Importing dash cams into India: which BIS, WPC and EPR approvals apply in 2026

A dash cam is a small video camera with a recorder, a screen or app, a battery or supercapacitor, and often Wi-Fi. That makes it look like several regulated products at once, and none of the official lists names it. Here is what applies:

1. BIS CRS registration, probably. The BIS list of 66 CRS categories does not name dash cams^[1]. It does list Video Camera under IS 616:2017^[2], Digital Camera under IS 13252 (Part 1)^[2], and CCTV Cameras/Recorders^[2]. On our reading a dash cam that records video fits Video Camera best. Get the lab's view in writing before testing.
2. WPC Equipment Type Approval for models with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. WPC's self-declaration list names cameras^[6].
3. Battery EPR if the unit has a battery^[9].
4. E-waste EPR: Schedule I lists video cameras as CEEW9^[8].
5. Plastic EPR and LMPC importer registration for retail packs^[11][10].

Usually not required: TEC MTCTE, because cameras are not on the notified list^[7], and the BEE star label.

Check your model with the approval checker, or send us the spec sheet for a free compliance check.

Official government fees only. Lab and consultant charges are private.

Dash cams are usually entered under ITC(HS) 85258900, 'Other' television cameras, digital cameras and video camera recorders^[23]. Some importers argue for a video recording heading instead. Confirm the code with your customs broker before you file.

The import policy for 85258900 changed in February 2022. The ITC(HS) 2022 schedule notified on 9 February 2022 listed 85258900 as 'Restricted'^[5]. Two weeks later, DGFT Notification 55/2015-2020 of 24 February 2022 reportedly revised it to 'Free' with immediate effect^[24]. We have not opened the official PDF of the second notification, so check the current entry on the DGFT ITC(HS) search before you rely on 'Free'.

Borderline products:

Declare the camera under 85258900 and anything shipped alongside it on its own line. The line does not decide the BIS category; the product's function does. Look up a line in the HS code approval finder.

BIS is the slow step, so start there.

There is no official answer we could find. BIS's list of 66 CRS categories does not mention dash cams, dashboard cameras or vehicle cameras^[1]. Three categories are candidates:

BIS has issued category guidance for other camera-carrying devices. In August 2026 it said smart glasses with a photo-only camera go under Digital Camera and those that record video go under Video Camera^[30]. That logic points dash cams towards Video Camera too, but it is guidance for glasses, not dash cams.

The CCTV category carries extra security requirements under a 2024 amendment, reportedly not applied to analog cameras^[31]. A connected dash cam with a cloud app is the case most likely to be argued as CCTV. If your lab says CCTV, budget for the security testing.

Fees and timing. CRS costs Rs 1,000 to apply and Rs 50,000 processing including one test report, plus GST^[4]. BIS targets 20 working days if papers are in order^[13]. The licence runs up to five years under the 2026 rules^[14]. More: BIS CRS fees.

Plan for IS/IEC 62368-1:2023. MeitY's S.O. 4997(E), published in November 2025, replaced both IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 and IS 616:2017 in the CRS schedule with IS/IEC 62368 (Part 1):2023^[32]. The old standards may run alongside the new one until 1 November 2028, after which they stand withdrawn^[3].

IS 616:2017 is the audio and video apparatus safety standard, identical to IEC 60065:2014^[33]. IS/IEC 62368-1 is its hazard-based successor. In practice:

See IS 616 and IS/IEC 62368-1.

CRS is granted per factory, per brand, with models added under it. Three rules decide how many applications and test reports you pay for:

• One application per brand. A separate CRS application is needed for each brand name unless the brand owner is the same^[13]. A factory making your private label and its own brand files twice.
• Series models. Samples are picked under MeitY's series guidelines, and series models can be added with supplementary test reports that refer to an accepted original report^[13]. A 2K and a 4K version of the same platform may group; a different chipset or power design usually does not. Ask the lab.
• Adding models later. New models join an existing licence by inclusion^[34], which costs Rs 30,000 including one test report, plus Rs 20,000 per extra report^[4].

Other running costs: an annual licence fee of Rs 1,000^[4], and renewal applied for about three months before expiry^[35].

Timelines inside the process. The sample must reach the lab within 60 days of generating the test request^[36], and the notarised affidavit must reach BIS within 30 days of online submission or the application can be cancelled^[37].

Marking on a dash cam with a screen. Products with a built-in display may show the Standard Mark as an e-label, but the physical label on the pack is still required^[38]. The mark must be legible, indelible and visible on the product, its pack or both^[28].

Importers often source dash cams from the same factories as CCTV and action cameras, and the paperwork overlaps. Side by side:

The practical lesson: if a factory already holds a CRS registration for the same camera platform as a CCTV or video camera, ask whether your dash cam can be added by inclusion rather than a fresh application^[34]. Whether that works depends on the brand and category, so confirm with the lab. Full CCTV rules: CCTV cameras.

Yes. ETA is required for wireless devices that operate in de-licensed bands^[6], and WPC's self-declaration list names cameras^[6]. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth use those bands; see delicensed frequency band.

The fee is Rs 10,000 per model^[6], you need an RF test report, authorisation from the manufacturer and technical literature^[6], and the ETA is downloaded on submission^[15]. It is valid for the life of the model^[6]. Walkthrough: Saral Sanchar portal.

A dash cam without any radio needs no ETA. For a 'Free' licence-exempt device, the Saral Sanchar undertaking is enough to import and no separate WPC import licence is needed^[43].

Usually not. The notified MTCTE list does not include CCTV or IP cameras^[7], and smart cameras are exempt from MTCTE under S.O. 2372(E)^[40].

Two exceptions to watch:

• Embedded SIM or eSIM. SIMs, including M2M eSIMs, are a Phase-4 MTCTE product mandatory from 1 August 2024^[7]. The SIM vendor normally holds that certificate.
• Dash cams sold as vehicle trackers. A device whose main job is reporting location over a mobile network is a 'Tracking Device' under MTCTE Phase-3^[7]. See GPS trackers.

E-waste EPR. Schedule I of the E-Waste Rules lists video cameras under EEE code CEEW9^[8]. Producers must register on the CPCB portal and may not do business without registration^[8]. The registration fee depends on your annual recycling target; a new seller pays Rs 10,000^[16]. Registration is valid five years^[16].

Battery EPR. Dash cams with a lithium battery bring battery EPR. Importers of equipment containing batteries must register before importing^[9], and Customs has been asked to check those certificates^[44]. Units that run on a supercapacitor and no battery do not, on our reading.

Plastic EPR. Importing goods in plastic packaging makes you an obligated importer^[11].

Guide: CPCB EPR portal.

BIS Standard Mark. The mark must carry the R-number and the Indian Standard reference^[28]. Detail: BIS CRS labelling.

Battery markings. The crossed-out wheelie-bin symbol^[45] and your EPR registration number; for imported batteries the number may go on the equipment or its packaging^[46], or in a QR code^[47].

LMPC declarations on the retail pack. Importer name and address, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer care details^[29]. For electronics, the month and year of manufacture may reportedly sit anywhere on the pack^[48]. Detail: LMPC label rules.

Check the unit, the box and the listing against this list. The label checker, the product label checklist and CRS labelling go deeper.

Worked example: one Wi-Fi dash cam model, factory abroad, Indian importer with turnover under Rs 5 crore, registered as a Video Camera. Government fees only, except where a published estimate is marked.

About Rs 92,500 in government fees for one Wi-Fi model and Rs 1,52,500 for three in the same BIS application, by our arithmetic, before lab testing and GST. If the three models fit one series, BIS may need fewer test reports^[13]. Models added later go in by inclusion at Rs 30,000 with one report^[4]. Compare with market rates on BIS CRS registration costs and WPC ETA costs, or run your own numbers in the compliance cost estimator.

Plan two to three months, mostly BIS lab testing and the queue at the lab. BIS targets 20 working days once a clean application is in^[13]; the other approvals are quick. See how long BIS registration takes.

1. First-time importer of a Chinese Wi-Fi dash cam. The Chinese factory applies under CRS through an AIR^[13] after the lab confirms the category. The importer files the ETA^[6], registers for e-waste, battery and plastic EPR, and gets LMPC registration. Nothing ships until the factory's CRS registration covers the brand and model, because covered goods without the Standard Mark may not be imported^[12].

2. Marketplace seller sourcing from an Indian distributor. The seller checks that the distributor's model has a CRS registration and ETA, and that the pack shows the Standard Mark and LMPC declarations. Marketplaces must display the label declarations on the listing^[51] (reported), so ask the distributor for pack photos.

3. Foreign brand launching a 4G connected dash cam. Beyond CRS and ETA, the brand checks the embedded SIM's MTCTE certificate^[7]. If it also markets the device as a fleet tracker for buses and taxis, the tracking side needs AIS-140 type approval^[25].

The factory holds the BIS licence, each brand needs its own, and the importer holds the ETA, EPR and LMPC registrations. Sellers must not store or sell unregistered units.

• No BIS registration for the model, or the wrong category. Customs may treat the goods as not conforming. Settle the category first.
• Wi-Fi model without ETA. Customs relies on the ETA self-declaration to clear licence-exempt wireless products^[6].
• No battery EPR certificate^[44].
• HS code and policy questions around 85258900, which was 'Restricted' in the first ITC(HS) 2022 schedule^[5]. Keep a copy of the current DGFT entry.
• Pack not labelled for India. Missing importer details or MRP on the retail pack can stop retail sale.

Samples for testing: wireless devices brought in only for testing are exempt from ETA if you give Customs the prescribed undertaking^[43].

• BIS. If dash cams are a covered category, importing, selling or storing them without the Standard Mark breaks the CRS order^[12].
• E-waste. Environmental compensation can be levied on unregistered producers and anyone who helps them^[8], and false EPR information can be prosecuted^[8].
• Legal Metrology. A first packaging offence gets an improvement notice, a second up to Rs 5 lakh, and later offences Rs 25-50 lakh, including for sellers on e-commerce platforms^[53].

The test standard is moving and BIS has started issuing category guidance for camera devices. Follow updates on new rules 2026.

• IS/IEC 62368-1 replaces IS 616 in the CRS schedule; the old standards run alongside until 1 November 2028^[32][3].
• Five-year BIS licences since the 25 February 2026 amendment^[14].
• Camera category guidance. BIS's August 2026 guidance puts video-recording smart glasses under Video Camera^[30], the nearest official signal for dash cams.
• Telecommunications Act portal for DoT applications^[54].

• Testing: BIS accepts reports from recognised labs^[13]; see BIS CRS test labs and the BIS labs directory. Ask the lab for its category view in writing.
• Filing: a BIS consultant for CRS and a WPC consultant for the ETA; see ETA fees and ETA documents.
• Sourcing: most dash cams come from China; see importing from China.
• A second opinion: free compliance check.