Importing into India for the first time: the codes, product approvals and registrations to sort out before your first shipment

Importing for the first time means dealing with three sets of rules at once: trade rules (DGFT and Customs), product rules (BIS, WPC, TEC, BEE) and pack and waste rules (Legal Metrology and EPR). Most of the product rules have to be met before the goods leave the factory, because the goods must already carry the right marks when they reach the Indian port.

This page is written for a small business importing finished consumer electronics or similar goods for sale. If you buy imported goods from another Indian company instead of importing yourself, read our page for distributors. If the goods carry your own brand, also read the page for D2C brands.

The table below lists what usually applies and who holds it. Not every item applies to every product. Run your product through the approval checker to see which ones apply.

The importer of record answers to Customs for the Bill of Entry, to every product regulator for the goods it brings in, and to buyers as a "product seller". Using a customs broker does not move any of this.

• Customs. The importer who presents a Bill of Entry is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of its information, the authenticity of every supporting document and compliance with any restriction under any law^[20]. You self-assess duty, and the officer may verify, examine, test and reassess^[20]. A 2026 JNCH order held an importer liable for invalid licences filed through its broker^[21].
• Product rules. Indian technical, safety and environmental norms that apply to domestic goods apply equally to imports unless specifically exempted^[22].
• Consumer law. An importer is a "product seller"^[23]. If the foreign maker is not subject to Indian law, or an order cannot be enforced against it, the seller in India is liable for harm from a defective product^[23].
• Waste rules. You are the "producer" for e-waste, battery and plastic EPR^[6][16][18].

Our responsibility table by business type shows how these duties split when someone else owns the brand or sells the goods.

Yes, for any commercial import. The DGFT Handbook of Procedures says an IEC is compulsory for imports and exports. The exemptions are narrow: government departments, people importing for personal use not connected with trade, manufacture or agriculture, and some small border-trade consignments^[1].

How it works:

• Apply online. You file form ANF-2A on dgft.gov.in with the fee and documents. The IEC is generated automatically and sent by e-mail and SMS. You upload a cancelled cheque showing the business name (or a bank certificate) and proof of address^[1].
• Fee. The application fee in Appendix 2K is reported as Rs 500^[10]. We could not open the appendix on the DGFT site, so check the amount shown at payment.
• Validity. An IEC is valid permanently unless suspended or cancelled. It covers all your branches and units. Only one IEC is issued per PAN^[1].
• Keep it current. If your constitution, address, bank details or other primary details change, update the IEC online within 30 days^[1]. An IEC can also be deactivated under the Foreign Trade Policy^[1], so check its status before each shipment.

The IEC lets you import. It says nothing about whether your product may be imported. That depends on the import policy for the HS code and on the product approvals below. Some items need an import authorisation: laptops, tablets and similar computers under HS 8471 are reported to be "Restricted" and to need an Import Management System authorisation^[28]. See our laptops page and the DGFT portal guide.

These approvals are about the product. Most of them must exist before the goods are made or shipped, because the product or pack has to carry the mark when it reaches India.

BIS. If your product is on a Compulsory Registration Order or a Quality Control Order, no one may import, sell or store it for sale unless it meets the Indian Standard and carries the Standard Mark with the BIS registration number^[2]. Under CRS, the applicant is the manufacturer, and the licence is granted per factory, never to an importer or trader^[2]. A foreign factory needs an Authorised Indian Representative^[25], and you can be that representative if you are the brand owner, its registered user, or another Indian entity accepted by the brand owner^[24]. An AIR can normally act for only one foreign manufacturer, unless the factories are in the same group^[29].

BIS says a CRS grant is expected within 20 working days if the papers and product are right first time^[25]. Before that come lab testing and paperwork, so plan in months, not weeks. A separate application is needed for each brand^[25]. If you sell a private label, the factory needs a licence in your brand.

WPC ETA. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and other devices that transmit in licence-exempt bands need an Equipment Type Approval for import, sale and use^[7]. For most devices it is a self-declaration on the Saral Sanchar portal, and the certificate is downloaded on submission^[30]. Drones, radar, jammers and satellite equipment are excluded from self-declaration^[7].

TEC MTCTE. Telecom equipment on the notified list, such as Wi-Fi access points and customer equipment, may not be sold or used without a certificate^[14]. Wi-Fi access points became mandatory on 1 January 2024^[31].

BEE star label. If you import an appliance on BEE's mandatory list, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, ceiling fans, TVs or LED lamps^[26], your company must register with BEE, for a one-time fee of Rs 5,000^[26].

For the order of these steps on a typical electronics product, see the first electronics import checklist.

Usually yes, but each regime has its own rule, and the samples must not be sold.

• BIS. Samples sent to a lab for an intended licence must not carry the Standard Mark^[32].
• WPC. Wireless devices in licence-exempt bands imported for testing, prototype or pre-launch purposes are exempt from ETA, but you must give Customs an undertaking in the prescribed format^[33].
• MTCTE. Equipment imported for R&D, demonstration, sample testing or a regulatory sandbox is exempt from certification^[14].

Our blog post on importing samples for BIS testing covers the Customs side in more detail.

Yes, if you import packaged goods for sale. Rule 27 requires everyone who pre-packs or imports a commodity for sale, distribution or delivery to register their name and complete address^[4]. The application goes to the central Director or the State Controller of Legal Metrology^[4] with a Rs 500 fee^[4]. A new importer must apply within 90 days of starting to import^[4]. The certificate stays valid until cancelled^[34].

Since 29 May 2026, a company must name the director responsible for violations in its application^[34]. The step-by-step process, documents and timelines are in our guide to LMPC importer registration.

Separately, every retail pack must carry the mandatory declarations: importer's name and address, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer care details^[35]. You can print or sticker these before shipment. Since 2026 you can also do it in the bonded warehouse of an AEO Tier-2 or Tier-3 operator, as long as every pack is fully labelled before it leaves the warehouse^[34]. See LMPC label rules and the principal display panel.

As an importer of electronics you are a "producer" under up to three separate EPR regimes.

• E-waste. A producer includes anyone who offers imported electrical and electronic equipment for sale^[6]. You must register on the CPCB portal, and registered entities may not deal with unregistered ones^[6].
• Batteries. If you import batteries or equipment containing batteries, you are a battery producer^[16]. CPCB's FAQ says importers must register before importing^[5], and CPCB has asked Customs to check battery EPR registration at clearance^[36].
• Plastic packaging. Importers of plastic packaging and of products in plastic packaging are obligated entities^[18]. CPCB wrote to CBIC in June 2025 asking Customs to verify plastic EPR registration when clearing importers' consignments^[37].

Fees and annual costs are in EPR registration costs. A first-year importer with no sales history still registers. Targets for producers with a short sales history are set under a separate schedule^[6].

Approvals and EPR come before the goods are shipped; Customs comes on arrival; Legal Metrology registration closes the 90-day window. The table assumes a product that needs CRS and WPC and that the factory already has test samples.

The table shows official fees only. Lab tests, consultants, customs broker charges, duty and GST come on top. Our page on the cost of importing electronics works through full examples.

A new importer brings in 500 portable Bluetooth speakers of one model under its own brand from one factory. Here is what it holds and what it pays.

• BIS. Bluetooth speakers are a CRS category under IS/IEC 62368-1^[41]. The factory pays Rs 1,000 application^[11] and Rs 50,000 processing^[11], plus GST^[11] and lab charges. The importer acts as AIR.
• WPC. Our research reads Bluetooth speakers as needing a self-declaration ETA^[42]: one model, Rs 10,000^[7].
• EPR. Portable units contain batteries, so battery EPR is reported to apply^[43]: Rs 10,000 for turnover under Rs 5 crore^[17]. Plastic EPR as importer^[44]: Rs 10,000 under 1,000 TPA^[19].
• IEC and LMPC. Rs 500^[39] and Rs 500^[4].

Importer's own official fees: Rs 31,000. The factory's BIS fees add Rs 51,000 plus GST, and lab, consultant, freight, duty and broker charges come on top. Put your own inputs into the compliance cost estimator. Product guide: Bluetooth speakers.

• No Standard Mark, or the wrong brand on the licence. Goods without the mark under a valid licence may not be imported^[3]. A factory licence for its own brand does not cover yours^[25].
• Expired licence. After the validity date, an unrenewed CRS licence does not let the factory mark or dispatch goods, even stock in hand^[45].
• Missing EPR proof. Customs has been asked to check battery and plastic EPR registration^[36][37].
• Wireless goods without ETA. Customs may accept the importer's self-declaration as enough evidence for licence-exempt wireless products^[7], but only if you have filed it.
• Packs without declarations. The month and year of manufacture, not of import, must be declared^[4].

Our post on why shipments get held at Indian ports has more cases.

Your broker files an electronic Bill of Entry with the invoice and transport document uploaded to eSANCHIT, Customs checks the registrations the goods need, and you pay duty before the goods are let out. Each step has a deadline.

1. File early. The Bill of Entry must be filed by the end of the day before the vessel or aircraft arrives, and can be filed up to 30 days ahead^[40]. Late filing without good cause costs Rs 5,000 a day for the first three days and Rs 10,000 a day after^[46].
2. Upload documents. The invoice and transport contract must be uploaded on eSANCHIT for every Bill of Entry^[47]. Where an import needs a registration under any law, Customs notices ask you to complete it before filing and upload the certificate^[48].
3. BIS check. CBIC is reported to have told officers to check BIS registration for every consignment of CRS goods, with random samples sent for testing^[49].
4. Pay duty. Under self-assessment, duty is paid on the day the Bill of Entry is presented^[20]; late payment carries interest of 10% to 36% a year^[20].
5. Out of charge. Since February 2026, out of charge can be given without manual intervention to all importers when duty is paid and no compliance alert is pending^[50]. See out of charge.
6. Do not leave goods at the port. Goods not cleared within 30 days of unloading may, after notice, be sold by the custodian^[20], and storage charges run meanwhile; see demurrage.

The full list is the customs clearance documents checklist, and the filing portal is explained in our ICEGATE guide.

Keep the assessed Bill of Entry and every original supporting document for five years from the date of the Bill of Entry^[51]. Keep licences and EPR certificates for as long as you sell the product.

• BIS. Importing or selling notified goods without the Standard Mark is punishable with up to two years in prison or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first offence, extendable to ten times the value of the goods, or both^[3]. Where a company offends, responsible directors and officers can also be held guilty^[3].
• Legal Metrology. A pack without the required declarations draws an improvement notice for a first offence, a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh for a second, and a fine of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh after that^[9].
• EPR. For e-waste violations other than a target shortfall, environmental compensation is Rs 20,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 80,000 for the first three defaults^[52].
• MTCTE. Uncertified notified equipment gets a stop-sale notice. You then have 180 days to certify at ten times the normal fee^[14].

You add the E-Commerce Rules' seller duties and, almost always, full GST registration. Product rules do not change.

On a marketplace you must have a written contract, a grievance officer and complete listing data, including the importer's details^[53]. The GST registration exemption for e-commerce suppliers is limited to those selling in one State or UT with no inter-State supplies^[54]. If you sell on your own website, you are an inventory e-commerce entity with wider duties^[53]. Read Amazon sellers, Flipkart sellers or D2C brands, and if you need hands-on help with the factory side, see our BIS consultants guide or ask for a free compliance check.