What is a BIS R-number, where does it go on a product, and how do you check it?

When BIS grants a licence under the Compulsory Registration Scheme, the manufacturer receives a registration number. People call it the R-number because of how it is written. It is the licence's identity.

The CRS Standard Mark must carry this licence (R-) number together with the Indian Standard reference^[1]. The rules require goods to bear the Standard Mark with a unique registration number from BIS^[2]. A CRS mark without a registration number is not a valid mark.

It is the letter R followed by digits, printed under or beside the CRS Standard Mark. BIS's own consumer app checks "a valid eight-digit R-number" in its Verify R-No under CRS feature^[4]. You will often see it written as "R-" and the digits.

Do not confuse it with an ISI licence number. Scheme-I (ISI) licences are written below the mark as "CM/L-" followed by the licence digits^[9]. Seeing a CM/L number on a phone charger, or an R-number on a pressure cooker, is a sign that the wrong scheme is being shown.

The manufacturer. CRS licences are granted per manufacturing unit, not to an importer or trader^[2]. If the same product is made in two factories, each factory has its own licence and number^[2]. A separate application is needed for each brand name unless the brand owner is the same^[12].

Importers and marketplace sellers do not get their own R-number. They rely on the factory's number, which is why they should ask for a copy of the licence and its model list before ordering. More models can be added to the same licence later by inclusion^[13].

It is printed on the product, the package, or both, as part of the Standard Mark^[1]. Practical points:

• If the number cannot go beneath the mark, it must be placed close to it in a linear manner^[1].
• The IS number, registration number and words in the mark must not be smaller than Arial font size 6^[1].
• Marking must be legible, indelible and non-removable^[1].
• For very small products such as earphones, the mark can go on the packaging only^[14].
• Devices with a screen may show the mark electronically, but a physical label is still needed on the packaging at import, storage and sale^[15].

Full artwork rules are on BIS CRS labelling.

Use BIS's free BIS Care app, launched on 27 July 2020 and needing only a one-time OTP registration^[4]. Full walkthrough: how to verify a BIS licence.

The number lives as long as the licence behind it. These are the events that touch it, with the fee where one applies (fees exclude GST^[17]).

The number stays valid as long as the licence does. Since the February 2026 amendment, a CRS licence is granted initially for up to five years and renewed for up to five more, with fees paid annually in advance^[5]. There is no separate charge for the number itself; it comes with the licence and its fees, including a Rs 1,000 application fee^[6] and a Rs 1,000 annual licence fee^[6]. See CRS fees.

If the licence lapses, the number must stop being used. After the validity date of a licence that has not been renewed, the licensee may not mark or dispatch products with the Standard Mark, including stock in hand^[3]. The mark must also not be applied to products outside the licence scope, such as lab samples^[19].

Yes, if they are added to the licence. Samples are chosen under MeitY's series guidelines, and series models can be added by supplementary test reports that refer to an accepted original report^[12]. For example, wireless earphones share a series only when type, charging, battery rating, enclosure material and similar features match^[20]. See series guidelines.

The practical rule: a model is covered only if it appears on the licence's model list. Same factory and same R-number do not stretch to an unlisted variant.

Not on its own. Devices with an integral display may show the Standard Mark electronically, but a physical label is still required on the packaging at import, storage and sale^[15]. The BIS website reference www.bis.gov.in must also be marked on the product or package even when e-labelling is used^[8]. For smartwatches and mobile phones, that means the box always carries the printed mark and R-number.

Usually not. The CRS order applies to finished goods, not to spare parts or components used to make them unless they are separately notified^[21]. Notified items may come in CKD condition, but SKD imports are allowed only to manufacturers of the finished product, and Customs checks the brand owner's authorisation. Where a component such as a battery cell is itself notified, it carries its own registration.

Then the goods are treated as unmarked. Section 17 bars importing or selling notified goods without a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[22], and a first contravention can bring up to two years in prison or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh^[22]. Consumers can report misuse of the CRS mark through BIS Care^[4]. If you find a problem in stock you already hold, stop selling and get advice; see selling without BIS.

A Delhi importer plans to buy 5,000 power banks from a Shenzhen factory, shipping in four months. The supplier sends an R-number. Here is the check:

1. BIS Care confirms the number is valid and shows the factory name^[4]. Good.
2. The model list shows a 10,000 mAh model but the order is for 20,000 mAh. Not covered: the factory must add it by inclusion, at Rs 30,000 per application plus GST^[6].
3. The brand on the licence is the factory's own, but the importer wants its own brand printed. That needs a separate application unless the brand owner is the same^[12].
4. Validity ends in three months, before shipping. If it lapses, goods cannot be marked or dispatched^[3], so the importer asks for renewal proof first.

Three of four checks failed. Catching this before payment avoids goods held at out of charge. Testing labs for an inclusion are on BIS CRS test labs, and the fee calculator totals the cost.

For foreign factories, the Authorised Indian Representative. Foreign CRS applicants must nominate one^[12], an Indian resident who consents to be responsible for compliance on the factory's behalf^[23].

After grant, the number also enters MeitY's market surveillance system. Manufacturers, AIRs and brands must register each R-number with model details on the STPI portal and pay surveillance charges by brand and category^[7].

• Number belongs to another model or brand. A licence covers specific models^[13] and a brand owner. A number copied from a similar product does not cover yours^[12].
• Printed too small. Anything below Arial 6 breaks the marking rule^[1].
• E-label only. Phones and watches still need a physical label on the box^[15].
• Expired licence. Goods marked after expiry are not authorised^[3]. Check the renewal date before each order; see CRS renewal.
• Missing website reference. www.bis.gov.in must also be marked on the product or package^[8].

• Standard Mark: the mark the R-number sits under.
• Compulsory Registration Scheme: the scheme that issues it.
• Indian Standard: the IS number printed beside it.
• BIS-recognised laboratory: where the test reports behind it come from.

Need the whole picture? Start with BIS CRS, check CRS documents, or ask for a free compliance check.