Importing computer monitors into India: BIS registration, the IS/IEC 62368-1 switch and EPR

A computer monitor is a CRS product in India. For a standard monitor you need:

1. BIS CRS registration, held by the factory. Monitors are "Visual Display Units, Video Monitors" in BIS's list^[1]. The CRS portal shows two entries: monitors of 32 inch and above since 3 July 2013^[2], and all visual display units since 23 May 2018^[2].
2. E-waste EPR registration, because monitors are Schedule I code CEEW6^[5].
3. Plastic packaging EPR for the packaging^[8].
4. LMPC importer registration and Legal Metrology declarations for retail packs^[9].

The standard is changing. Monitors are moving from IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023. Both can be used until 1 November 2028^[1].

Depends on the model: a WPC ETA for smart monitors with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth^[10]. The external power adaptor needs its own CRS registration under "Power Adaptors for IT Equipments"^[2].

Not required: BEE labelling (monitors are on neither BEE list^[11]), MTCTE or battery EPR for a mains monitor.

Monitors are in heading 8528. According to a third-party tariff lookup, there is a line, 85285200, for monitors capable of directly connecting to and designed for use with a computer (heading 8471)^[18].

Watch for CBIC Circular 12/2025-Customs (read via a reproduction). It was issued after the duty on interactive flat panel displays (IFPDs) rose from 10% to 20% from 2 February 2025. It says both IFPDs and other monitors are classifiable under 85285900, and adopts a MeitY guide to tell them apart: ordinary monitors are typically non-touch, 15 to 43 inch, 25 to 50 W and run from a DC adaptor, while IFPDs are touch-enabled, typically 55 to 110 inch and AC powered^[19]. We read the circular through a reproduction, not the CBIC copy, so check the current line with your broker before filing.

Borderline products:

• Monitors with a TV tuner may be assessed as televisions, which have their own BIS categories under IS 616^[2] and are on BEE's mandatory list^[11].
• Portable USB-C monitors are still visual display units for BIS.
• All-in-one PCs are computers, not monitors. They are reported to fall under DGFT's import management system for HS 8471^[20].

The table sums up the lines you may meet. Check any of them in the HS code approval finder.

Every monitor needs BIS CRS whatever its size; radios, batteries and TV tuners add or change the rest. Use the table to sort a mixed range, or check one model in the approval checker.

Plan on two to three months from sample dispatch to stock, mostly lab time. BIS aims to grant within 20 working days of a clean application^[12]. See how long BIS registration takes.

Monitors are covered by MeitY's Electronics and IT Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021^[29]. No one may import, sell or store them for sale without conformity to the standard and the Standard Mark with a registration number^[30].

Two list entries, one product. The CRS portal lists "Visual Display Units, Video Monitors of screen size 32 inch and above", implemented on 3 July 2013^[2], and "Visual Display Units", implemented on 23 May 2018^[2]. BIS's 2026 migration guideline treats them as one category, "Visual Display Units, Video Monitors"^[1]. Monitors of every size need registration.

Who applies. The manufacturer, for each factory^[30]. A separate application is needed for each brand^[12].

Adding models. Add new sizes or variants by inclusion^[31], at Rs 30,000 including one test report^[6].

Renewal. Apply about three months before expiry^[32]; after the validity date you may not mark or dispatch goods^[32].

Fees and paperwork. See BIS CRS fees, BIS CRS documents, CRS renewal, series guidelines and the BIS CRS portal guide. The order behind CRS is covered on the electronics CRS order.

Yes, by 1 November 2028. MeitY's S.O. 4997(E) replaced IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 with IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 in the CRS order^[33], and the old standard can be used only until 1 November 2028^[3].

BIS's guidelines of 9 March 2026 set out the process^[1]:

• submit complete test reports to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 for every lead model, through the "Standard Revision" option in the CRS login;
• give an undertaking covering the series models;
• BIS then issues a letter listing the compliant models.

BIS's FAQ of 22 July 2026 adds that the R-number stays the same^[4], migration of registered models carries no fee^[4], and licences can still be renewed under the old standard until 1 November 2028^[4]. Critical components certified only to IS 13252 will not be accepted in the component list after migration^[4], so check your panel and power board suppliers.

More detail: IS/IEC 62368-1.

Monitors were among the first IT products under compulsory registration. The table lists the dated changes we could verify.

Upcoming dates for every product are on new rules for 2026 and the QCO tracker.

Yes. CRS licences are granted per manufacturing location, so a monitor made in two factories needs two licences^[30]. BIS's migration FAQ confirms that separate test reports are needed for each location, and that if a lead model has reached end of life it may be withdrawn and the next model in the series used as the lead^[4].

This matters for brands that move production between contract manufacturers. A licence held by factory A does not cover the same model made by factory B. Check the factory address on the licence against the one on your purchase order.

For new monitor programmes, BIS-recognised labs for IS/IEC 62368-1 can be found on the LIMS portal by searching the IS number^[4].

BEE: no. BEE's mandatory list includes colour and UHD televisions but not computer monitors^[11], and the voluntary list covers laptops and office automation products but not monitors^[11].

MTCTE: no. MTCTE covers telecom equipment; TEC's list names items such as Wi-Fi access points, CPE and routers^[38]. A monitor is not telecom equipment.

Battery EPR: no for a mains-powered monitor. Portable monitors with a built-in battery are equipment containing batteries, so their importer is a producer under the battery rules^[24].

Yes, if the monitor has Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. A plain monitor has no radio, but a smart monitor transmits in licence-exempt bands and needs a WPC Equipment Type Approval^[10].

How. File a self-declaration on the Saral Sanchar portal: register, enter the equipment and RF test report details, upload documents, pay through BharatKosh, sign the undertaking with an OTP and download the certificate^[27]. Every licence-exempt ETA is now granted on self-declaration^[17].

Cost and validity. Rs 10,000 per model^[16], valid for the model's lifetime^[16]. RF testing is extra; one consultancy estimates Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 per model^[39].

Documents. An RF test report, the manufacturer's authorisation if you are the Indian representative, and technical literature^[16]. Details: WPC ETA, WPC ETA fees, WPC ETA documents and the Saral Sanchar guide.

Not needed: MTCTE. A monitor is not telecom equipment^[38]; see MTCTE products and MTCTE fees if your display doubles as a network device.

Yes. Schedule I lists "Screen, electronic photo frames, electronic display panel, monitors" under code CEEW6^[5]. An importer who sells EEE is a producer^[5] and must register before doing business^[5].

• Targets. 70% of the weight placed on the market in the reference year for 2025-26 and 2026-27^[5], or 20% of sales two years earlier if your sales history is shorter than the product life^[5].
• How you meet them. Buy EPR certificates from registered recyclers^[5].
• Returns. Quarterly and annual returns, due by the end of the month after the period^[5].
• RoHS. New EEE must stay within 0.1% (0.01% for cadmium) for the restricted substances^[5].
• Shortfall cost. Environmental compensation for CEEW items is Rs 74 per kg^[40].

Portal steps and targets: e-waste EPR, e-waste targets and EPR annual returns. Plastic packaging rules are on plastic EPR.

BIS Standard Mark with the R-number and IS reference^[41], on the product, package or both^[41], at least Arial size 6^[41], and www.bis.gov.in^[42]. After migration, the mark shows "IS/IEC 62368-1" with the R-number^[4]. Model, batch, date of manufacture and manufacturer's address also go on the product, package or label^[41]. See CRS labelling.

Legal Metrology for retail packs: importer name and address, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP and consumer care^[43]. If the factory cannot print Indian declarations, they may be applied in an AEO Tier-2 or Tier-3 bonded warehouse^[15].

Plastic EPR registration number on plastic packaging, or a QR code^[44].

Legal Metrology details: LMPC, LMPC importer registration and label rules.

One monitor series, one brand, adaptor already registered by its maker. Official fees only. The total is our arithmetic.

Lab fees roughly triple; BIS's own fees rise by Rs 20,000 per extra test report^[6]. The application and annual fees are paid once per licence. Monitors of different sizes often sit in one series, where only the worst case is tested^[12]. The table assumes three sizes in three series, with one smart model needing an ETA. All figures exclude GST.

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^[45]. The old standard, IS 13252 (Part 1), had 68 labs charging Rs 25,000 to Rs 2,00,000, median about Rs 63,750^[46]. A lab's declared charge stays fixed for three years unless the standard changes^[47]. In the Noida cluster alone, eight labs list IS/IEC 62368-1 at Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,50,000^[48]. Compare labs on our BIS test labs page or the BIS labs directory.

Old standard or new? Testing monitors 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^[4], yet the lab must test every lead model again^[49]. For a new range, one IS/IEC 62368-1 report usually costs less than two reports.

1. Brand owner launching a monitor range. The factory files a CRS application in your brand^[12], and as brand owner you can act as its AIR^[50]. Test to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 from the start so you do not migrate later^[1].

2. Importer of interactive panels for schools and offices. Check classification first: CBIC treats IFPDs differently for duty^[19]. BIS registration is still needed as a visual display unit. If the panel has Wi-Fi, file an ETA^[10].

3. Marketplace seller buying from an Indian importer. If the importer's licence and EPR registrations cover the brand you sell, they carry the obligations. If you rebrand, you become the producer for e-waste purposes^[5]. Listings must reportedly show the Legal Metrology declarations^[51].

The factory holds BIS; the importer carries EPR, Legal Metrology and any ETA. A brand that buys monitors from an ODM is still the e-waste producer. See the guide for D2C brands and the guide for distributors.

Why BIS returns applications. Model numbers in the test report must match the test request, and the category and product name must match the portal^[55]. Making licensed products at premises other than the licensed one is treated as misuse^[56]. Fees are not refunded after a rejection^[57]. See common CRS rejections.

Registered monitors 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^[59].

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^[60]. The lab is a BIS-recognised lab picked by MeitY^[61].

What you pay. The MRP of the samples, packaging and courier at actuals, plus the lab's test charge^[62]. For TVs and monitors of 32 inches and above, STPI's list of maximum surveillance test charges shows Rs 78,000 up to 42 inches and Rs 1,10,500 above 42 inches^[23]. The charge levied is the lab's declared BIS charge or the STQC/MeitY figure, whichever is lower^[23].

Your deadlines. Register every R-number and its models on crsbis.stpi.in^[63], send technical documents within 10 working days of a lab request^[64], and pay within 15 working days of the invoice^[65]. 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^[66]. The full process is in our CRS surveillance guide.

We found no published BIS case naming monitors in 2025-26. The cases below involve other CRS electronics, 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^[67]. One of those searches, at an Amazon Sellers warehouse in Delhi on 19 March 2025, reportedly seized over 3,500 products^[68].
• 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^[69].
• 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^[70].
• Fake marks on chargers, Hyderabad, July 2025. BIS Hyderabad reportedly seized mobile chargers with fake registration marks and started proceedings against the shop owner^[71].

BIS officers can enter and search premises where they believe goods breaching section 17 are kept^[72]. What happens next is covered in selling without BIS: what happens.

BIS. Importing or selling a notified product without a licence and Standard Mark breaches section 17 of the BIS Act^[54]. Under section 29(3) as enacted, 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^[54]. Importers are "persons" bound by the Act^[54].

E-waste. Unregistered producers can be charged environmental compensation^[5].

Legal Metrology. Missing retail declarations: improvement notice, then up to Rs 5 lakh, then Rs 25-50 lakh^[73].

Not for the rules: BIS, WPC and CPCB treat every origin the same. It matters for samples and lead times.

• BIS testing is in India. No IS/IEC 62368 lab on BIS LIMS was outside India on 1 November 2026^[74], so the factory sends samples here within 60 days of the test request^[25]. Large monitors are expensive to courier; send them early.
• Where HS 8528 goods come from. India imported monitors, projectors and TV receivers worth US$ 183.79 million from Vietnam^[22], US$ 72.36 million from Thailand^[22] and US$ 54.94 million from Taiwan^[22] in 2025-26.
• One licence per factory. If you buy the same model from plants in two countries, each plant needs its own registration^[4].

Country notes: China, Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan.

Use the free tools first, then specialists.

• 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 the cost of importing electronics.
• Labels: the label checker and the product label checklist.
• Paperwork: BIS CRS documents, BIS CRS fees, the BIS CRS application checklist and customs clearance documents.
• People: BIS consultants, WPC consultants for smart models, and BIS-recognised labs such as the Delhi NCR labs.

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