What is the BIS Standard Mark, and how do the ISI and CRS marks differ?

Standard Mark is the legal name for a BIS certification mark. The everyday names are the 'ISI mark' and the 'BIS CRS mark'. Both are Standard Marks; they come from different BIS schemes.

• Under Scheme-I, BIS grants a licence to use the Standard Mark, the ISI mark. The Toys QCO uses this route^[9]. See BIS ISI mark.
• Under Scheme-II, the Compulsory Registration Scheme, the Standard Mark carries the manufacturer's registration (R-) number and the Indian Standard reference^[2]. See BIS CRS.

The mark is a promise to buyers and regulators that the product meets the standard and is covered by a live licence.

Three routes lead to a Standard Mark on imported goods. Which one applies depends on the product's order, not on the importer's choice.

From the ISI mark. The Indian Standards Institution came into being on 6 January 1947 and began licensing the ISI Mark under the Certification Marks Scheme in 1955-56; BIS took over its functions on 1 April 1987^[5]. The BIS Act, 2016 came into force on 12 October 2017^[11], and today a BIS licence is a licence under section 13 of that Act to use a specified Standard Mark on goods that conform to a standard^[4].

The electronics mark is newer. The first Compulsory Registration Order was notified on 7 September 2012^[12] and replaced by the 2021 order^[13].

Anyone dealing in goods notified under a QCO or Compulsory Registration Order. Section 17 of the BIS Act prohibits manufacturing, importing, distributing, selling, hiring, leasing, storing or exhibiting for sale such goods without a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[1]. Importers are covered: the Act's definition of 'person' includes them^[1].

Only the licence holder may apply the mark. Importers should never add the mark themselves to stock that the factory's licence does not cover.

For CRS products, BIS's marking rules say:

• Each product, its package, or both must carry the mark in an easily visible, legible, indelible and non-removable way^[2].
• The IS number, registration number and words must be at least Arial font size 6^[2].
• The mark may be any single colour, or multicolour in red, blue and black^[2].
• www.bis.gov.in must also appear on the product or package^[14].
• If BIS requires it, the words 'self-declaration of conformity to' and the IS number are added^[2].
• Small products such as earphones may carry the mark on the packaging only^[15].

The artwork guide is on BIS CRS labelling.

The licence number must appear with the mark, preferably below it, as CM/L- followed by the digits^[3]. One Scheme-I licence covers one product and one Indian Standard; it may cover several varieties or sizes, but only those in its scope of licence^[16]. BIS publishes a Product Manual for each Scheme-I product with sampling guidelines, test equipment and the scheme of inspection and testing^[17].

After grant, BIS runs surprise factory inspections and buys ISI-marked samples from the market for testing^[6]. A mark is therefore a continuing promise, not a one-off certificate.

Through BIS's Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme, run since 2000 for all products except MeitY-notified electronics^[18]. The application fee is Rs 1,000^[19], and BIS gives about six months as the average time to grant from a complete application^[20]. Since 25 February 2026 the licence is granted for up to five years and renewed for up to five more, with fees paid every year in advance^[21]. After grant the factory signs an indemnity bond and furnishes a USD 10,000 bank guarantee^[20]. Fees are on BIS FMCS fees.

At the Bill of Entry stage. For electronics, CBIC Instruction 28/2023 reportedly tells officers to check BIS registration for every consignment under the CRO and to sample some, giving out of charge only if the sample passes^[22]. DGFT reportedly made BIS registration, or a MeitY exemption letter, a condition of import for these goods^[23]. For toys, a sample from each consignment goes to an NABL lab^[24]. In every case, a mark shown only on a screen is not enough at import^[25].

Yes. Section 17 covers exhibiting for sale as well as selling^[1], so an online listing of unmarked notified goods is itself a problem. In FY 2024-25 BIS reportedly bought 344 QCO product samples from e-commerce platforms and found 142 without valid certification^[26]. Marketplaces therefore ask sellers for licence copies; our Amazon sellers guide lists what they request.

An importer planning a mixed container of kitchen and gadget goods:

The right to use the mark lasts only as long as the licence. For CRS, once validity ends without renewal, the licensee may not mark or dispatch marked products, including stock in hand^[30]. The mark must not be applied to products outside the licence scope, including lab samples^[31].

Costs depend on the scheme. ISI (Scheme-I) licensees pay an annual minimum marking fee plus unit rates, notified per Indian Standard^[32]. CRS licensees pay application, annual and processing fees^[21]; see CRS fees.

Penalties are serious. Breaking section 17 can bring up to two years' imprisonment, or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first offence, or both^[1]. BIS can also order a licence holder to stop supply and recall non-conforming marked goods^[1].

Costs depend on the scheme. All amounts are before GST.

The licence holder first. Section 31 makes a licence holder or its representative who sells non-conforming marked goods, or goods with an imitation mark, liable to compensate consumers for injury^[8]. BIS can also direct stop-supply and recall^[1], and section 28 allows search and seizure where section 17 is breached^[36]. Importers are not shielded: the Act's definition of person includes them^[1].

• Wrong mark for the scheme. An ISI-style mark on a CRS product, or the reverse, does not match the licence.
• Missing R-number or IS reference on a CRS mark^[2].
• Mark on a sticker that peels off. Marking must be non-removable^[2].
• Screen-only marking. A physical label is still needed on the packaging at import^[25].
• Marking after expiry^[30].

How to fix them. Most marking faults are artwork faults, so fix them before production: send the factory the licence number, IS number and minimum size in writing, ask for a printed sample of the pack, and check it against the licence scope. If marked stock has already arrived with an error, do not re-mark it yourself; only the licence holder may apply the mark^[31]. Ask the factory to correct it, and get advice before selling. For a second opinion, book a free compliance check.

• ISI mark and R-number: the two everyday forms.
• Quality Control Order: what makes the mark compulsory.
• Indian Standard and Compulsory Registration Scheme.

For a side-by-side of the schemes read CRS vs ISI vs FMCS, check dates on the QCO tracker, or ask for a free compliance check.