Importing into India by source country: what changes, what stays the same, and which guide to read

No. Indian technical rules apply to imports exactly as they apply to goods made in India, unless a rule says otherwise^[12]. A power bank from Shenzhen and one from Hanoi need the same BIS CRS registration, the same battery EPR and the same Legal Metrology registration.

The BIS Act defines "person" to include manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and sellers, so the ban on dealing in uncertified notified goods binds you whatever the origin^[13]. Covered goods cannot be imported, sold or stored for sale without conforming to the Indian Standard and carrying the Standard Mark under a valid licence^[1].

What does change by country is:

• How BIS reaches the factory. CRS is applied for by the factory itself, so a Chinese or Korean plant opens its own account and nominates an Indian representative^[1][2]. ISI-mark products made abroad go through the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme, which includes a BIS visit to the factory^[4].
• Where testing can happen. BIS-recognised labs are all in India; MTCTE labs can sit abroad, but not in a country that shares a land border with India^[5][6].
• Customs duty. A trade agreement can lower the duty if you prove origin under CAROTAR^[14]. Anti-dumping duties are also set country by country.

To see which approvals your product needs, start with the approval checker or the HS code approval finder. The country guides below then cover what is different for each source.

Each country guide covers the same approvals but different trade facts. The table compares India's imports from each country in 2025-26, the number of BIS FMCS licence records for factories there, and the trade agreement position. China's trade figures are not yet in our research, so its row shows only the BIS data.

They tell you which supply chains BIS already knows. A country with many FMCS licences has many factories that have been through a BIS inspection, which makes finding a certified supplier easier.

• Vietnam has the most FMCS records of any country^[3], led by footwear under IS 15844 (129 records), toys under IS 9873 (Part 1) (18) and electric toys under IS 15644 (10)^[3]. It is also a major phone source: India imported US$ 1,263.40 million of HS 8517 goods from Vietnam in 2025-26^[15].
• South Korea has 11 appliance licences under IS 302 and 3 for refrigerators^[3], and its biggest line into India is integrated circuits at US$ 3,411.82 million^[15].
• Thailand is an air-conditioner source: US$ 422.85 million of HS 8415 goods in 2025-26^[15]. That matters because room ACs are on BEE's mandatory star-label list^[19]; see importing air conditioners.
• Taiwan has the most foreign CCTV makers on BIS's security Essential Requirements list, with 6 factories^[20], including Vivotek and Dynacolor^[20]. See importing CCTV cameras.
• Hong Kong ships a lot of electronics (US$ 10,490.72 million in chapter 85) but has no FMCS licensees at all^[15][3]. Goods shipped from Hong Kong are usually made elsewhere, and BIS certifies the factory, not the trading company.

It depends on the scheme. Under CRS (electronics), the foreign factory applies online and BIS grants a registration without a routine factory visit; under FMCS (ISI-mark goods), BIS inspects the factory and draws samples before granting a licence^[21][4].

A business licence in English that shows the factory name, address and manufacturing activity, or a certified English translation^[21]. This is the first place foreign applications go wrong: BIS lists missing or conflicting translations and altered business licences among the deficiencies it sees most often at login^[27].

The factory then nominates an Authorised Indian Representative. The AIR must be an Indian resident who accepts responsibility for compliance on the manufacturer's behalf^[28], and can be the maker's Indian branch, the Indian brand owner, or another Indian entity backed by a brand-owner declaration^[29]. One AIR may represent only one foreign manufacturer, unless they are in the same group^[28].

The step-by-step is in our BIS CRS documents guide and the CRS application checklist. Foreign makers should also read our guide for foreign manufacturers.

For BIS, in practice no. BIS's Group-1 list of recognised labs dated 30 October 2026 has 444 entries, every one in India^[5]. The LIMS search for IS 13252 (Part 1) shows 68 lab entries, all in India^[30], and for IS/IEC 62368, 54 entries, none abroad^[31]. Foreign labs can be recognised, but they need an Indian office or representative and an agreement with BIS^[32].

So samples travel to India. Imports of samples for testing are outside the CRS order^[33]; see importing samples for BIS testing and our lab guides for Delhi NCR, Bengaluru and Chennai.

Other regulators are more flexible:

The land-border rule is why a factory in Vietnam can use a local MTCTE lab while one in China cannot.

The Commerce Ministry's July 2026 list of FTA partners includes ASEAN, Japan, Korea, Thailand (Early Harvest), the UAE, the UK and others, but not Taiwan, Hong Kong, the United States, Germany or the EU^[10]. A trade agreement only lowers customs duty; it never removes BIS, EPR or WPC.

You declare origin on the Bill of Entry and hold the evidence behind it. Under CAROTAR, which came into force on 21 September 2020^[7], the importer, not the exporter, carries the duty of reasonable care^[38].

Most denied claims come down to the certificate itself. Customs can refuse the preferential rate without any verification when the certificate is incomplete, not in the prescribed format, altered without the issuing authority's authentication, expired, or covers an ineligible item^[42].

Three further risks are less obvious:

• One bad finding spreads. Once goods from an exporter fail the origin test, Customs may reject claims for identical goods from that exporter without checking each one^[43].
• Late answers are costly. Missing the deadline for origin information, or failing to take reasonable care, puts all your later preference claims under compulsory verification^[44].
• The certificate does not protect you. Holding a certificate from an issuing authority does not relieve the importer of responsibility for the claim^[38].

Origin paperwork is separate from compliance paperwork. A shipment can have a perfect Form AI and still be held because the factory has no BIS registration. See why shipments get held at Indian ports and the customs clearance documents checklist.

Yes. Anti-dumping duty is imposed by a Finance Ministry notification under section 9A of the Customs Tariff Act after an investigation, and it names specific countries and producers^[45]. Most current duties hit materials and components rather than finished consumer electronics, but a few matter to electronics and solar importers.

The product approvals are identical, but China shares a land border with India, and several rules key off that. TEC cannot recognise an MTCTE test lab in a land-border country^[6], so telecom equipment made in China is tested in India or a third country. Investment from a land-border country, or with a beneficial owner there, needs government approval under Press Note 3^[50], which DPIIT revised again in March 2026^[51].

BIS itself does not distinguish by country: China has 256 FMCS licence records^[3] and 5 entries on the CCTV security list^[20]. CRS works the same way for a Chinese factory as for any other.

Start with importing electronics from China and the long-form guide how to import electronics from China to India. For specific products, we have country-by-product guides below.

These guides combine one source country with one product, for the routes importers ask about most. Each covers the factory side, testing, Indian approvals and labelling.

The port does not change the approvals, but the arrival date can. For goods made overseas, the date the consignment lands in India decides whether a new CRS deadline applies; goods landing on or after the due date must comply^[60]. MTCTE uses a different test: the date of import is the date the goods left the foreign port^[61].

At every port, the Bill of Entry must be filed before the end of the day before the vessel or aircraft arrives^[62], and late filing costs Rs 5,000 a day for the first three days^[63]. Customs is reported to check BIS registration for every CRS consignment^[64], and CPCB has asked Customs to check battery and plastic EPR registrations^[65][66].

We do not list ports by country: the choice of port is a freight decision and does not change any approval.

Every retail pack must declare the country of origin, along with the importer's name and address, the net quantity, MRP and consumer-care details^[67]. Marketplace sellers must also give the platform the country of origin and the importer's details for display^[68], and from 1 July 2027 e-commerce sites are reported to need a country-of-origin filter for imported goods^[69].

On top of that, CRS goods carry the Standard Mark with the R-number^[70] and batteries carry the crossed-out wheeled-bin symbol^[71]. Check a pack against the product label checklist or the label checker, and read the Legal Metrology label rules.

Work through the same sequence for every country, then add the origin step only if a trade agreement applies:

1. Classify the product and list its approvals with the HS code approval finder.
2. Ask the factory for its BIS registration or licence and verify it; see how to verify a BIS licence.
3. Register your business: IEC, EPR and LMPC.
4. Budget with the compliance cost estimator.
5. If an FTA applies, get the certificate of origin and Form I information before the goods sail.
6. Follow the first electronics import checklist.

If you are unsure where your supplier stands, ask us for a free compliance check.