Quality Control Orders in India: the dataset of every order importers face, by ministry, year and status

This dataset lists 39 Quality Control Orders and order groups that matter to importers, each with its ministry, products and standards, notification, start date and status on 1 November 2026, plus every rescission since July 2025. It is built from BIS's compulsory certification lists, the gazette orders and Comploa's QCO tracker.

Three headline numbers frame it. BIS's Scheme-I list numbers its entries up to 136^[1], but that is a serial count, not a count of orders in force. MeitY's electronics order covers 66 product categories under a separate Scheme-II list^[2]. And BIS's upcoming list shows 30 product entries due between 6 November 2026 and 1 May 2027^[3]. Between July 2025 and January 2026 the government removed more than 40 input-material QCOs, mostly chemicals, polymers, fibres and metals^[5].

Each row is one order, or a group of closely related orders. 'Listed by BIS' means the order appears on BIS's Scheme-I list with no rescission noted^[4]; we have not traced its implementation date. 'Not stated in our sources' in the ministry column means the BIS list does not name the ministry and we have not opened the gazette order. Links go to our full guides where they exist.

Most orders in the dataset are in force. The table counts the 39 rows by status. Rows marked 'in force' with later dates are orders where some products or smaller firms start later, such as the household appliances QCO, which reaches micro enterprises only on 1 April 2027^[7].

The count is of rows in this dataset, not of every QCO ever made. It leaves out the chemical, fibre and metal orders that were rescinded in 2025 and 2026; those are listed in their own table below.

DPIIT issues the most consumer-goods QCOs, but at least seven other ministries and departments issue their own. In this dataset, DPIIT accounts for 16 rows, including toys^[14], furniture and footwear. MeitY issues the electronics registration order^[11], MNRE the solar order^[12], MoRTH the helmet order^[16], the Ministry of Steel the steel order^[44] and the Ministry of Heavy Industries the rescinded machinery OTR^[49].

The issuer matters in practice: deferrals, exemptions and relief orders come from the issuing ministry, not from BIS. Steel cookware moved from DPIIT to the Ministry of Steel on 30 March 2026^[38], so an importer of steel utensils now watches a different ministry's notices.

QCO-making peaked in 2020 and 2023. Counting BIS's 136 Scheme-I serial numbers by the date of the first instrument in each entry, 28 date from 2020, 38 from 2023 and 23 from 2024^[4]. Only three date from 2025, and in late 2025 the direction reversed, with mass rescissions of input-material orders.

The counts include orders later rescinded or replaced, so they measure notification activity, not orders in force. A few serials are not QCOs at all: BIS also lists products made compulsory by other laws, such as the Gas Cylinder Rules, the Infant Milk Substitutes Act and an AERB order on X-ray equipment^[4].

The table lists every rescission, withdrawal and major suspension in our sources since July 2025, newest first. None of the consumer-product orders importers deal with most, such as toys, helmets, appliances, footwear, furniture or electronics, was rescinded. The gazette rescission orders give 'public interest' as the reason^[5]; Business Standard reported that a committee chaired by NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba had recommended withdrawals^[50].

These dates fall after 1 November 2026. BIS's upcoming list can change when a deferral is notified, so check the QCO deadline checker or the compliance calendar before you place orders.

Three DPIIT orders of 12 February 2026 and one of 25 June 2026 change how many QCOs apply at once, so a status of 'in force' does not tell the whole story.

• Shipment relief. S.O. 775(E) exempts goods shipped before implementation for 26 implemented QCOs, if the Bill of Entry is filed within 180 days^[8]. S.O. 776(E) covers goods whose purchase order predates implementation^[58].
• Small-firm threshold. S.O. 777(E) exempts Udyam-registered makers with up to Rs 1 crore investment and Rs 5 crore turnover in eight QCOs^[35]. This helps Indian makers, not importers.
• Transition Facilitation Order. S.O. 3417(E) lets assessed companies source goods under ten scheduled QCOs through BIS Scheme-II licences^[9], with applications open for 24 months^[9].

Each order also has its own clauses: R&D import allowances (200 appliance units a year^[7], up to 300 toys^[59]), old-stock periods and export exemptions. The QCO guides list them.

Electronics and appliances sit under two different systems. Consumer electronics such as power banks, laptops and LED bulbs fall under MeitY's registration order and need BIS CRS registration based on a lab report^[2]. Household appliances such as electric kettles, mixer grinders, air conditioners and washing machines fall under DPIIT-style QCOs and need the ISI mark.

The 2026 household appliances order is the broad catch-all: it names 90 appliance types^[7] but excludes appliances already under another order^[7]. So a toaster falls under the 2023 kitchen appliances order, not the umbrella one. Test labs for both systems are listed on the BIS labs hub.

For an ISI-mark QCO, the foreign factory needs an FMCS licence before goods ship; the importer cannot apply on its behalf^[60]. BIS puts the average time at about six months^[61], and the licence brings a USD 10,000 performance bank guarantee^[61].

For CRS electronics, the manufacturer registers through an Authorised Indian Representative after testing at a BIS-recognised lab; BIS aims to decide a clean application within 20 working days^[62]. Fees for both routes are in the compliance fees dataset.

Use the dataset to find the right order, then confirm the detail in the order's guide. A QCO row does not tell you whether your exact product is inside the scope.

Once a QCO is in force, the goods it names cannot be imported, sold, stored or displayed without a BIS Standard Mark under a valid licence^[10]. A first breach can mean up to two years in prison or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh, extendable to ten times the value of the goods^[10].

Customs checks are real: for toys, a sample from every consignment goes to an NABL lab before the goods can be sold^[63]. Read selling without BIS: what happens and why shipments get held at Indian ports.

Use it as a map, not as legal advice. Five limits matter.

1. No official in-force count exists. BIS's serial numbers run to 136, but include withdrawn orders and leave some orders unnumbered^[1].
2. Ministry and start dates are missing for some rows. BIS's list rarely states them, and we mark those cells rather than guess.
3. Dates conflict sometimes. For aluminium beverage cans, the gazette order says 1 October 2026 while BIS's upcoming list shows 1 April 2027^[3]. We show both.
4. Orders change fast. The CRS order alone has been amended many times since 2021^[64].
5. Some rows group several orders. Group rows give the date range; open the order for exact numbers.

If you spot an error, tell us through contact; our editorial policy explains how we correct pages.

Every row cites its source inline. The main sources are BIS's Scheme-I list of products under compulsory certification^[4], BIS's Scheme-II list for electronics^[2], BIS's upcoming QCO list^[3], and the gazette orders themselves, read for each guide. Counts by status, ministry and year are Comploa's own, from those sources, as on 1 November 2026.

Cite it as: Comploa, 'Quality Control Orders in India: dataset', comploa data page /data/qco-orders-in-india, accessed on [date]. Quote the status date (1 November 2026) with any number you use, and link to the row's original source where you can. More on reuse is on the data hub.

Each order with a guide has its scope, HS codes, standards, amendments and relief in full: electronics CRS, toys, helmets, pressure cookers, electrical appliances, electrical accessories, cookware, furniture, footwear, steel, chemicals, textiles and machinery safety. The QCO hub explains how orders work, QCO changes in 2026 covers this year, and the fees dataset prices the certificates they require. For a check on your own product, ask for a free compliance check.