE certification cost.
• Licensed-band equipment is outside the self-declaration route and needs an operating licence and a separate import licence^[6]. These examples do not cover it.

The rule of thumb: anything with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or another licence-exempt radio needs an ETA at Rs 10,000 per model^[1]; the same product without the radio does not. Our product research reads common items like this:

Because the fee is per model^[1], a wide range multiplies it. A brand launching ten wireless models pays Rs 1,00,000 in ETA fees alone; with RF testing at the reported Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 a model^[4], that becomes Rs 2,50,000 to Rs 5,00,000 before any consultant, on our arithmetic.

Three ways to keep a portfolio lean, all within the rules: keep one model number where the radio hardware is identical and only cosmetics change; reuse the factory's accredited-lab RF report where it really covers your model^[3]; and drop radios you do not need, since a wired variant needs no ETA at all^[13]. Each ETA is valid for the model's life^[1], so the spend is front-loaded; there are no renewals to budget.

The bills come from three directions.

• Marketplaces. CCPA's guidelines on radio equipment treat a device in de-licensed bands without an ETA as unauthorised^[14], and listings must show the frequency ranges and a downloadable ETA copy^[14]. News reports in January 2026 said CCPA fined four large platforms Rs 10 lakh each in walkie-talkie listing cases^[15]; expect platforms to delist rather than risk that.
• Your own declaration. The ETA undertaking accepts liability to prosecution for a wrong declaration and agrees to WPC sample checks and audits^[3]. A cheap RF report that does not match the model is not a saving.
• The port. Customs may treat the self-declaration as sufficient evidence to clear licence-exempt wireless products^[1], so without one, goods wait. One Mundra CFS charges Rs 405 a day for a 20-foot container from day four, rising to Rs 2,610 a day by day 27^[16], before shipping-line demurrage; see why shipments get held at Indian ports. A penalty of up to the value of goods held under a prohibition, or Rs 5,000 if greater, can also apply^[17].

Filing yourself costs the Rs 10,000 fee and an afternoon, if the RF report is ready. The steps follow DoT's Saral Sanchar manual^[7].

All products in de-licensed bands can get an ETA by self-declaration except four types: radar, jamming devices, drones and satellite equipment^[1]. Items that are "Restricted" under DGFT import policy need a scrutiny-based ETA and then a separate import licence from the WPC Regional Licensing Office^[6]. We have not found a published fee schedule for those routes. If you import drones, budget for a longer and costlier process.

DoT is also moving licences and permissions to the Telecommunications Act, 2023, with authorisations on a new portal from 2026^[19]. We have not found any change to the Rs 10,000 self-declaration ETA fee.

The self-declaration is made by the importer or the authorised Indian representative, who confirms that the fee has been paid and that the device works only in licence-exempt bands within the gazetted limits^[3]. In practice the Indian party pays through Bharat Kosh^[1].

If you are an Indian representative rather than the importer, you also need an authorisation from the manufacturer as one of the documents^[1]. The same undertaking accepts liability to prosecution for a wrong declaration and agrees to WPC sample checks and audits^[3], so the cheapest filing is not always the safest one. Make sure the RF report really covers the model you sell.

The ETA covers radio rules only. Any clearance needed from DGFT is the holder's own responsibility^[2].

WPC is rarely the only approval. A typical Bluetooth audio product also needs BIS CRS, which the factory applies for, and EPR registrations held by the importer. This table puts the official fees side by side for one new Bluetooth earphone model imported by a first-time importer. Lab and consultant costs are left out.

• Wireless headphones and earphones are a CRS category tested to IS 616^[23]. Our reading is that Bluetooth earphones need a WPC ETA^[13].
• The official items in the table add up to Rs 72,500 before GST. The BIS figures exclude GST, which is charged on all CRS fees^[20].
• E-waste and plastic EPR may add further fees; see EPR registration costs.
• For a fuller picture, including lab charges, see the cost of importing electronics and BIS CRS registration cost.

• Reuse an accredited lab report the factory already holds, if it meets the declaration^[3].
• Keep model numbers lean. Every model is a separate Rs 10,000 fee^[1].
• Bring samples in under the testing exemption rather than clearing them commercially^[6].
• Do not pay for licences you do not need. Standalone antennas, cables, connectors and batteries need no WPC import licence or NOC^[6].
• File it yourself. The Saral Sanchar steps are documented by DoT^[7]; our guide on how to get WPC approval walks through them.
• Do not pay for a fast track that does not exist. Self-declaration ETAs are downloaded on submission^[2].

If you are unsure whether a product needs an equipment type approval at all, ask for a free compliance check.