Importing extension boards and spike guards into India: ISI mark, EPR and labelling in 2026

The main approval is the BIS ISI mark. Extension boards are not on the CRS list. They come under the Plugs and Socket-Outlets (Quality Control) Order 2021, which since 1 June 2022 has required plugs and socket-outlets to conform to IS 1293 and carry the BIS Standard Mark under Scheme-I^[1]. The BIS product manual for IS 1293:2019 lets a licence cover fixed, portable, multiple, combined and appliance socket-outlets^[2], which on our reading is why the plug and socket portions of an extension board fall under this order^[1].

Around that, the importer has two registrations of its own: plastic packaging EPR and Legal Metrology importer registration. Plain extension boards have no radio, no battery and no BEE label. The table below is the full list as we have mapped it for this product. Statuses marked as our reading come from research we could not confirm against an official ruling, and we say so in each section.

Extension boards with a plastic body are likely classified under ITC(HS) 8536 69 10, "Lamp-holders, plugs and sockets - Other: Of plastic"^[20]. We have not found an official classification ruling for extension boards, so treat this as the usual practice and confirm it with your customs broker before you file the Bill of Entry.

Two alternatives come up. A board whose body is not plastic may go under 8536 69 90 (of other materials), and cords fitted with connectors may go under 8544 42^[20]. The code you declare does not change the BIS position: the QCO applies to the product as a plug and socket-outlet, whatever line it is entered under.

Borderline variants to check before you order:

• Boards with USB charging ports. The plug and socket portion is still under IS 1293. Whether a complete cord extension set with USB ports or surge modules is certified as a whole under IS 1293, or needs a separate cord-extension-set standard, is unresolved; some third parties point to a separate standard based on IEC 60884-2-7^[1]. We have found no official BIS ruling on the USB part. Ask BIS or your lab before you test.
• Surge protectors and boards with switches or breakers. The Electrical Accessories QCO 2023 does not list extension boards or cord extension sets. It covers switch-socket-outlets under IS 15787, boxes, trunking and lamp holders^[21]. Components inside a board may still raise questions; check with your lab.
• Smart (Wi-Fi) extension boards. These add a radio, so on our reading a WPC Equipment Type Approval is needed on top^[10]. See our smart plugs guide for the questions that come with connected sockets.

The usual line is 8536 69 10, but the BIS position follows the product, not the line: the QCO applies to plugs and socket-outlets whatever code you enter^[1]. The table puts the line next to the order it triggers. Test your code in the HS code approval finder and confirm with your broker.

Every board's plug and sockets fall under IS 1293; USB ports, surge modules, radios and the cord raise extra questions. The matrix shows what each common variant adds. "Unclear" or "likely" marks our reading, not an official ruling; check your design in the approval checker.

The BIS licence takes longest and is held by the factory, so start there. Your own registrations can run in parallel and are quick. This order is our suggestion; none of these steps is a guarantee of approval or timing.

Tools and help. Check your design in the approval checker, and work through the first electronics import checklist. Before paying a factory, see how to verify a BIS licence. For FMCS filing or the AIR role, our BIS consultants guide explains what consultants do and charge. For a free compliance check, contact us.

The ISI mark is BIS's Scheme-I certification. Unlike CRS, BIS keeps watching after grant with surprise factory inspections and by buying marked samples from the market for testing^[9]. If you are used to CRS for electronics, read CRS vs ISI vs FMCS first.

Who holds the licence. The licence belongs to the manufacturer, for a named factory. You as the importer cannot hold it for a foreign factory. A foreign factory gets its licence through BIS's Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS) and nominates an Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) in the prescribed form^[3]. The AIR must be an Indian resident who accepts responsibility for compliance on the manufacturer's behalf^[29], and can normally represent only one foreign manufacturer, except within a group of companies or as a related importer^[29].

Indian factories. An Indian maker of extension boards applies under Scheme-I on Manakonline. Under option-2, where it submits a test report from BIS or a BIS-recognised lab, grant takes about a month on average; under option-1 it takes about four months^[9]. Option-2 reports should generally be no more than 90 days old^[9].

Foreign factories. A foreign factory applies under FMCS. BIS says the average time is around six months from a complete application^[4]. After grant, BIS keeps surveilling FMCS licences through factory visits, factory testing and market samples, and licensees report production and dispatches^[30].

What BIS tests. The IS 1293:2019 product manual includes a mechanical strength test on multiple portable socket-outlets^[2]. Your lab will tell you the full test list for your design.

Validity. BIS's FAQ says a Scheme-I licence is granted for up to two years and renewed for up to five^[9]. A February 2026 amendment to the Conformity Assessment Regulations is reported to allow longer validity, but we have not seen the gazette text^[31]. Plan on the FAQ figures until BIS confirms otherwise.

Our ISI mark guide and FMCS guide explain each scheme in full.

IS 1293 testing is cheap by BIS standards, Rs 8,000 to Rs 42,620 at recognised labs before taxes^[32], but it needs 10 socket-outlets and 15 plugs per sample^[25] and a factory set up for routine tests.

What the lab tests. Marking, dimensions, shock protection, earthing, terminals, ageing and humidity, insulation and electric strength, temperature rise, breaking capacity, normal operation, withdrawal force, cord retention, mechanical strength including the tumbling barrel, heat, creepage, glow-wire, tracking and rusting^[25].

What the factory must test itself. Every plug and socket gets a marking check and a flash test; temperature rise and withdrawal force are weekly; making and breaking capacity is yearly per type and rating^[25]. BIS checks this during FMCS visits^[30].

How varieties are grouped. By current and voltage rating, IP rating, earthing, cable connection, terminals, mounting, socket type and shutters; at least one of each current rating is tested, and a tested higher or more protected variety covers the simpler one^[25]. New varieties are added later by inclusion under the May 2024 product manual^[33].

Read our IS 1293 guide, the ISI mark fees page and the BIS labs directory.

Plugs and sockets have been under a QCO since 2019, mandatory since 1 June 2022, and the standard and its product manual have changed twice since. The table is the dated history; current changes across all orders are on the QCO tracker and new rules for 2026.

For a plain extension board, no. Here is why, and when the answer changes.

• BIS CRS. On our reading, extension boards are not on the CRS list; the QCO route above replaces it^[1]. Do not let a factory sell you a CRS registration for a board.
• WPC ETA. On our reading, only needed if the board has a radio, such as a smart Wi-Fi board^[10]. ETAs for licence-exempt wireless devices are granted on self-declaration on the Saral Sanchar portal^[12], for Rs 10,000 per model^[11]. DoT is moving authorisations to a new portal under the Telecommunications Act 2023, so check the current route before applying^[42].
• TEC MTCTE. On our reading, not required: we did not find extension boards in TEC's July 2024 list of notified products, and later phases were not checked^[13].
• BEE star label. Not on BEE's mandatory or voluntary lists, checked on 30 October 2026^[5].
• E-waste EPR. Schedule I of the E-Waste Rules 2022 lists the equipment the rules cover^[14]. We did not find extension boards in it, and none of its codes clearly covers them^[14]. That is our reading of the schedule, not a CPCB ruling. If CPCB later maps them to a code, the importer would become a producer under the e-waste rules^[43].
• Battery EPR. No battery, so no battery-rule producer obligation^[15].

Yes, in almost every case. Under the Guidelines on EPR for Plastic Packaging, anyone who imports products with plastic packaging is an "importer" and an obligated entity^[6]. The 2024 definition covers anyone who imports for commercial use any commodity with plastic packaging^[27].

Who registers you. If you operate in one or two states, the state pollution control board registers you through the central portal; in more than two states, CPCB does^[16].

Fees. The application fee is Rs 10,000 if your plastic waste is under 1,000 tonnes a year, Rs 20,000 for 1,000 to 10,000 tonnes and Rs 50,000 above that^[17]. You also pay 25% of the application fee each year when you file the annual return^[17].

Obligations. Your target is 100% of the eligible quantity of plastic packaging from 2023-24 onwards^[16]. The annual return is due by 30 June for the previous financial year, with EPR certificate details for plastic recycled or sent for end-of-life disposal^[27].

See our plastic EPR guide for targets by category and how certificates work.

Anyone who imports a commodity for sale must register their name and address under rule 27 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011^[7]. For extension boards sold in retail packs, we understand this means importer registration and full package declarations, although we have only confirmed the importer registration form, not the full rules text^[18]. Packs meant for industrial or institutional buyers are exempt from the retail-package provisions^[28].

• Fee: Rs 500^[7].
• Deadline: within 90 days of starting to import^[7].
• What you state: your name, the full address of the premises and the commodities imported^[7]. Since 29 May 2026 a company must also name the director responsible for violations^[19].
• Validity: until cancelled^[19]. A 2026 proviso adds an annual update of products, quantities and country of origin on an online portal^[19].

Three sets of rules meet on the box.

BIS. Every board must carry the ISI Standard Mark under a valid licence; that is what the QCO requires^[1]. Only the licence holder may apply it, so the mark must come from the factory named on the licence.

Legal Metrology. Each retail pack must declare the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or importer, the country of origin, the common or generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer care details^[28]. Consumer care details mean a name, address and phone number for complaints, and an e-mail address (the 2011 rule text says 'if available')^[7]. Where the size of the commodity matters, the package must declare its dimensions^[7]. You cannot use a sticker to change the mandatory declarations, except a lower MRP sticker that does not hide the original^[7]. Since 29 May 2026, importers may apply these declarations at bonded warehouses of AEO Tier-2 and Tier-3 operators, provided every pack is complete before it leaves^[19].

Plastic EPR. Rule 11 requires plastic packaging to show the name and registration number of the producer or brand owner and extends this to importers, though the same clause has a proviso exempting packaging used for imported goods, so the two parts conflict^[44]. Since 1 July 2025 you may give this information through a barcode or QR code instead^[45]. Printing the EPR number, directly or by QR code, is the safer course.

Tick each line for the board and the box. Check the text in the label checker, and see the product label checklist and Legal Metrology label rules.

The factory holds the ISI licence and reports production, the AIR carries legal responsibility in India, the importer holds EPR and LMPC, and sellers must not stock unmarked boards. Under BIS's 2026 guidelines a Scheme-I licensee files month-wise production and consignee details every quarter^[40], and missing them can lead to suspension^[46]. See foreign manufacturers, distributors and Amazon sellers.

Below is a worked example for a first-time importer buying from a foreign factory that does not yet hold an IS 1293 licence. It uses only official government fees. The totals are our own arithmetic, and some items depend on facts we cannot know in advance, such as how many man-days BIS spends on the inspection.

Two items are not fees in the usual sense. The minimum marking fee is notified separately for each Indian Standard, with different rates for large firms and MSMEs plus unit rates per piece^[48]; for IS 1293 it is Rs 78,000 for a large enterprise down to Rs 15,600 for a micro one^[34]. And the USD 10,000 bank guarantee is security, not a payment, but it ties up money^[4]. Non-SAARC applicants pay FMCS fees in US dollars^[35].

Our arithmetic of the fixed official fees: Rs 1,000 + Rs 10,000 + Rs 1,000 + Rs 500 + Rs 10,000 + Rs 2,500 = Rs 25,000, plus Rs 7,000 per BIS inspection man-day, BIS officers' travel and per-diem costs, and the IS 1293 minimum marking fee and unit marking fees. If your factory already holds a valid IS 1293 licence, only the last three rows (Rs 13,000) are yours.

Charges that are not government fees come on top: lab testing, the AIR's fee, consultants, customs brokerage and freight. We do not quote them.

With a foreign factory starting from scratch, one board model costs about Rs 1.15 lakh in official fees and a mid-range lab test, and three models about Rs 1.49 lakh, because the minimum marking fee is the same whatever the model count. Assumptions: a large-enterprise factory under FMCS; the first variety tested at Rs 12,000 (the NTH Ghaziabad figure); two more varieties added by inclusion, each tested; the importer under 1,000 tonnes of plastic. Totals are our arithmetic. Inspection man-days, officers' travel and the USD 10,000 bank guarantee are excluded. Unit marking fees are small: 10,000 boards at Rs 1.75 per 100 is Rs 175. Try the compliance cost estimator and see ISI licence costs.

BIS gives average grant times of about one month for an Indian factory under option-2 and about six months for a foreign factory under FMCS^[9][4]. The table lists the official limits; see how long BIS registration takes.

1. First-time importer buying boards from an overseas factory. Your first question to the supplier is: "What is your IS 1293 licence number, and does it cover this model and my brand?" If the answer is a CRS number, that is, on our reading, the wrong scheme for extension boards^[1]. If the factory has no licence, it must apply under FMCS and you should budget around six months^[4]. Meanwhile, register for plastic EPR and Legal Metrology so they are ready when the goods land^[27][7]. You can act as the factory's AIR only if you meet the conditions, and an AIR normally represents one foreign manufacturer only^[29].

2. Amazon or Flipkart seller buying from an Indian importer. The BIS Act binds sellers and retailers as well as importers^[8], so check the ISI mark and licence number on the goods yourself. If you sell under your own brand, the licence has to cover your brand, and your plastic EPR status depends on whether you count as a brand owner (see our plastic EPR guide). E-commerce platforms must show the mandatory package declarations on the listing, as reported since a 2017 amendment^[47], and a country-of-origin filter for imported goods is reported to be required from 1 July 2027^[41].

3. Foreign brand setting up Indian distribution. The factory, not the brand, holds the ISI licence. Choose an Indian-resident AIR who will take legal responsibility^[29]; under the BIS Act, an authorised representative of a company can be deemed guilty along with the company^[8]. Your Indian distributor, as importer, holds the plastic EPR and LMPC registrations. Budget for the surveillance that follows grant, including factory visits charged as special visits^[35] and market sampling^[30].

• Goods without the ISI mark. Section 17 of the BIS Act bans importing, selling or even storing for sale notified goods without the Standard Mark under a valid licence^[8]. Unmarked boards cannot legally be imported or sold.
• Wrong scheme. A CRS certificate or a foreign CE report does not satisfy a Scheme-I QCO^[1].
• Model or brand outside the licence scope. The licence covers named socket types and varieties^[2]. A new design needs inclusion first; under FMCS, inclusion is charged at Rs 5,000 per variety or group of varieties^[35].
• USB or surge variants. Scope for these is unresolved^[1]. Settle it before the shipment sails.
• Missing EPR proof. CPCB has asked Customs to verify plastic EPR registration when clearing importers' goods, according to CPCB's own court affidavit^[49].
• Incomplete retail declarations. Packs must carry the Legal Metrology declarations before sale^[28].

BIS buys ISI-marked boards from the market for testing, inspects factories and raids sellers; the 2026 guidelines make this more systematic.

Market sampling. Generally two samples a year are bought per Scheme-I licence, rising to three or four for poor compliance^[40]. Samples can be bought anywhere in the supply chain, including the port of entry^[40], and at least one must come from a state other than the licensee's^[40]. If a sample does not show its type or variety where the standard requires it, BIS may test it against the most stringent variety^[40].

Fees and suspension. Unpaid fees lead to suspension after 21 days' notice^[46].

Raids. Officers can search premises and seize unmarked goods^[50]. In March 2025 BIS reportedly seized over 3,500 products without ISI marks or with fake ones from an Amazon seller warehouse in Delhi^[51], and in FY 2024-25 searched 22 e-commerce warehouses^[52]. See selling without BIS and why shipments get held.

Check that the factory's IS 1293 licence is operative, not just listed. On 1 November 2026 BIS's FMCS list had 32 IS 1293 records for Chinese factories, of which only 3 were operative^[53], and the 23 operative Chinese FMCS records overall included 3 for plugs and sockets^[53]. A licence under stop marking or expired cannot be used to mark goods. Our importing from China page covers the wider process, and the customs clearance checklist lists what your broker needs.

Breaking section 17 of the BIS Act is punishable with up to two years' imprisonment, or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first offence and at least Rs 5 lakh after that, which can rise to ten times the value of the goods, or both^[8]. These figures are from the Act as enacted; we have not confirmed whether later amending Acts changed section 29. BIS can also order a licence holder to stop supply and recall non-conforming marked goods^[8].

Under the Legal Metrology Act as amended in 2026, a package without the required declarations draws an improvement notice for a first offence, a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh for a second and a fine of Rs 25 to 50 lakh after that^[54].

For plastic EPR, environmental compensation for a target shortfall is Rs 2,900 per tonne for Category I packaging, Rs 5,000 for Category II and Rs 7,900 for Categories III and IV, doubled for a second default and tripled for a third^[55]. Since 2025 any breach of the plastic rules is also liable to a penalty under section 15 of the Environment (Protection) Act^[45].