Importing keyboards and mice into India: which need BIS, WPC and EPR in 2026

Keyboards and mice are often shipped together, but India treats them differently. Keyboards are on the BIS CRS list; mice are not. Wireless versions of both need a WPC ETA. Plastic packaging EPR and Legal Metrology registration apply to both. Battery EPR applies to models with batteries, and e-waste EPR depends on how CPCB classifies these accessories. TEC MTCTE and the BEE label do not apply.

For keyboards, BIS is the gate: no one may import or sell a CRS-listed product without the Standard Mark and a BIS registration number^[10].

The ITC(HS) schedule has separate lines:

• 84716040 - Input or output units: keyboard^[4].
• 84716060 - Input or output units: mouse^[4].

Confirm the line with your customs broker, especially for combo sets, which contain both. The HS line does not decide BIS coverage; the CRS category names do.

For a combo set, the safe course is to make sure the keyboard in it is covered by a CRS registration and carries the Standard Mark. Ask your lab how it will treat the set.

Check either line in the HS code approval finder.

The keyboard decides BIS; the radio decides WPC; the batteries decide battery EPR. A mouse never needs BIS on its own, but a wireless one still needs an ETA on our reading. Check one SKU at a time in the approval checker.

The keyboard's BIS registration takes longest. Mice can move faster, since they need no BIS registration.

Plan on two to three months from sample dispatch to stock. BIS aims to grant within 20 working days of a clean application^[12]; the ETA is issued on submission. Mice skip the BIS steps entirely. See how long BIS registration takes.

Because of the CRS list. The list has two keyboard categories, "Keyboard" and "Wireless Keyboards", both under IS/IEC 62368 (Part 1):2023, and it does not list mice at all^[1]. Wireless keyboards have been covered since 3 July 2013^[2]; wired keyboards joined on 1 April 2021^[2]. A mouse, wired or wireless, sold on its own is outside CRS. There is no BIS registration to get for it, and nothing to mark.

The standard. The portal still shows IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 against both keyboard categories^[2]. Wireless keyboards were among the IT categories under IS 13252 (Part 1) before the switch to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[34]. MeitY made that switch in October 2025^[35], allowing the old standard to run alongside until 1 November 2028^[3].

Who applies. The keyboard factory, for each manufacturing unit^[10], with a separate application for each brand unless the brand owner is the same^[12]. If a keyboard is too small to carry the mark, it may go on the packaging only^[36].

Many models, few reports. Keyboard ranges often have dozens of layouts and colours. Samples are chosen under MeitY's series guidelines, and series models can be added with supplementary reports referring to an accepted one^[12]. Each additional report in a new application is Rs 20,000^[11].

Fees. Published table: Rs 1,000 application, Rs 50,000 processing including one report, Rs 1,000 annual licence fee, plus GST^[11]. Five-year licences with annual fees since February 2026^[13]; a consultant reports a Rs 25,000 yearly processing fee^[37], not yet published by BIS. See BIS CRS.

Fees, documents and renewal. See BIS CRS fees, BIS CRS documents, CRS renewal, series guidelines and the BIS CRS portal guide. The standards are on IS/IEC 62368-1 and IS 13252 (Part 1).

Keyboards and wireless keyboards are among the 38 categories moving to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023; the old IS 13252 (Part 1) is withdrawn for them on 1 November 2028^[38]. Track updates on new rules for 2026.

Wireless: yes. Wired: no. On our reading, wired keyboards and mice need no ETA, while wireless ones using 2.4 GHz dongles or Bluetooth do^[14]. ETA is required for wireless devices in de-licensed bands^[5], and short-range devices and accessories are on WPC's self-declaration list^[5]. Non-RF products need no WPC import licence or NOC^[45].

One ETA per model. The fee is Rs 10,000 per model^[5]. On our reading, a wireless keyboard and a wireless mouse are two models and so need two ETAs, even if they share a USB receiver; we found no official ruling on this. Filing is a self-declaration on Saral Sanchar, with the certificate downloaded on submission^[15], and it lasts for the model's life^[5]. Documents are an RF test report, the maker's authorisation (if you apply as its Indian representative) and technical literature^[5].

The 2026 transition. DoT stopped taking new Telegraph Act applications; Telecommunications Act authorisations moved to eservices.dot.gov.in from 25 June 2026, and Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation from 6 August 2026^[42]. Whether the ETA self-declaration route changes as a result is not confirmed^[46]. See WPC ETA.

More detail: WPC ETA fees, WPC ETA documents and the Saral Sanchar guide.

MTCTE: no. Our research found keyboards and mice are not on TEC's Annexure-I list of MTCTE-notified products of 1 July 2024^[16].

BEE: no. They do not appear on BEE's mandatory or voluntary appliance lists^[6].

For the full TEC list see MTCTE products; WPC ETA vs MTCTE explains why a wireless keyboard needs only the first.

It depends, and there is no official answer yet. Schedule I does not name keyboards or mice as separate items^[7]. They are input devices of personal computers, and Schedule I lists "Personal computers (CPU with input and output devices)" under ITEW2^[7]; our product research reads keyboards and mice as falling under that idea^[17]. The rules also cover components, parts and spares of listed equipment^[17]. How CPCB classifies standalone keyboards and mice on its portal has not been verified, so we do not give a code.

What it depends on:

• CPCB's classification. If CPCB treats them as PC input devices or parts, you are a producer: anyone offering to sell imported EEE or its components, parts or spares is one^[7].
• Your size. The rules do not apply to micro enterprises under the MSMED Act^[7].

Check with CPCB before your first shipment. If you register, the fee is Rs 10,000 for a new seller^[19] plus Rs 5,000 a year^[19], and ITEW environmental compensation is Rs 112 per kg^[47]. See e-waste EPR.

CPCB's portal rules are on e-waste EPR and the targets on e-waste targets.

Only battery models, on our reading of the rules. Wireless keyboards and mice with batteries, whether supplied in the box or built in, bring battery EPR obligations; wired ones do not^[20]. The rules apply to every battery, including the AA or AAA cells packed with a mouse^[20], and anyone who imports batteries or equipment containing them is a producer^[21]. Primary (non-rechargeable) cells are "portable batteries" with their own targets from 2025-26^[48].

What registration involves. Importers of batteries and of equipment containing batteries must register with CPCB before importing^[30]. Registration is on Form 1(A) through the online portal and, since 2023, stays valid until cancelled^[21]. The fee depends on turnover: Rs 10,000 under Rs 5 crore, Rs 20,000 between Rs 5 and 50 crore, and Rs 40,000 above^[22]. CPCB must register you within two weeks of a complete application^[21].

Your yearly obligation. For rechargeable portable batteries in consumer electronics, the collection target from 2024-25 is 70% of the batteries you placed on the market five years earlier, with 100% of what is collected recycled or refurbished^[48]. You meet it by buying EPR certificates from registered recyclers, separately for each chemistry^[48]. You file Form 1(C) with quantities imported by 30 June each year^[21] and an annual return in Form 3^[48]. The FY 2025-26 return deadline was extended to 30 November 2026^[44].

Battery EPR is separate from e-waste EPR. Waste batteries are excluded from the E-Waste Rules and handled under the battery rules^[7], so the battery inside your keyboard or mouse is its own obligation. See battery EPR.

Yes, in almost every case. The importer of keyboards and mice sold in plastic packaging counts as an "importer" under the Guidelines on EPR for Plastic Packaging and needs plastic EPR registration^[8]. The 2024 definition covers anyone who imports, for commercial use, any commodity with plastic packaging^[29]. The micro and small enterprise carve-out in the rules is written for producers and brand owners, not importers^[29].

What it involves:

• Registration. Register on CPCB's centralised EPR portal. If you operate in more than two states, CPCB registers you; in one or two states, the State Pollution Control Board does^[23]. Each sub-category and each state is a separate registration^[23]. KYC is PAN, GST and CIN of the company plus the Aadhaar and PAN of the authorised person^[23].
• Fee. Rs 10,000 if you generate under 1,000 tonnes of plastic waste a year, Rs 20,000 up to 10,000 TPA and Rs 50,000 above that^[24]. You also pay 25% of the application fee each year when you file returns^[24].
• Target. From 2023-24 the target is 100% of your eligible quantity of packaging^[23]. For an importer, the eligible quantity is based on the average packaging imported and sold over the last two years, plus pre-consumer waste, minus what you supplied to brand owners^[23]. Rigid trays and flexible film are different categories^[29].
• Returns. Annual returns are due by 30 June of the next financial year^[29].

See our full guide to plastic packaging EPR.

Yes, if you import keyboards and mice in retail packs. Rule 27 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011 requires every person who pre-packs or imports any commodity for sale, distribution or delivery to apply for registration^[9]. On our reading, keyboards and mice imported as pre-packaged retail units appear to need this registration and the declarations on the pack^[25]. (We could not read the current consolidated rules text.)

How it works:

• Where. Apply to the State Controller of Legal Metrology or the Director of Legal Metrology^[9]. The application gives your name, the full address of the premises where you import, and the commodities you import^[9]. Since 29 May 2026 a company must also name the director responsible for compliance^[26].
• When. Within 90 days of starting to import^[9].
• Fee. Rs 500^[9], and Rs 100 for any later change to the certificate^[9].
• Validity. The certificate now stays valid until cancelled^[26], but a 2026 proviso asks companies to update details every year on the online portal, including products, quantities imported and country of origin^[26].

B2B shipments. Packaged goods meant for industrial or institutional consumers are exempt from the retail-package provisions^[49]. Bulk keyboards for an office fit-out may fall under this exemption if packed for institutional use. Retail packs sold to consumers, online or offline, are not.

Keyboards: BIS Standard Mark. IS number and R-number^[31], legible and indelible on the product, package or both^[31], at least Arial size 6^[31], plus www.bis.gov.in^[50]. Mice: no BIS mark, because they are not a CRS category^[1]. Do not put a Standard Mark on a product outside the licence scope^[51].

Legal Metrology (both). Importer name and address, country of origin, common name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer care details^[49]. For a combo, declarations go on the main package, with information about what is inside^[9].

Batteries. The crossed-out wheelie bin on the battery, or on the packaging if the battery is too small^[48], and your battery EPR number on the device or its packaging^[52] or in a QR code^[53].

Plastic EPR. Registration details or a QR code on plastic packaging^[54]; rule 11 conflicts on imported goods^[55], so print them. See BIS CRS labelling.

Scenario: a first-time importer, turnover under Rs 5 crore, brings in one wireless keyboard model and one wireless mouse model, each with AA batteries in the box, under its own brand. Official fees only; the arithmetic is ours. E-waste EPR is shown separately because it depends on CPCB.

Not included, because they are not government fees: lab and RF testing, AIR and consultant charges, and EPR certificates.

Lab fees roughly triple, but BIS's own fees barely move if the keyboards fit one series. Up to 10 keyboards can share a series, and the worst case is the one tested^[56]. Extra test reports cost Rs 20,000 each^[11], and each wireless model needs a Rs 10,000 ETA^[5]. The table assumes three wireless keyboards in three separate series; mice add ETA and RF costs but no BIS fees.

What the BIS lab charges. Labs publish their CRS test charges on BIS LIMS. On 1 November 2026, LIMS listed 47 entries (46 labs) for IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, with declared charges from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,99,000 before tax and a median of about Rs 1,25,000^[57]. The old standard, IS 13252 (Part 1), had 68 labs charging Rs 25,000 to Rs 2,00,000, median about Rs 63,750^[58]. A lab's declared charge stays fixed for three years unless the standard changes^[59]. In the Noida cluster alone, eight labs list IS/IEC 62368-1 at Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,50,000^[60]. Compare labs on our BIS test labs page or the BIS labs directory.

Old standard or new? Testing keyboards and mice to IS 13252 (Part 1) is cheaper today, but that standard is withdrawn for CRS on 1 November 2028^[3]. BIS charges no fee to migrate registered models^[43], yet the lab must test every lead model again^[61]. For a new range, one IS/IEC 62368-1 report usually costs less than two reports.

1. First-time importer of wired office peripherals. A Chennai supplier imports wired USB keyboards and mice for corporate clients. The keyboards need CRS registration in its brand^[2]; the mice do not^[1]. On our reading, neither needs an ETA^[14]. Packs supplied for institutional use may fall outside the retail Legal Metrology provisions^[49], but plastic packaging EPR still applies^[8].

2. Marketplace seller of wireless combos. An online seller imports keyboard-and-mouse sets with batteries. The keyboard needs CRS as a wireless keyboard^[2]; on our reading both pieces need ETAs^[14] and battery EPR applies^[20]. Marketplaces are reported to be required, under a 2017 amendment, to show the Legal Metrology declarations on listings^[63].

3. Foreign gaming-peripherals brand. A Taiwanese brand sells RGB mechanical keyboards, mice and headsets. Its keyboards need CRS registration for each factory^[10]; on our reading its mice need only an ETA (if wireless)^[14], EPR and Legal Metrology. Its wireless headsets fall under a different CRS category, 'Wireless Headphone and Earphone'^[2].

The keyboard factory holds BIS; the importer carries the ETA, EPR and Legal Metrology. A marketplace seller importing combos in its own brand takes on all importer duties. See the guide for Amazon sellers and the guide for distributors.

• Keyboard without a Standard Mark. Since 1 April 2021 wired keyboards are covered too^[2]; older stock without a mark cannot be imported^[10].
• Wrong category. A wireless keyboard registered under "Keyboard" rather than "Wireless Keyboards", or the reverse, may not be covered; check the licence scope^[1].
• No ETA for the wireless mouse. Mice need no BIS, but on our reading wireless ones still need an ETA^[14].
• Batteries in the box, no battery EPR. CPCB has asked Customs to check battery EPR registration^[68].
• No plastic EPR registration. CPCB has asked Customs to verify it^[69].

Why BIS returns applications. Model numbers in the test report must match the test request, and category and product name must match the portal^[70]. Fees are not refunded after a rejection^[71]. See common CRS rejections.

Registered keyboards and mice can be bought off the shelf and retested at your cost. MeitY runs CRS surveillance with STPI's help, and the cost is borne by the manufacturer or licensee^[72].

How a sample is picked. After MeitY issues a surveillance order, STPI buys the sample from the open market or an e-commerce platform (the SOP names Amazon and Flipkart as examples), seals it and logs the model and serial number^[73]. The lab is a BIS-recognised lab picked by MeitY^[74].

What you pay. The MRP of the samples, packaging and courier at actuals, plus the lab's test charge^[75]. STPI's published list of maximum surveillance test charges that we have seen does not name keyboards; the charge is then the lab's declared BIS test charge. The charge levied is the lab's declared BIS charge or the STQC/MeitY figure, whichever is lower^[76].

Your deadlines. Register every R-number and its models on crsbis.stpi.in^[77], send technical documents within 10 working days of a lab request^[78], and pay within 15 working days of the invoice^[79]. If you miss them, MeitY may ask BIS not to renew your registration.

End-of-life models. File an end-of-life declaration with STPI for models you no longer sell, so they are not picked^[80]. The full process is in our CRS surveillance guide.

We found no published BIS case naming keyboards in 2025-26. The reported cases below involve other CRS electronics sold through shops and warehouses, under the same powers.

• E-commerce sampling. A ministry reply to Parliament reportedly said BIS bought 344 samples of QCO products from e-commerce platforms in 2024-25, found 142 without valid certification, and searched 22 e-commerce warehouses^[81]. One of those searches, at an Amazon Sellers warehouse in Delhi on 19 March 2025, reportedly seized over 3,500 products^[82].
• CRS electronics in Surat, June 2026. A BIS team reportedly seized 112 earbuds, earphones, power banks and speakers from a Surat firm for being stored and sold without a valid CRS registration number^[83].
• Fake marks on batteries, Chennai, October 2026. BIS's Chennai branch reportedly seized about 300 lithium batteries bearing Standard Marks with invalid registration numbers from a mobile hardware shop^[84].
• Fake marks on chargers, Hyderabad, July 2025. BIS Hyderabad reportedly seized mobile chargers with fake registration marks and started proceedings against the shop owner^[85].

BIS officers can enter and search premises where they believe goods breaching section 17 are kept^[86]. What happens next is covered in selling without BIS: what happens.

The BIS row applies to keyboards only. Paying environmental compensation does not absolve the e-waste EPR obligation^[7]; under the battery rules, EC is partly refunded only if the shortfall is made up within three years^[48].

No for the rules, yes for logistics. BIS tests keyboards in India only: no IS/IEC 62368 lab on BIS LIMS was outside India on 1 November 2026^[91], so foreign factories courier samples here within 60 days of the test request^[28]. The RF report for an ETA can come from an accredited lab abroad^[90].

Computer parts and accessories (HS 8473) came in from Hong Kong (US$ 628.92 million)^[27], Taiwan (US$ 304.73 million)^[27] and Vietnam (US$ 242.83 million)^[27] in 2025-26. Country notes: China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Start with the free tools and bring in paid help where it saves time.

• Scope: the approval checker and the HS code approval finder.
• Budget: the compliance cost estimator, the BIS CRS fee calculator, BIS CRS registration cost and WPC ETA cost.
• Labels: the label checker and the product label checklist.
• Paperwork: BIS CRS documents, WPC ETA documents, WPC ETA fees, the BIS CRS application checklist and the EPR registration checklist.
• People: BIS consultants, WPC consultants and BIS-recognised labs, including the Delhi NCR labs.

For a quick view of your range, ask for a free compliance check.