Importing printers and multi-function devices into India: BIS, WPC and EPR rules for 2026

Printers, multi-function devices (MFDs) and plotters are CRS products. To import them you need:

1. BIS CRS registration, held by the factory. "Printers, Plotters" has been on the CRS list since 3 July 2013^[2], and BIS's 2026 guideline names the category "Printers/ Multi-Function Devices (MFD)/ Plotters"^[1].
2. E-waste EPR registration, because Schedule I lists "Printers including cartridges" as ITEW6^[5].
3. Plastic packaging EPR^[9].
4. LMPC importer registration and Legal Metrology declarations for retail packs^[10].

Depends on the model: a WPC ETA for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth printers. DoT names printers and scanners among the products that use self-declaration ETA^[4].

Optional: a BEE label. Office automation products, including printers, copiers, scanners and MFDs, are on BEE's voluntary list at 0.05% of MRP^[6].

The standard is changing from IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, with both allowed until 1 November 2028^[1].

Printers sit in a family of office products, each with its own CRS entry. One factory making several of them needs a registration for each category.

Every printer, MFD and plotter needs BIS CRS; the radio decides WPC and the type decides the e-waste code. The table puts the common office and retail products side by side. Check a single model in the approval checker.

Printers are in heading 8443. Indian tariff lines include 84433100 for machines that do two or more of printing, copying and faxing (MFDs), 84433240 for laser jet printers, 84433250 for ink jet printers, 84433220 for dot matrix printers and 84433210 for line printers. Ink cartridges are 84439951 (with print head) and 84439952 (without)^[18]. These descriptions come from a third-party tariff lookup, not an official ruling.

Borderline cases:

• Label and receipt printers used with POS systems may fall under the printers category or under Point of Sale Terminals^[2], depending on design.
• Photocopiers without print-from-PC function are Copying Machines/Duplicators, a separate category^[2].
• Used or refurbished printers. Importers of used EEE carry a 100% EPR obligation for that material if it is not re-exported^[5].

The table adds cartridges and bulk toner. Check any line in the HS code approval finder.

Plan on two to three months from sample dispatch to stock. BIS aims to grant within 20 working days of a clean application^[13]; the ETA is issued on submission. See how long BIS registration takes.

Printers are under MeitY's Electronics and IT Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021^[24], certified under BIS Scheme-II on a self-declaration basis backed by a lab test^[25].

Who applies. The manufacturer, for each factory^[25]; a separate application for each brand^[13]. A foreign factory's AIR must be an Indian resident who accepts responsibility for compliance^[26].

Series. Models that share a platform can be grouped under MeitY's series guidelines, with supplementary test reports for series models^[13].

The switch to IS/IEC 62368-1. MeitY's S.O. 4997(E) replaced IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 with IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[27]. BIS's 9 March 2026 guidelines list "Printers/ Multi-Function Devices (MFD)/ Plotters", "Scanners" and "Copying Machines/Duplicators" among the 38 categories to migrate by 1 November 2028^[1]. Existing licensees submit complete test reports for each lead model^[1]; there is no BIS fee for migrating registered models^[28], and the R-number stays the same^[28]. See IS/IEC 62368-1.

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 on the electronics CRS order.

If your factory already holds a printer licence under IS 13252 (Part 1), it has until 1 November 2028 to move to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[3]. BIS's guidelines and FAQs answer the practical questions:

BIS records 3 July 2013 as the date CRS began for IS 13252 products, the group that includes printers^[29]. Other office products followed in later phases.

Dates for all products are on new rules for 2026 and the QCO tracker.

Yes, if they have any radio. DoT's ETA page names printers and scanners among commercial products that use the self-declaration route^[4]. Since 9 September 2024 all licence-exempt wireless devices get ETA by self-declaration on Saral Sanchar, and the certificate is downloaded on submission^[14].

• Fee: Rs 10,000 per model^[4].
• Validity: the life of the model unless revoked^[4].
• Customs: the self-declaration can be treated as sufficient evidence for clearance^[4].

A USB-only printer has no radio and needs no ETA^[11]. If the Wi-Fi module is pre-approved, you still file for the finished printer model.

More detail: WPC ETA fees, WPC ETA documents and the Saral Sanchar guide. Printers are not on TEC's notified list, so no MTCTE; see MTCTE products and MTCTE fees for what is.

Yes. "Printers including cartridges" is Schedule I code ITEW6^[5]. Copying equipment is ITEW7 and scanners are ITEW21^[12]. The rules cover components, consumables, parts and spares that make a product work^[33], so importers of replacement cartridges should expect to be producers too.

• Targets: 70% for 2025-26 and 2026-27 under Schedule III^[5], or 20% of sales two years earlier for new producers^[5].
• How: buy EPR certificates from registered recyclers^[5].
• Shortfall: environmental compensation for IT equipment is Rs 112 per kg^[34].
• Returns: quarterly and annual, due by the end of the following month^[5].

Cartridges need no BIS registration, but they count for e-waste EPR and bulk toner can carry anti-dumping duty. Schedule I lists "Printers including cartridges" under ITEW6^[5], and the rules reach consumables and spares that make a product work^[33]. An importer who sells replacement cartridges is a producer and needs e-waste EPR registration^[5].

Duty on toner. Notification 26/2025-Customs (ADD) of 4 August 2025 continues anti-dumping duty on black toner in powder form under heading 3707 for five years: US$ 159 a tonne from Taiwan, US$ 1,458 a tonne from China (residual) and US$ 1,568 a tonne from Malaysia^[19]. This applies to bulk toner, not to printers.

HS lines. Ink cartridges with a print head are 8443 99 51, without one 8443 99 52^[18]. Confirm with your broker.

Shortfall cost. If you miss your e-waste target, environmental compensation for ITEW items is Rs 112 per kg^[34]. Targets are explained on e-waste targets.

No, it is voluntary. BEE's 2026 Regulations put office automation products in Schedule B, the voluntary list^[6]. Printers, copiers, scanners and MFDs carry a label fee of 0.05% of MRP if you choose to label^[6].

If you do label, the rules are the same as for mandatory products: no BEE label without BEE's written permission^[6], each model registered, and each brand registered separately^[35].

How BEE labelling works: BEE star label and BEE products.

BIS Standard Mark with the R-number and IS reference^[36], on the product, package or both^[36], at least Arial size 6^[36], with www.bis.gov.in^[37]. Model, batch, date of manufacture and manufacturer's address go on the product, package or label^[36].

Legal Metrology for retail packs: importer's name and address, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP and consumer care details^[38]. For electronics, the month and year of manufacture can reportedly appear anywhere on the retail pack^[39]. Printers supplied only to institutional buyers are exempt from retail-pack rules^[38].

Plastic EPR registration number or QR code on plastic packaging^[40].

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

One MFD series with Wi-Fi, one brand, adaptor built in. Official fees only. The total is our arithmetic. BIS fees in year one are Rs 1,000 application, Rs 25,000 processing and Rs 1,000 licence fee; from year two BIS charges Rs 26,000 a year^[7], so the BIS share over five years is Rs 1,31,000 before GST.

Lab fees roughly triple; BIS's own fees rise by Rs 20,000 per extra test report^[7], and each Wi-Fi model needs a Rs 10,000 ETA^[4]. The application and annual fees are paid once per licence. Printers built on one platform often share a series, where only the worst case is tested^[13]. The table assumes three Wi-Fi printers in three series. An optional BEE label adds 0.05% of MRP per unit^[6].

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^[41]. The old standard, IS 13252 (Part 1), had 68 labs charging Rs 25,000 to Rs 2,00,000, median about Rs 63,750^[42]. A lab's declared charge stays fixed for three years unless the standard changes^[43]. In the Noida cluster alone, eight labs list IS/IEC 62368-1 at Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,50,000^[44]. Compare labs on our BIS test labs page or the BIS labs directory.

Old standard or new? Testing printers 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^[28], yet the lab must test every lead model again^[45]. For a new range, one IS/IEC 62368-1 report usually costs less than two reports.

1. Office equipment distributor importing MFDs and copiers. MFDs fall under the printers category in BIS's migration list^[1], but stand-alone copiers are Copying Machines/Duplicators^[2]. Check the factory has the right licence for each.

2. Online seller of portable thermal printers. Bluetooth models need an ETA^[11]. If the printer has a built-in battery, you are also a producer under the battery rules^[47] and must register before importing^[48].

3. Importer of compatible ink cartridges. Cartridges are not a CRS product, but "Printers including cartridges" is e-waste code ITEW6^[5], so plan for e-waste EPR registration and targets.

The factory holds BIS; the importer carries the ETA, EPR and Legal Metrology. A brand selling cartridges under its own name is an e-waste producer too. See the guide for distributors and the guide for foreign manufacturers.

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^[52]. A printer registered under Scanners, or a copier under Printers, is not covered. Fees are not refunded after a rejection^[53]. See common CRS rejections.

Registered printers 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^[57].

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^[58]. The lab is a BIS-recognised lab picked by MeitY^[59].

What you pay. The MRP of the samples, packaging and courier at actuals, plus the lab's test charge^[60]. STPI's published list of maximum surveillance test charges that we have seen does not name printers; 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^[61].

Your deadlines. Register every R-number and its models on crsbis.stpi.in^[62], send technical documents within 10 working days of a lab request^[63], and pay within 15 working days of the invoice^[64]. 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^[65]. The full process is in our CRS surveillance guide.

We found no published BIS case naming printers in 2025-26. The reported 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^[66]. One of those searches, at an Amazon Sellers warehouse in Delhi on 19 March 2025, reportedly seized over 3,500 products^[67].
• 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^[68].
• 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^[69].
• Fake marks on chargers, Hyderabad, July 2025. BIS Hyderabad reportedly seized mobile chargers with fake registration marks and started proceedings against the shop owner^[70].

BIS officers can enter and search premises where they believe goods breaching section 17 are kept^[71]. What happens next is covered in selling without BIS: what happens.

BIS. Breaching section 17 of the BIS Act^[51] can bring 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, under section 29(3) as enacted^[51].

WPC. In the ETA self-declaration the importer accepts liability for a wrong declaration^[72].

E-waste. Non-target violations cost Rs 20,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 80,000 for first to third defaults^[34].

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

Not for the approvals: BIS, WPC and CPCB rules are the same for every origin. The logistics differ.

• 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^[20]. A large MFD is heavy; ship it early.
• One licence per factory. The same model from two plants needs two registrations^[28].
• Where HS 8443 goods come from. India imported printers and printing machinery worth US$ 183.08 million from Japan^[75], US$ 156.12 million from Thailand^[75] and US$ 84.47 million from Germany^[75] in 2025-26.

Country notes: Japan, Thailand, Germany and China.

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 WPC ETA cost.
• Labels: the label checker and the product label checklist.
• Paperwork: BIS CRS documents, BIS CRS fees, WPC ETA documents, WPC ETA fees and the BIS CRS application checklist.
• People: BIS consultants, WPC consultants and BIS-recognised labs, including the Delhi NCR labs.

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