Importing laptops into India: BIS, WPC, EPR and the DGFT import authorisation in 2026

Six approvals apply to every laptop you import for sale: BIS CRS, WPC ETA, e-waste EPR, battery EPR, plastic packaging EPR and Legal Metrology registration. The BEE star label is voluntary. TEC MTCTE does not apply. On top of these, trade sources report a DGFT import authorisation requirement for laptops, covered below.

BIS is the gate. No one may import or sell a CRS-listed product unless it meets the Indian Standard and carries the Standard Mark with a BIS registration number^[11], and the BIS Act counts importers as bound by that rule^[10].

What is reported. According to trade summaries we have read, laptops, tablets, all-in-one PCs, ultra-small form factor computers and servers under HSN 8471 are "Restricted" imports and need an Import Management System (IMS) authorisation. For 2026 this reportedly falls under DGFT Policy Circular 08/2025-26 of 17 December 2025, with authorisations valid to 31 December 2026^[27]. We could not open the official DGFT PDF, so treat these details as reported.

What to do. Before you place an order, check the current DGFT notification and policy circular for HSN 8471 on dgft.gov.in, or ask your customs broker. If the reported validity date is right, authorisations for 2027 will need fresh attention soon.

How it interacts with WPC. The WPC ETA covers radio compliance only. ETA holders must get any DGFT clearance themselves and are solely responsible for DGFT import compliance^[15]. The 2019 ETA self-declaration format even has the importer confirm that the goods are exempt from import licensing under DGFT policy^[28]. A 2022 WPC circular said RF devices that are "Restricted" under DGFT policy need a scrutiny-based ETA and a separate WPC import licence^[29], but since September 2024 all licence-exempt ETAs are self-declaration^[15]. How a restricted laptop is handled now is not clear from official sources. Ask WPC or your broker before you sign the undertaking.

What else is reported about the 2026 window. A tax-advisory summary of the circular says applications open from 22 December 2025 to 15 December 2026^[30]. It also says an importer may apply more than once in the year, amendments are filed online on the DGFT portal, and MeitY may run a mid-term review^[30]. Applications go through the IMS module, which our DGFT portal guide walks through; you need an IEC first.

The big change is the standard. Laptops are among the 38 categories moving to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, and the old IS 13252 (Part 1) disappears for CRS on 1 November 2028^[31]. The second is the IMS authorisation, reported valid only to 31 December 2026^[30]. We found no 2027 circular on 1 November 2026. Track both on new rules for 2026 and the QCO tracker.

On our reading, laptops are usually classified under ITC(HS) 84713010, "Portable automatic data processing machines weighing not more than 10 kg: Personal computer"; the same 8471 30 subheading also has an "Other" line, 84713090^[39]. We have not seen an official classification ruling, so confirm the code with your customs broker.

Borderline products and what BIS treats them as:

A laptop in its box is therefore three BIS products: the laptop, the battery pack and the charger. Each needs a valid registration held by the factory that makes it.

The table below lists the lines you are likely to meet in one laptop shipment. Check any line in the HS code approval finder.

Every laptop-type product needs BIS CRS, but radio, battery and DGFT rules change with the variant. Use the table to sort a mixed order before you book lab time; the approval checker does the same for one product at a time.

Start the DGFT check and BIS testing in parallel; both can take longer than the rest.

Plan on two to three months from sample dispatch to stock on shelf, most of it lab time. BIS's own clock is about 20 working days once a clean application is in^[12]; the ETA is immediate. Our how long BIS registration takes explains where the weeks go. The legal limits are below.

Category and standard. Laptops are in the CRS category "Laptop/Notebook/Tablet", tested to IS/IEC 62368 (Part 1):2023^[1]. The category has been on the CRS list since 3 July 2013, and the portal list still shows IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 against it^[3]. Both are valid for now. MeitY's S.O. 4997(E) replaced IS 13252 (Part 1) with IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[32], and the old standard can run alongside until 1 November 2028, after which it is withdrawn for CRS^[2]. Test new models to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 so you do not need to retest in 2028.

The factory applies. The licence is granted to the manufacturer, per manufacturing unit^[11]. Each brand needs its own application unless the brand owner is the same^[12]. A laptop sold under your brand but made by an ODM needs a registration in your brand name.

Battery pack and charger. These are separate CRS categories: lithium battery packs under IS 16046 (Part 2)^[3] and chargers under "Power Adaptors for IT Equipments"^[3]. Each needs its own registration from its own maker.

Models and series. Samples are chosen under MeitY's series guidelines, and series models can be added through supplementary reports^[12]. Adding models later costs Rs 30,000 per inclusion application, plus Rs 20,000 for each additional test report^[4].

Fees and validity. The fees are in the approvals table above, plus GST^[49]. Since the February 2026 amendment, licences run up to five years with fees paid every year in advance^[13]: the processing fee is Rs 25,000 a year, so BIS fees are Rs 27,000 in year one and Rs 26,000 a year after^[4]. The 2018 table charged Rs 50,000 once^[49]. See BIS CRS and IS 13252 (Part 1).

Fees and paperwork in detail. The full fee table is on BIS CRS fees, the document list on BIS CRS documents and the portal steps on the BIS CRS portal guide. Licences are now granted for five years^[13]; renewal is covered in CRS renewal.

On our reading, yes, for any laptop with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth^[14]. ETA is needed to import, sell and use wireless devices in de-licensed bands^[5], and laptops are named on WPC's list of products for the self-declaration route^[5].

How. Self-declaration on the Saral Sanchar portal, with the certificate downloaded on submission^[15]. You upload an RF test report from an accredited lab (it can be outside India^[28]), the manufacturer's authorisation if you are the Indian representative, and technical literature^[5]. The fee is Rs 10,000 per model^[5], and the ETA lasts for the model's life^[5].

Pre-certified Wi-Fi modules. Many laptops use a Wi-Fi card that already has an ETA. Whether that removes the need for a laptop-level ETA is not settled in the sources we have; plan on an ETA per laptop model unless WPC tells you otherwise.

The 2026 transition. DoT stopped taking Indian 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^[36]. It is not yet confirmed whether this changes the ETA self-declaration route^[50]. See WPC ETA.

Fee and paperwork detail: WPC ETA fees, WPC ETA documents and the Saral Sanchar portal guide.

MTCTE: no. Our product research found laptops are not on TEC's notified MTCTE list^[16]. A laptop with a built-in 4G/5G modem is still a laptop; but a separate cellular dongle or hotspot sold with it may be telecom equipment in its own right; see our Wi-Fi router guide.

BEE: voluntary. "Computer (Notebook/Laptops)" is Schedule 14 on BEE's voluntary list^[17]; laptops are not on the mandatory list^[51]. If you choose to label, the label fee is Rs 20 per piece^[7]. Companies dealing in voluntary appliances register under BEE's Operational Manual^[7], and no BEE label may be put on an appliance without BEE's prior written permission^[7]. Each brand is registered separately, and testing must be at a BEE-recognised lab^[52]. Permission for a model lasts three years^[7]. A star label can help with buyers who ask for it, but it is a commercial choice, not a condition of import.

For the TEC side, the notified list is on MTCTE products and the fee groups on MTCTE fees; laptops are not on it^[16].

ITEW3 for laptops, ITEW4 for notebooks. Schedule I lists "Personal computing: laptop computers" as ITEW3^[42] and "notebook computers" as ITEW4^[42]. Use the one that matches how you describe the product.

Registration. Anyone who offers to sell imported EEE is a producer^[42] and must register on CPCB's portal before trading^[42]. The fee is Rs 10,000 if your sales have just started^[19], plus Rs 5,000 a year^[19]. You need sales data by weight and a RoHS self-declaration^[19].

Targets and cost. The 2026-27 target is 70% of the weight placed on the market in the reference year^[42], or the Schedule IV target for a short sales history^[42]. Certificates come only from registered recyclers^[42]. For ITEW products CPCB sets environmental compensation at Rs 112 per kg, with a floor certificate price of Rs 34 per kg^[53].

Used laptops. Importers of used EEE carry a 100% EPR obligation for what they import, unless it is re-exported^[42]. Other rules on second-hand imports are outside this guide. See e-waste EPR.

Yes. Laptops contain lithium-ion batteries, so the importer is a producer under the Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022^[9]. The definition covers anyone who imports equipment containing batteries^[20]. CPCB has asked Customs to verify battery EPR registration when clearing such equipment^[54].

What registration involves. Importers of batteries and of equipment containing batteries must register with CPCB before importing^[45]. Registration is on Form 1(A) through the online portal and, since 2023, stays valid until cancelled^[20]. 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^[21]. CPCB must register you within two weeks of a complete application^[20].

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^[55]. You meet it by buying EPR certificates from registered recyclers, separately for each chemistry^[55]. You file Form 1(C) with quantities imported by 30 June each year^[20] and an annual return in Form 3^[55]. The FY 2025-26 return deadline was extended to 30 November 2026^[38].

Battery EPR is separate from e-waste EPR. Waste batteries are excluded from the E-Waste Rules and handled under the battery rules^[42], so the battery inside your laptop is its own obligation. See battery EPR.

Yes, in almost every case. The importer of laptops sold in plastic packaging counts as an "importer" under the Guidelines on EPR for Plastic Packaging and needs plastic EPR registration^[22]. The 2024 definition covers anyone who imports, for commercial use, any commodity with plastic packaging^[46]. The micro and small enterprise carve-out in the rules is written for producers and brand owners, not importers^[46].

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^[46].
• Returns. Annual returns are due by 30 June of the next financial year^[46].

See our full guide to plastic packaging EPR.

Yes, if you import laptops 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^[6]. Based on the importer registration form used by states, laptops 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^[6]. The application gives your name, the full address of the premises where you import, and the commodities you import^[6]. Since 29 May 2026 a company must also name the director responsible for compliance^[26].
• When. Within 90 days of starting to import^[6].
• Fee. Rs 500^[6], and Rs 100 for any later change to the certificate^[6].
• 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^[56]. Bulk laptops for a company or government tender may fall under this exemption if packed for institutional use. Retail packs sold to consumers, online or offline, are not.

BIS Standard Mark. IS number and R-number^[57], on the product, the package or both, legible and indelible^[57], no smaller than Arial size 6^[57], with www.bis.gov.in^[58] and the product details the standard requires^[57]. A laptop has a screen, so it may also show the mark electronically, reachable within four menu steps; the physical label on the packaging is still required at import, storage and sale^[59]. The battery and charger carry their own marks.

Legal Metrology. Name and address of the importer, country of origin, common name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer care details^[56]. For electronics, a 2023 amendment reportedly lets the month and year of manufacture appear anywhere on the retail pack^[60].

Battery EPR. The crossed-out wheelie bin on the battery^[55], and your battery EPR registration number. For imported batteries, the number can go on the laptop or its packaging^[61], or in a QR code or barcode after informing CPCB^[62].

Plastic EPR. Your plastic EPR registration on the packaging, or a QR code from 1 July 2025^[63]; rule 11 is internally inconsistent about imported goods^[64], so we suggest printing it.

BEE (only if you opted in). The label with a QR code on every unit, online and offline^[7]. More: BIS CRS labelling.

Scenario: a first-time importer, turnover under Rs 5 crore, brings in one laptop model from one factory under its own brand. The battery pack and charger already have their makers' CRS registrations. No BEE label. Official fees only; the arithmetic is ours.

Not included, because they are not government fees or not published: lab testing, RF testing, AIR and consultant charges, EPR certificates, and any cost of the reported DGFT authorisation.

Lab fees roughly triple, but government fees grow slowly. One CRS licence covers the brand and category, so the application fee and annual fee do not multiply; extra test reports cost Rs 20,000 each^[4], and every wireless model needs its own Rs 10,000 ETA^[5]. If the three laptops fit one series under MeitY's series rules (up to 10 models for laptops^[65]), only the lead model is tested and the extra reports may not be needed^[12].

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^[66]. The old standard, IS 13252 (Part 1), had 68 labs charging Rs 25,000 to Rs 2,00,000, median about Rs 63,750^[67]. A lab's declared charge stays fixed for three years unless the standard changes^[68]. In the Noida cluster alone, eight labs list IS/IEC 62368-1 at Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,50,000^[69]. Compare labs on our BIS test labs page or the BIS labs directory.

Old standard or new? Testing laptops to IS 13252 (Part 1) is cheaper today, but that standard is withdrawn for CRS on 1 November 2028^[2]. BIS charges no fee to migrate registered models^[37], yet the lab must test every lead model again^[70]. For a new range, one IS/IEC 62368-1 report usually costs less than two reports.

1. First-time importer of a private-label laptop. A Mumbai company orders 1,000 laptops from a Chinese ODM under its own brand. The ODM's existing CRS licence is for other brands, so a new application in the importer's brand is needed^[12]. The importer acts as AIR, takes on responsibility under the BIS Act^[72], files the ETA and registers for all three EPRs. Before shipping, it checks the reported DGFT authorisation requirement for HSN 8471^[27].

2. Marketplace seller of refurbished-look 'new' laptops. An online seller buys new laptops from a distributor abroad. The brand's registration must cover each model and the R-number must match the label^[57][73]. The seller is still a producer for e-waste^[42] and battery EPR^[20]. Marketplaces must display the Legal Metrology declarations on listings, according to reports of a 2017 amendment^[74].

3. Foreign laptop brand. A Taiwanese brand with plants in two countries needs one CRS licence per plant^[11]. Its Indian subsidiary can be AIR for both because they are in the same group^[72], and also files ETA and EPR as importer.

The factory holds the BIS licence; the importer holds almost everything else. Laptop buyers often assume the brand's global certificates carry over, but each Indian duty sits with a specific party. The guide for foreign manufacturers and the guide for Amazon sellers go into each role.

• Charger or battery without its own Standard Mark. Both are separate CRS products^[3].
• Model not on the licence. A new SKU needs an inclusion before it ships^[73].
• No battery EPR registration. CPCB has asked Customs to verify it for equipment containing batteries^[54].
• Import authorisation. Shipments of HSN 8471 goods without the reported DGFT authorisation are a risk^[27]; check the current notification.
• No ETA. Customs may accept the ETA self-declaration as evidence for licence-exempt wireless goods^[5]; without it there is nothing to show.
• Stale test report. A report more than 90 days old when BIS receives the application is not accepted^[12].

Why BIS sends applications back. BIS's January 2025 advisory says model numbers in the test report must match the test request, and the category and product name must match the portal^[77]. Fees are not refunded when an application is rejected after processing^[78]. More fixes are in common CRS rejections.

Registered laptops 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^[79].

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^[80]. The lab is a BIS-recognised lab picked by MeitY^[81].

What you pay. The MRP of the samples, packaging and courier at actuals, plus the lab's test charge^[82]. For laptops and notebooks, STPI's list of maximum surveillance test charges shows Rs 78,000^[83]. The charge levied is the lab's declared BIS charge or the STQC/MeitY figure, whichever is lower^[83].

Your deadlines. Register every R-number and its models on crsbis.stpi.in^[84], send technical documents within 10 working days of a lab request^[85], and pay within 15 working days of the invoice^[86]. 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^[87]. The full process is in our CRS surveillance guide.

We found no published BIS case naming laptops in 2025-26, but enforcement against CRS electronics is active and the same powers apply.

• 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^[88]. One of those searches, at an Amazon Sellers warehouse in Delhi on 19 March 2025, reportedly seized over 3,500 products^[89].
• 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^[90].
• 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^[91].
• Fake marks on chargers, Hyderabad, July 2025. BIS Hyderabad reportedly seized mobile chargers with fake registration marks and started proceedings against the shop owner^[92].

BIS officers can enter and search premises where they believe goods breaching section 17 are kept^[93]. What happens next is covered in selling without BIS: what happens.

Paying EPR compensation does not cancel the EPR obligation^[42].

No for the approvals, yes for logistics. BIS, WPC, CPCB and DGFT apply the same rules to every origin, but where the factory sits changes how samples and paperwork move.

• Testing happens in India. On 1 November 2026, none of the IS/IEC 62368 labs listed on BIS LIMS was outside India^[97], so a foreign factory ships its samples here within 60 days of the test request^[44]. Plan for this in importing samples for BIS testing.
• RF reports can come from abroad. The ETA self-declaration only requires a report from an accredited lab, with its name and country stated^[28].
• The trade is spread out. India imported HS 8471 computers worth US$ 1,240.62 million from the USA^[41], US$ 540.58 million from Taiwan^[41], US$ 503.55 million from Hong Kong^[41] and US$ 411.11 million from Vietnam^[41] in 2025-26.

Country notes: importing from China, from Taiwan, from Vietnam and from the USA.

Start with the free tools, then bring in paid help only where you need it.

• Check scope: the approval checker and the HS code approval finder show which approvals a laptop line triggers.
• Budget: the compliance cost estimator and the BIS CRS fee calculator rebuild the tables above with your model count. Background: BIS CRS registration cost, WPC ETA cost and the cost of importing electronics.
• Labels: run your carton artwork through the label checker and the product label checklist.
• Paperwork: BIS CRS documents, WPC ETA documents, the BIS CRS application checklist and the customs clearance documents checklist.
• People: BIS consultants (including Delhi and Noida), WPC consultants and BIS-recognised labs such as the Delhi NCR cluster. Consultants publish fees from about Rs 7,899 to Rs 14,999 for CRS help, according to their own websites^[98][99]; read how to choose a BIS consultant first.

Not sure where your laptops stand? Ask for a free compliance check.