Importing room heaters into India: ISI mark, EPR and the other approvals for 2026

Room heaters are an old ISI product. They have been on BIS's compulsory list under a 2003 order, alongside electric irons and immersion water heaters.

For a fan heater, halogen heater, quartz heater or oil-filled radiator you need:

1. An ISI licence held by the factory, for IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 30), under the Electrical Wires, Cables, Appliances and Protection Devices and Accessories QCO, 2003^[1]. Foreign factories apply through FMCS^[8].
2. E-waste EPR registration. Schedule I lists electric heating appliances (LSEEW11), electric radiators (LSEEW12) and other room-heating appliances (LSEEW13)^[5].
3. Plastic packaging EPR^[9].
4. LMPC importer registration^[7].

Not required: CRS, a BEE label^[6], or a WPC ETA unless the heater has Wi-Fi.

Related heating products are different. Thermal storage room heaters, heating mats and electric blankets are named in the 2026 household appliances QCO^[3], which applies from 1 October 2026^[3].

For a mains-powered portable room heater imported for retail sale (checked 1 November 2026).

Room heaters are usually declared under heading 8516: 8516 29 00 for other electric space heating apparatus, or 8516 21 00 for storage heating radiators^[18]. These come from a third-party tariff database, so confirm with your broker.

Which BIS rule applies:

That fan, halogen and oil-filled heaters all sit under "room heaters" in IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 30) is our reading of the BIS list; the list itself just says "Room heaters"^[1]. Check your factory's licence scope names the heater types you are buying.

Start early. Room heaters are seasonal, and a six-month FMCS process can push you past the winter.

Plan on six to eight months for a first foreign-factory licence, because the BIS FMCS step decides the date and everything else runs alongside it. Do not book a commercial shipment until the licence is granted: goods that arrive first cannot be cleared for sale. Use the QCO deadline checker to see which dates apply to your enterprise size.

The order. BIS's Scheme-I list places room heaters, IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 30), under the Electrical Wires, Cables, Appliances and Protection Devices and Accessories (Quality Control) Order, 2003 (S.O. 189(E), 17 February 2003, with amendments up to 2010)^[1]. BIS's December 2024 guidelines cite the standard as IS 302-2-30:2007 and confirm it is certified under Scheme-I^[2].

Part 1 and Part 2. IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 30) is read together with IS 302 (Part 1), the general safety standard. Part 1 was revised in 2024 to match IEC 60335-1:2020^[27], and both editions of Part 1 may be used until 23 February 2027^[28]. See IS 302 (Part 1).

Who applies. The factory. Foreign factories apply under FMCS and nominate an Indian-resident AIR^[8][21]; Indian factories use Manakonline^[20]. Each standard and each factory needs its own application^[20].

Process. BIS inspects the factory, checks its testing facilities and draws samples for independent testing^[4]. After grant, it continues with surveillance visits and market samples^[29].

Time. About six months for FMCS^[4]. For Indian factories using a recognised-lab report, about one month^[20].

The minimum marking fee for IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 30) room heaters is Rs 85,000 a year for a large enterprise, with a unit rate of Rs 1.30 per heater^[30]. The unit-rate total only passes the minimum above about 65,400 heaters a year; a BIS grant letter reportedly says the higher of the two is payable^[31].

Heating products under the 2026 umbrella order are charged differently. IS 302 (Part 1) carries Rs 2,41,000 for the first appliance and Rs 50,000 for each further appliance for a large enterprise^[32]. So an electric blanket or a thermal storage heater, both umbrella items^[3], costs almost three times as much in minimum marking fee as an ordinary fan heater.

Indian micro and small enterprises get 80% and 50% off the minimum until 31 May 2029^[33]. The other fee lines are on BIS ISI fees and FMCS fees.

Not to ordinary room heaters. The umbrella QCO excludes appliances under any other QCO^[3], and BIS lists room heaters under the 2003 order among those exclusions^[2].

But it does cover nearby heating products. The 2026 order names thermal storage room heaters (entry 61), electric blankets, pads and similar flexible heating appliances (43) and foot warmers and heating mats (68)^[3]. These need an ISI licence under IS 302 (Part 1):2024^[3] from 1 October 2026 for large firms, 1 January 2027 for small and 1 April 2027 for micro enterprises^[3].

If you sell a winter range with heaters and electric blankets, expect two different licences.

• CRS: no. Room heaters are ISI products^[1].
• BEE: no. Room heaters are on neither BEE list^[6].
• WPC ETA: only with a radio. Wi-Fi heaters with app control need an ETA^[16], Rs 10,000 per model^[16].
• Battery EPR: only if a model contains a battery, such as a remote-control cell supplied in the box^[35][36].

Yes. Schedule I of the E-Waste Rules, 2022 has three entries that cover room heaters: electric heating appliances (LSEEW11), electric radiators (LSEEW12) and other large appliances for heating rooms, beds and seating furniture (LSEEW13)^[5]. Oil-filled radiators sit most naturally under LSEEW12; fan and halogen heaters under LSEEW11. Confirm the code with CPCB when you register.

Importers selling imported EEE are producers^[22] and must register before doing business^[22]. Registration is Rs 10,000 if your sales have just started^[13]. The 2026-27 target is 70%^[22]; LSEEW shortfalls cost Rs 76 per kg^[37]. RoHS limits apply^[22].

Plastic EPR. Room heaters reach India in film bags, foam and plastic-strapped cartons. An importer of products in plastic packaging is an obligated entity^[9][23]. Register on CPCB's portal^[23]; the application fee is Rs 10,000 below 1,000 tonnes a year^[14]. Plastic packaging must show your name and registration number^[38].

LMPC. Every importer of a pre-packaged commodity registers under rule 27^[7], for Rs 500^[7], within 90 days of starting imports^[7]. The registration now stays valid until cancelled^[15]. Each retail box needs the importer's name and address, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer-care details^[39]. See LMPC label rules.

A room heater is tested to IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 30) read with IS 302 (Part 1). We do not reproduce the standard, but BIS's documents show the ground the lab covers.

The Part 1 clauses include marking and instructions, protection against access to live parts, power input, heating, leakage current and electric strength, moisture resistance, abnormal operation, stability and mechanical hazards, mechanical strength, construction, components and supply cords^[40]. Heaters run hot for long periods and are often left unattended, so heating, stability and abnormal-operation results tend to drive design changes. Ask your lab to run a pre-test before the BIS sample is drawn.

BIS's product manual lists typical equipment: temperature data loggers with fine-wire thermocouples, high-voltage and leakage-current testers, test probes, a humidity chamber and an inclined plane for stability^[41].

Components. The 2024 edition of Part 1 added component clauses, and licensees must prove component conformity by a supplier certificate or third-party report^[40][42]. Keep certificates for the thermostat, thermal cut-out, switch and cord set on file.

• ISI Standard Mark under the factory's licence^[1][24].
• Ratings and warnings required by IS 302. The 2024 Part 1 changed several marking and instruction clauses^[40].
• LMPC declarations on the retail box^[39], with month and year of manufacture^[39].
• Plastic EPR name and registration number^[38].

Check the unit and the carton against this list before the factory prints them, because relabelling at an Indian port or warehouse costs more than reprinting at source. The detail behind each line is on LMPC label rules, the product label checklist. Paste your draft into the label checker for a quick first pass.

For one foreign factory and one product standard, first year, before GST. Marking fees are notified per standard^[11].

• The IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 30) marking fee is now in the table above: Rs 85,000 for a large enterprise^[30]. BIS revises these figures through its marking fee notification^[11].
• Officer travel and per diem for a foreign visit^[10].
• Testing charges.
• New varieties. Adding a variety to an FMCS licence costs Rs 5,000 per variety or group^[10]; a range of fan, halogen and oil-filled heaters may need several.
• Indian MSE concessions, until 31 May 2029^[33].

See the cost of a BIS ISI licence.

One room heater model costs about Rs 1.3 lakh in government fees in year one, and three models of different types cost the same if all three are in the first application, or Rs 1.4 lakh if two are added after grant. The example assumes a large foreign factory, a fan heater, a halogen heater and an oil-filled radiator under one IS 302-2-30 licence, 3,000 heaters of each, and a two-day factory visit by one officer. Testing, consultants, travel and GST are extra, and there is no BEE cost because room heaters are on neither BEE list^[6].

Add an electric blanket to the winter range and you add a second licence under the umbrella order, with a Rs 2,41,000 minimum for a large enterprise^[32], its own application^[20] and likely its own factory visit. Run the numbers in the compliance cost estimator.

Room heaters sell in a short window. The compliance steps do not shrink to fit it.

• FMCS takes about six months from a complete application^[4]. A factory that applies in summer may not be licensed before winter.
• No bill-of-lading relief. The February 2026 import exemption order covers 26 named QCOs; the 2003 order is not one of them^[43]. Goods must be marked when they arrive.
• Licence scope. If a factory adds a new heater type mid-season, inclusion takes time and a fee^[10].
• Register EPR and LMPC before the first shipment, not after; LMPC must be filed within 90 days of starting imports^[7], and EPR before placing goods on the market^[22].

The safe sequence: confirm the factory's licence in spring, place orders once the licence scope covers every model, and ship marked goods by autumn.

1. A trader importing oil-filled radiators from a new supplier. Check the supplier's ISI licence covers IS 302 (Part 2/Sec 30) and the radiator models you are buying^[1][20]. Without it, the goods cannot be imported^[24].

2. A brand adding electric blankets to its heater range. Blankets are entry 43 of the 2026 umbrella QCO^[3], a separate standard and licence from the heaters.

3. An online seller buying heaters from an importer. The BIS Act covers sellers and distributors as well as importers^[24]. Ask for the licence and check the mark on each unit. See selling on Amazon.

Each approval sits with a different party, and the importer of record carries more than most people expect. Room heaters have no BEE label, so the work concentrates on the BIS licence held by the factory and the EPR and LMPC registrations held by the importer. Use the table to split the work before the first order, and write it into your supply contract. If one company plays several roles, it carries every row it plays. For the documents each party signs, see BIS ISI documents and the customs clearance checklist.

Licence scope and timing cause most holds.

Room heater problems cluster around timing and scope: the licence arrives after the season, or the shipment includes heating products the licence does not cover. The fixes below come from the rules themselves. For the general picture, see why shipments get held at Indian ports.

Importing, selling, storing or exhibiting room heaters covered by a QCO without the Standard Mark breaches section 17 of the BIS Act^[24]. The Act defines "person" to include importers, distributors, retailers and sellers^[24]. A first contravention carries a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh and up to two years' imprisonment; later ones at least Rs 5 lakh, up to ten times the value of the goods^[24]. BIS can also order a recall of non-conforming marked goods^[24].

On the environmental side, unregistered producers can be charged environmental compensation^[22]. A package without the Legal Metrology declarations draws an improvement notice for a first offence and a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh for a second^[46].

Enforcement now runs through warehouse searches, online test purchases and public lists of failed licences, not only port checks. Room heaters sell in a short winter window, often online, and a seizure in November costs a whole season. We found no published case that names room heaters specifically other than those in the table; most reported actions are about appliances in general. For what a search or seizure means for a seller, read what happens if you sell without BIS, and use how to verify a BIS licence before you buy stock from a distributor.

Ordinary room heaters stay under the 2003 order, but the products sold next to them came under the umbrella order on a staggered timetable from 1 October 2026. Large firms needed the mark from 1 October 2026, small enterprises from 1 January 2027 and micro enterprises from 1 April 2027^[3]. Stock made or imported before the date by a certified or applicant manufacturer can be sold for six months after declaring it to BIS^[3]. Follow the QCO tracker, the electrical appliances QCO and the new rules 2026 ledger.

Start with the free tools, then bring in a consultant or lab only for the steps you cannot run yourself.

• Approval checker: confirms which of BIS, BEE, EPR, LMPC and WPC apply to your exact room heater.
• Compliance cost estimator: rebuilds the worked example above with your model count and volumes.
• QCO deadline checker: shows the date that applies to your enterprise size.
• Label checker: checks the carton text against LMPC and BIS marking rules.
• Licence renewal date tool: works out when to renew each licence.
• BIS consultants and BIS-recognised labs: directories by city.
• Importing from China: factory-side issues for the most common source country.
• Importing from Taiwan: BIS records show an FMCS licence under IS 302 for a room heater from a Taiwanese factory.

If you want a second opinion on your file, ask for a free compliance check. We do not promise approval or speed; we tell you what is missing.