Importing LED drivers into India: BIS IS 15885 registration and other approvals in 2026

An LED driver sold as a separate unit, to power LED modules, strips or fittings, is a BIS CRS product in its own right. You need:

1. BIS CRS registration, held by the factory. "DC or AC Supplied Electronic Controlgear for LED Modules" is a CRS category under IS 15885 (Part 2/Sec 13):2012^[1].
2. Plastic packaging EPR^[6].
3. LMPC importer registration and package declarations, if you sell in retail packs^[9].

Two depend on the product or on CPCB. On our reading, smart drivers with Bluetooth, Zigbee or Wi-Fi need a WPC ETA and standard drivers do not^[10]. E-waste EPR is unsettled, because LED drivers are not named in Schedule I^[11].

Not required: battery EPR for standard drivers, which on our reading have no battery to trigger it^[12]; MTCTE, on our reading, since LED drivers are not on TEC's July 2024 list of notified products^[13]; and the BEE star label^[7].

Official government fees only; lab, AIR and consultant charges are not government fees.

LED drivers are likely classified under ITC(HS) 85044090, "Static converters - Other"^[22]. No official classification ruling was found for LED drivers, so treat this as likely rather than settled. Confirm the code with your customs broker before filing.

Borderline products for BIS:

LED drivers usually go under 85044090, but the lines for lamps, modules and luminaires sit close by and each points to a different BIS category. If the code on your Bill of Entry does not match the CRS category on the licence, expect questions at the port. Check your product in the HS code approval finder and confirm with your broker.

Every separately sold LED driver needs CRS under IS 15885 (Part 2/Sec 13); radios and batteries add approvals, and some products that look like drivers belong to other categories. The matrix shows what each variant adds. "Likely" marks our reading of the rules, not an official ruling. To check your exact model, use the approval checker.

In this order:

Tools and help. The approval checker shows what your exact driver needs, and the first electronics import checklist covers IEC, broker and documents. Before paying a supplier, verify its BIS licence. For filing help, our BIS consultants guide explains fees and how to choose; for a free compliance check of your driver range, contact us.

Standard. IS 15885 (Part 2/Sec 13):2012 is titled "Safety of lamp controlgear: Part 2 particular requirements: Sec 13 d.c. or a.c. supplied electronic controlgear for LED modules"^[2]. BIS lists it as modified/technically equivalent to the IEC standard, with one amendment, and records it as notified and implemented on 1 December 2015^[2]. It is used together with the general requirements in IS 15885 (Part 1):2011^[2]. On BIS's Scheme-II list the category is serial number 19^[34]. See IS 15885.

Not part of the IS/IEC 62368 migration. MeitY's 2025 move to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 replaced IS 13252 (Part 1) and IS 616^[35]. LED drivers are listed under IS 15885 (Part 2/Sec 13)^[23], which was not one of them, so they stay on their own standard.

Who applies. The manufacturer, per factory; not the importer^[14]. A foreign factory nominates an AIR: its Indian branch, the brand owner in India or another Indian entity^[36].

Brands and wattages. A separate application is needed per brand unless the brand owner is the same^[15]. Drivers come in long wattage ranges; MeitY's series guidelines decide which can share a test report^[15], and each extra report costs Rs 20,000^[3].

Timeline and validity. BIS targets 20 working days from a complete application^[15], with at least 30 days to answer a query^[15]. Licences now run five years and renew for five, with fees paid yearly in advance^[4]. After a licence lapses, you may not mark or dispatch marked goods, even stock in hand^[37].

See BIS CRS and CRS documents.

Declared charges for IS 15885 (Part 2/Sec 13) run from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1,85,000, with a median of about Rs 45,000, excluding taxes, across 52 labs on BIS LIMS^[38]. Most of the spread comes from how each lab prices fault and heating tests.

Intertek India in New Delhi, at the top of the range with Rs 1,85,000, lists separate lines for accidental contact with live parts, terminals, earthing, moisture resistance, electric strength, fault conditions (Rs 35,000), transformer heating (Rs 30,000), creepage and clearances, screws and connections, heat, fire and tracking (Rs 25,000) and corrosion (Rs 25,000)^[38]. Make sure the lab's scope says Part 2/Sec 13: a LIMS search for IS 15885 also returns single labs for Sections 1, 3, 8 and 9, which cover other kinds of lamp controlgear^[38].

See the IS 15885 guide, our BIS labs directory and the CRS test labs guide for how to pick one.

The driver standard itself did not change in 2026, but the licence rules, the luminaire standards your customers use and the labelling rules did. The dated list below covers what an LED driver importer should track; the full log is on new rules for 2026 and the QCO tracker.

Standard drivers: no. They have no radio, so on our reading the ETA does not apply^[10], and WPC says non-RF products need no WPC import licence or NOC^[50].

Smart and wireless-dimmable drivers: yes. On our reading of the ETA rules, drivers with Bluetooth, Zigbee or Wi-Fi need a WPC ETA^[10]. Since 9 September 2024, ETAs for licence-exempt wireless devices are granted on self-declaration through Saral Sanchar^[16]. You need an RF test report, the manufacturer's authorisation if you apply as its Indian representative, and technical literature^[5]. The fee is Rs 10,000 per model^[5], valid for the model's lifetime^[5].

The 2026 transition. DoT has stopped new applications under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and moved Telecommunications Act authorisations to eservices.dot.gov.in^[51]. Whether the ETA self-declaration route will move or change is not yet confirmed^[52]. Check the portal before filing.

Emergency drivers with batteries. If an emergency LED driver includes a battery pack, note that importing equipment containing batteries makes you a producer under the battery rules^[26], so register on CPCB's battery portal before importing those^[27]. See battery EPR.

MTCTE and BEE: not required, on our reading. Drivers are not in TEC's notified list of 1 July 2024, the latest full list we checked, which has no lighting or power-supply products^[13], or in either BEE list^[7].

It depends, and there is no official answer yet. The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022 apply to equipment listed in Schedule I, including components, consumables, parts and spares^[11], and anyone who offers to sell imported EEE or its parts is a producer^[53].

LED drivers are not named in Schedule I, on our reading of the schedule^[11]. They could be treated as components of lighting equipment, which Schedule I does cover, but CPCB has not confirmed that in any source we found. We do not assign an EEE code to LED drivers. If you also import complete lamps, you are likely already registered as a lighting producer (see LED bulbs); ask CPCB whether the drivers should be added to that registration. Adding EEE items to an existing registration costs Rs 10,000^[17].

What to do: ask CPCB how to declare your exact product when you use the CPCB e-waste portal, and keep the answer in writing. If you are told to register, the producer fee is Rs 2,500 for an annual recycling target under 50 tonnes, or Rs 10,000 for producers whose sales have just started^[17], plus Rs 5,000 a year in maintenance^[17]. Covered products must also meet the RoHS limits on lead, mercury, cadmium and other substances^[53], so get a RoHS declaration from your factory either way. Do not simply ignore the question: environmental compensation can be levied on unregistered producers^[53].

Yes. An importer of LED drivers sold in plastic packaging counts as an importer under the Guidelines on EPR for Plastic Packaging and needs plastic EPR registration^[6]. The micro and small enterprise carve-out in the list of obligated entities applies to producers and brand owners, not to importers^[31].

• Registration. On CPCB's centralised EPR portal^[31]; your State Pollution Control Board handles it if you operate in one or two states, CPCB if more^[18].
• Fee. Rs 10,000 if you generate under 1,000 tonnes of plastic waste a year^[19], plus 25% of that each year when you file the annual return^[19].
• Validity. One year for a fresh registration and three for a renewal, under CPCB's March 2022 SOP^[19].
• Obligation. Your eligible quantity is based on the average plastic packaging you imported and sold over the last two years, by category^[18], and the target has been 100% of it since 2023-24^[18]. The annual return, with certificate details, is due by 30 June^[31].

See plastic EPR for categories and the portal process.

Yes, if you import LED drivers packed for retail sale. 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 register its name and address^[20]. Our reading that this covers LED drivers in retail packs rests on the Delhi Legal Metrology importer form; we could not open the full rules text^[9]. Packages for industrial or institutional consumers are exempt from the retail-package provisions^[8].

• Where and how much. Apply to the State Controller or the Director of Legal Metrology^[20] with a Rs 500 fee^[20], within 90 days of starting to import^[20].
• What you state. Name, complete address of the premises and the commodities imported^[20]; since 29 May 2026 a company must also name the director responsible for violations^[21].
• Validity. The certificate stays valid until cancelled^[21], but the 2026 rules require details to be updated every year on the online portal, once that option is live^[21].

LMPC registration does not approve the product. It records you as the importer named on the pack and makes you answerable for the declarations printed there.

Not always in the retail sense. Some LED drivers are sold in bulk to factories that build them into fittings. The Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules exempt packaged commodities meant for industrial or institutional consumers from the provisions that apply to retail packages^[8]. A carton of drivers shipped to a luminaire maker may therefore not need the retail declarations.

Three cautions:

• The exemption is about the package, not the importer. If the same drivers are also sold through electrical shops or online to end users, those retail packs need full declarations^[8].
• Registration may still be needed. Rule 27 registration applies to anyone who imports a commodity for sale, distribution or delivery^[20]; check with your State Controller whether your B2B imports are caught.
• BIS applies either way. The CRS ban covers importing, selling and distributing unregistered goods, whoever the buyer is^[14]. A driver bound for a factory still needs the Standard Mark.

BIS Standard Mark. Mark the product, the package or both, legibly, indelibly and non-removably^[32]. The mark carries the R-number and IS number^[32], in letters at least Arial size 6^[32], and www.bis.gov.in must appear on the product or package^[54]. Model, batch, manufacture date and the manufacturer's address go on the product, package or an attached label^[32]. Because drivers are often unpacked and fitted inside luminaires, marking the driver body as well as the box makes later checks easier. See CRS labelling.

Plastic EPR marking. Rule 11 asks for your registration number on plastic packaging, though a proviso in the same clause exempts imported goods' packaging, so the text conflicts^[55]. A QR code is allowed^[56]. Print it to be safe.

Legal Metrology declarations. Every retail pack must declare the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or importer, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer care details^[8]. Declare the month and year of manufacture, not of import^[20]. For electronics, the date of manufacture can reportedly appear anywhere on the retail package if it is legible^[57]. Stickers may not alter the declarations, except a reduced-MRP sticker that leaves the original visible^[20]. If the factory cannot print Indian declarations, they may be applied in an AEO Tier-2 or Tier-3 bonded warehouse before the goods leave it^[21].

Check each item below on the driver body and the carton before you sign off artwork. Run the text through the label checker, and see the product label checklist and CRS labelling rules.

The driver factory holds the BIS licence, the importer handles EPR and Legal Metrology, and a luminaire maker that buys drivers must still use registered ones. Because CRS bars importing, selling and distributing unregistered goods whoever the buyer is^[14], a B2B sale does not move liability off the importer. See our guides for foreign manufacturers and distributors.

One standard (non-smart) driver model, one brand, a new importer selling in retail packs, under 1,000 tonnes of plastic a year. Official fees only. The totals are our arithmetic, not an official figure.

• Lab testing, AIR and consultant fees are not government fees.
• Wattage ranges. Drivers often come in many ratings. Each additional test report costs Rs 20,000^[3], so the series grouping your lab agrees has a direct effect on cost.
• The 2026 BIS fee change. A consultant reports the processing fee is now Rs 25,000 a year, paid in advance^[44]; BIS's published table is still the 2018 one.
• MSME concessions on the CRS processing fee are for Indian MSMEs, and the 2024 rates were due to become a flat 20% from 1 June 2026^[45]; they generally do not help foreign factories.

Use the CRS fee calculator to model several reports.

Three driver models that each need their own report cost about Rs 2.4 lakh in year one, against about Rs 1.1 lakh for one, using official fees and the LIMS median lab charge. Assumptions: one brand, a new importer in retail packs, no radio or battery, each model tested as its own lead model. Totals and lab figures are our arithmetic. If the three wattages fall in one series, you pay one report and the gap shrinks. Try your own range in the compliance cost estimator or the BIS CRS fee calculator; our BIS CRS cost guide explains each fee.

Once a valid IS 15885 report is in hand, the official clocks add up to a few weeks; lab turnaround, which no regulator publishes, decides the rest. Ask the lab for a written date. Our how long BIS registration takes explains where time is usually lost.

1. Importer supplying luminaire makers. You import drivers in bulk cartons for Indian factories. The factory you buy from needs a CRS registration covering your brand^[15]. Your retail LMPC duties may not apply to industrial packs^[8], but plastic EPR does^[6].

2. Marketplace or electrical-shop seller. Drivers sold to end users are retail packs and need full Legal Metrology declarations^[8]. Check the R-number and model on the driver against the BIS portal before listing; unregistered goods cannot be sold^[14]. Marketplaces must reportedly display the declarations on the listing^[58].

3. Foreign brand. Appoint an Indian-resident AIR^[60]; an AIR can generally represent only one foreign manufacturer^[60]. If your range includes smart drivers, your Indian representative can file the ETA with your authorisation^[5].

Most holds come from a category or model mismatch.

Drivers are checked at Customs against the BIS register, and after sale through MeitY's market surveillance; both can cost money even when paperwork is right.

At the port. A DGFT notification reportedly makes BIS registration a condition of import for goods under the electronics CRS order, and a MeitY office memorandum reportedly lets Customs deform unregistered goods^[62]. A CBIC instruction reportedly asks officers to check BIS registration for every consignment, with random sampling for non-destructive safety tests^[63]. CPCB has asked Customs to verify plastic EPR registration for importers^[61]. Keep everything on the customs clearance checklist ready; why shipments get held lists the usual causes.

In the market. Manufacturers, AIRs and brands must register each R-number on STPI's surveillance portal^[64]. STPI buys samples from shops or e-commerce sites^[65], and unpaid surveillance fees after 15 working days send the case to BIS for deferment or cancellation^[66]. See CRS surveillance.

Search and seizure. The BIS Act lets officers search premises and seize goods involved in a section 17 breach^[67], and directors and the authorised representative of a company can be deemed guilty along with it^[59]. What follows is set out in selling without BIS.

BIS. Importing or selling a notified product without a valid licence and Standard Mark breaches section 17 of the BIS Act^[59]. The penalty is up to two years in prison, or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh (Rs 5 lakh for repeat offences) extendable to ten times the value of the goods, or both^[59]. Importers and sellers are "persons" under the Act^[59], and BIS can order a recall^[59].

Legal Metrology. Since the 2026 Jan Vishwas amendment, a pre-packaged commodity without the required declarations draws an improvement notice first, then a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh, then a fine of Rs 25–50 lakh; online marketplaces are covered too^[68].

EPR. Plastic EPR shortfalls attract environmental compensation of Rs 2,900 to Rs 7,900 a tonne, multiplied for repeat defaults^[69]. The e-waste rules set the same Rs 20,000 / 40,000 / 80,000 scale for a producer's violations other than a shortfall^[70].