Importing mobile phones from Vietnam to India in 2026: the factory's BIS registration, WPC, EPR, AIFTA origin and costs

You need the Vietnamese factory's BIS CRS registration for your brand and model, your own WPC Equipment Type Approval for each model, and your e-waste, battery and plastic EPR and Legal Metrology registrations. If you want the ASEAN–India duty preference, you also need a valid certificate of origin.

Mobile phones have been under CRS since 13 September 2015^[1]. They are certified to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 together with IS 16333 (Part 3):2022 for Indian language support^[2]. The registration is granted to the manufacturer for each factory, not to an importer^[13], so the factory in Vietnam applies. You, the importer, file the radio approval: self-declaration ETA covers mobile handsets and smartphones^[4], at Rs 10,000 per model^[4].

Vietnam differs from China in two ways that matter here. It is an ASEAN member with an FTA in force with India since 1 June 2010^[8], and it does not share a land border with India, so the land-border rules on telecom test labs^[14] do not bite. For general phone rules, read our mobile phone import guide; for Vietnamese suppliers in general, see importing from Vietnam.

The Vietnamese factory holds BIS; you hold WPC, EPR, LMPC, the IEC and the origin claim at customs.

Fewer finished smartphones than you might expect: US$ 47.95 million in 2025-26, against US$ 542.26 million from China, out of US$ 675.59 million from all countries^[10].

The growth is steep, up from US$ 6.15 million in 2024-25^[10]. But Vietnam's wider HS 8517 trade with India, which includes phones, routers and parts, was US$ 1,263.40 million in 2025-26^[29], so most of it is not finished smartphones. Vietnam supplied US$ 11,614.36 million of goods to India in all^[29], and US$ 4,885.79 million under chapter 85^[29].

For a small importer, the numbers say two things. Large Vietnamese phone plants mostly serve global brands, so if you are buying finished phones you are probably a brand's Indian distributor or a private-label buyer from a smaller assembler. And customs officers see far more Chinese phones than Vietnamese ones, which makes your origin paperwork stand out: get it right. Smartphones are ITC(HS) 85171300 and feature phones 85171400^[30].

Search the R-number on crsbis.in's List of Registered Manufacturers, then confirm the country shows Vietnam, the address matches your supplier's plant, and your brand and models are in scope.

The public search finds CRS registrations by R-number, product, model or brand and shows the manufacturer's name, address, country, IS number, grant date, status, validity and brand scope^[31]. The BIS Care app's 'Verify R-No under CRS' feature does the same on a phone^[32]. See how to verify a BIS licence.

Like any foreign factory: it logs in on crsbis.in with an English business licence, sends samples to a BIS-recognised lab in India, and files Form I within 90 days of the report with an Indian AIR.

The factory registers and applies on www.crsbis.in^[36], uploading a business licence in English or with a certified translation from Vietnamese^[36]. It generates a test request; models and brands entered there cannot be changed later^[37]. Samples go to the lab within 60 days^[36], and the application must follow within 90 days of the report^[16]. With Form I come the AIR nomination and a notarised affidavit^[38] on Rs 100 stamp paper^[39], with the original reaching BIS within 30 days^[38].

Where testing happens. On 1 November 2026 BIS's lab search listed 54 entries for IS/IEC 62368 (46 labs for the 2023 edition), none shown outside India^[11]. So phones are tested in India. Samples for testing can be imported: the CRS Order does not apply to goods imported for testing^[40], and radio devices imported for testing are exempt from ETA against an undertaking to Customs^[41]. See importing samples for BIS testing and CRS test labs.

Series. Phones can share a series only with the same battery capacity, charging voltage and current, battery-side PCB layout, adaptor and a similar enclosure^[42], up to 10 models^[3]. Memory and colour variants usually fit; a different battery does not. See series guidelines.

IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 for safety and IS 16333 (Part 3):2022 for Indian language support, with the old IS 13252 (Part 1) usable alongside 62368-1 only until 1 November 2028.

MeitY's S.O. 4997(E) replaced IS 13252 (Part 1) and IS 616 with IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 in the CRS schedule^[43], with concurrent running until 1 November 2028^[44]. Existing licensees must submit complete 62368 test reports for every lead model by that date^[45]. If your Vietnamese supplier's registration still rests on IS 13252 reports, budget for migration testing. See IS/IEC 62368-1 and IS 13252 (Part 1).

Indian language support has been a CRS item since 1 May 2018 under IS 16333 (Part 3)^[1], and its licence is granted under the Mobile Phone category^[33]. A phone firmware built for the Vietnamese or global market may not meet it, so confirm the India build before testing.

File a self-declaration ETA on Saral Sanchar for each model, with the RF test report, the Vietnamese manufacturer's authorisation and technical literature, and pay Rs 10,000 per model.

Since September 2024 all ETA applications for licence-exempt wireless devices are self-declarations on Saral Sanchar, with the certificate downloaded on submission^[20]; mobile handsets and smartphones are on the covered list^[4]. The documents are the RF test report, the manufacturer's authorisation if you apply as its Indian representative, and technical literature^[4]. The ETA is valid for the model's lifetime unless revoked^[4].

Good news for Vietnam-made phones: the 2019 self-declaration only requires that the RF report come from an accredited lab, with its name and country stated^[19]. It does not demand an Indian lab, so a report from an accredited lab in Vietnam can be used. For devices that are 'Free' under DGFT policy, the Saral Sanchar undertaking is enough to import without a separate WPC import licence^[41], and Customs may treat the self-declaration as sufficient evidence^[4]. Note that DoT has moved new authorisations to the Telecommunications Act portal^[46]. See Saral Sanchar, WPC ETA costs and WPC ETA vs MTCTE.

No. S.O. 2372(E) of 24 May 2022 exempts mobile handsets, along with servers, smart watches, smart cameras and POS devices, from prior mandatory testing and certification^[5].

The 2025 telecom conformity rules kept existing exemptions in force until superseded^[47], and TEC's current product list does not include mobile handsets as a category^[48]. If you also import Wi-Fi routers or hotspots from Vietnam, those are different: Wi-Fi access points and CPE have needed MTCTE since 1 January 2024^[48]. Because Vietnam does not share a land border with India, a Vietnamese lab could in principle be recognised as a Conformity Assessment Body if ILAC-accredited^[14]. See TEC MTCTE products and Wi-Fi routers.

Possibly, if the phone meets the AIFTA origin rule and you claim it properly; the standard basic customs duty on mobile phones is 15%^[7], and the preferential rate, if any, is in India's AIFTA tariff notification, which we have not verified for smartphones.

The goods provisions took effect with Vietnam on 1 June 2010^[8]. India's concessional rates for ASEAN goods are reported to sit in Notification 46/2011-Customs as amended^[49]. A phone assembled in Vietnam from imported parts qualifies only if its AIFTA content is at least 35% of FOB value and the non-originating parts undergo at least a change in tariff sub-heading, with the final process in Vietnam^[9]. A phone that is merely packed in Vietnam will not qualify. The claim uses the Form AI certificate of origin^[9].

The agreement is under review: four Joint Committee rounds were held in 2024^[50], and the review was reported as still open after a meeting in October 2026^[51]. Rates could change, so check before each pricing round.

Declare origin on the Bill of Entry, upload the Form AI, hold the origin information yourself and answer customs queries within ten working days. CAROTAR 2020 puts the burden on you, not the Vietnamese exporter.

The Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules came into force on 21 September 2020 for every preferential claim^[52]. Section 28DA says a certificate from an issuing authority does not absolve the importer of responsibility^[53].

None of the anti-dumping or countervailing duties on Vietnamese goods that we found covers mobile phones; they are on steel, glass, copper, printing plates and plastics inputs.

The Vietnam measures in our research include solar glass^[60], hot-rolled steel^[61], welded stainless steel pipes^[62], copper tubes^[63], digital offset printing plates^[64] and calcium carbonate filler masterbatch^[65]. That is not proof no phone-related duty exists, so ask your broker to check the current CBIC list. How these duties work is explained on our Vietnam page.

Three: e-waste EPR for the phone, battery EPR for the cell inside, and plastic EPR for the packaging. All are yours as importer.

E-waste. Cellular telephones are Schedule I code ITEW15^[6]. A producer includes anyone offering imported EEE for sale, through any channel^[6], and you may not do business without registration^[6]. New sellers pay a Rs 10,000 fee^[21] plus Rs 5,000 annual maintenance^[21]. Producers whose sales history is shorter than the product's life have a target of 20% of sales from two years earlier from 2025-26^[6]. Only RoHS-compliant products may be imported^[6]. See e-waste EPR targets and EEE codes.

Battery. Phones contain batteries, so you are a battery producer^[22] and must register before importing^[23]. The e-waste and battery obligations are separate^[6]. Your EPR number can go on the phone's packaging^[66].

Plastic. Phone boxes usually contain plastic trays and films, which make you an importer under the plastic rules^[25]. See the EPR registration checklist.

The BIS Standard Mark with IS numbers and R-number (on the box even if shown as an e-label), www.bis.gov.in, your EPR details and the Legal Metrology declarations with Vietnam as country of origin.

Phones with a screen may show the Standard Mark electronically, but a physical label is still required on the packaging at import, storage and sale, and the e-label must be reachable within four menu steps^[67]. The BIS website line is required even with an e-label^[68].

BIS registration for the model, the WPC self-declaration, your origin claim if you make one, and possibly your EPR registrations.

CBIC Instruction 28/2023-Customs is reported to require a system check of BIS registration on every CRS consignment, with risk-based sampling and out of charge only if the sample passes^[74]. DGFT is reported to make BIS registration or a MeitY exemption a condition of import^[75]. Customs may treat the WPC self-declaration as enough to clear the radio side^[4]. CPCB has asked Customs to verify battery EPR registrations^[76].

For sea cargo from Vietnam the Bill of Entry is due by the end of the day before arrival; only sea imports from Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and imports by air, get until the end of arrival day^[77]. If your phones move by air, you get that extra day. Late filing costs Rs 5,000 a day for three days, then Rs 10,000^[78]. Use the customs clearance checklist and ICEGATE guide.

For one phone series, official compliance fees are about Rs 27,000 on the factory's side in year one (Rs 26,000 a year after that) and Rs 58,500 on yours; basic customs duty at 15% on a Rs 50 lakh shipment adds Rs 7.5 lakh before any AIFTA preference.

The example: an Indian distributor with turnover under Rs 5 crore imports one smartphone series (two memory variants in one series) from a Vietnamese plant, files one ETA per model, and lands a first shipment with an assessable value of Rs 50 lakh. GST on BIS fees, IGST, surcharges, freight and lab charges are excluded.

Lab charges for IS/IEC 62368-1 and IS 16333 (Part 3), the RF test report, EPR certificate purchases, consultant fees, surcharges and IGST, freight and insurance.

E-waste certificates for IT and telecom equipment carry an environmental compensation of Rs 112 per kg with a floor certificate price of Rs 34^[80], which frames the market. The CRS figures follow the 25 February 2026 fee schedule, which made processing Rs 25,000 a year in advance^[15]; the PDF table on crsbis.in still shows the older one-time Rs 50,000^[18]. If your charger ships in the box, it needs its own CRS registration, and the 2024-25 Budget cut BCD on mobile phone chargers to 15% too^[7]. Run your own case in the compliance cost estimator and the BIS CRS fee calculator, and see the cost of importing electronics.

Mismatches between the plant, the brand and the paperwork, and origin claims that do not hold up.

1. Indian distributor of a global brand made in Vietnam. The brand's Vietnamese plant usually holds the registration; the brand's Indian office or the brand owner is typically AIR^[17]. You still need your own EPR and LMPC, and an ETA per model unless the brand's representative files it^[19]. See distributors.

2. Private-label feature phones. A Vietnamese assembler builds 4G feature phones under your brand. It applies in your brand name^[16], you are AIR, and you file the ETA. An AIR can represent only one unrelated foreign factory^[81]. See D2C brands and foreign manufacturers.

3. Marketplace seller. Listings need the R-number, ETA and Legal Metrology details; e-commerce entities must display the mandatory label declarations^[82], as reported. See before listing on Flipkart and Amazon documents.

Customs can hold, deform, return or destroy them; BIS, CPCB and Legal Metrology can each act against you.

A MeitY OM is reported to authorise Customs to deform non-compliant or unregistered CRS goods^[75]. Under the BIS Act a first offence can bring up to two years in prison or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh, extendable to ten times the value of the goods^[83]. A wrong WPC self-declaration exposes you to prosecution under the undertaking you sign^[19]. Legal Metrology penalties run up to Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for repeat offences^[84], and e-waste compensation can be levied on unregistered producers^[6].

Run the approval checker, read why shipments get held, or ask us for a free compliance check.