How to import toys into India in 2026: BIS ISI licence, customs sample testing, EPR, LMPC and costs

You need three things in place before the goods ship. First, the factory that makes the toys must hold a BIS licence for them, and every toy must carry the ISI mark under that licence^[1]. Second, your business must be ready for the Customs sample test that applies to each toy consignment^[3]. Third, the usual importer registrations apply: plastic packaging EPR, battery EPR for battery toys, and Legal Metrology (LMPC) registration for retail packs.

The rule comes from the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2020, in force since 1 January 2021^[2]. It covers products designed or clearly intended for play by children under 14^[1]. The full order, its amendments and exemptions are explained on our Toys QCO page; this page is about getting a shipment of toys into India and onto shelves.

The hard part for most importers is the licence. It is granted to a factory, for a standard, at an address^[6]. You cannot get it in your own name for goods someone else makes. If your supplier has no licence, you either wait while it gets one or you change suppliers.

The table lists every approval that can apply to an imported toy. Not every line applies to every toy; the column 'why it applies' says when it does.

Toys are classified under tariff heading 9503. Trade sources list 9503 00 10 for electronic toys, 9503 00 20 for non-electronic toys and 9503 00 91 and 9503 00 99 for parts and others^[23]. We have not checked these 8-digit items against the official CBIC tariff, so confirm with your customs broker before you file.

For BIS, the HS code matters less than you might think. The Toys QCO lists no HS codes at all; it covers anything designed or clearly intended for play by children under 14^[1]. DGFT's import policy goes further: toys, dolls and similar recreational goods are governed by the BIS toy condition under any chapter of the tariff^[12]. So classifying a toy under a non-toy heading does not take it outside the rule.

Borderline cases:

• Electronic video games. BIS lists these under the electronics registration scheme (CRS), not the toy order^[24]. See BIS CRS.
• Ride-on toys, swings and slides. Covered; swings, slides and similar activity toys are IS 9873 Part 4^[1].
• Collectibles marketed to adults. The words 'whether or not exclusively' in the scope catch products partly meant for children^[1]. If it looks like a toy and is sold where children shop, assume it is one.

The order matters. Customs will not clear unmarked toys, and the marking has to be done at the factory under a licence that already exists.

The licence is a Scheme-I licence to use the ISI mark, with BIS as both certifier and enforcer^[1]. BIS grants it after checking the factory's infrastructure, process controls, quality control and testing capability during a visit, and after the product passes testing^[31].

Three toy-specific rules shape what you buy:

1. Primary and secondary standards. BIS licenses non-electric toys against IS 9873 Part 1 and electric toys against IS 15644; the other parts are tested as secondary standards where they apply^[25]. That is why the BIS marking fee list has only two toy entries, IS 9873 Part 1 and IS 15644^[4][5].
2. Series, not single models. BIS sorts toys into 7 categories and 146 sub-categories, and toys of similar design, made from the same materials in one sub-category, form a series^[25]. A licence can cover several series, but a new series needs a change in scope.
3. Current versions. BIS's toy manual uses IS 9873 Part 1:2019 and Part 3:2020^[32], newer than the editions named in the 2020 order. The order applies the latest version notified by BIS^[1].

For the standard itself, see IS 9873 Part 1. For the general ISI process, see BIS ISI mark.

IS 9873 (Part 1):2025, the fifth revision, supersedes the 2019 edition, and both may be used until 22 March 2027^[33][34]. BIS extended the overlap because the revision moves where warnings must appear, which may need new packaging labels, and changes requirements for some varieties^[34]. IS 9873 (Part 2):2017 on flammability is now withdrawn, and labs test against Part 2:2025^[35].

What to do: ask your factory which edition its licence and latest test reports use, and plan a packaging reprint before 22 March 2027 if warnings move. Order fresh cartons only after the lab confirms the warning layout. On 1 November 2026 BIS's portal listed 17 licences and 5 labs against the 2025 edition^[33], so capacity is still thin. See IS 9873 Part 1.

The Toys QCO has applied since 1 January 2021, and it gives no MSME deferral; the only relief is for registered artisans, GI producers and small R&D imports. No MSME-specific deferral appears in the order or its amendments^[36], which is unlike the staggered 2026 appliances order. Indian micro and small toy makers do get 80% and 50% off the minimum marking fee until 31 May 2029^[37]. Check dates in the QCO deadline checker and the toys QCO page.

Through the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme, which BIS has run since 2000 for every product except MeitY-notified electronics^[9]. The steps are the same as for an Indian factory, with four differences that matter for cost and time:

• An Authorised Indian Representative. The factory nominates an Indian resident who takes responsibility for compliance in India^[40]. An AIR may represent only one foreign manufacturer, with limited exceptions^[40].
• Officer travel. All FMCS visits are treated as special visits, and the factory pays per-diem, tickets, visa and insurance for BIS officers on top of the normal fees^[10].
• Bank guarantee. After grant, the factory furnishes a USD 10,000 Performance Bank Guarantee^[7].
• Time. BIS states the average FMCS grant time is generally six months from a complete application^[7].

Non-SAARC applicants pay in US dollars^[10]. For a fuller picture see BIS FMCS and for foreign manufacturers.

Not under a foreign-factory licence today: BIS's FMCS licensee list of 30 October 2026 had 60 toy licence records under IS 9873 (Part 1) and IS 15644, and none was for a factory in China^[41]. Vietnam held 28, Thailand 10, Malaysia 6 and Indonesia 4^[41]. Across all products, only 23 of 256 Chinese FMCS records were operative; 209 were deferred and 24 under stop marking^[41].

Trade has shifted to match. In 2025-26 India imported only US$ 7.69 million of non-electronic toys from China, but US$ 35.31 million of parts of electronic toys^[42], which Indian licensed factories assemble. From all countries, non-electronic toy imports were US$ 41.47 million^[43]. If a Chinese supplier says it is 'BIS certified', check its CML number on BIS's FMCS list, which shows the licensee, country, standard, status and brands^[41]. Read importing toys from China and the wider China import guide; Vietnam is the main alternative, see importing from Vietnam.

Yes. This is the rule that surprises most first-time toy importers. Under DGFT Notification 33/2015-20 of 2 December 2019, a sample is randomly picked from each toy consignment and sent to an NABL-accredited lab. Customs may clear the goods on the condition that you do not sell them until the sample passes. If it fails, the consignment is sent back or destroyed at your cost^[3].

The ISI mark does not exempt you from this check. The DGFT condition sits alongside the BIS requirement; it does not replace it.

How it works at Nhava Sheva (JNCH), as an example of a port procedure:

1. With the Bill of Entry you give a No Use Bond equal to the assessable value, and upload it on e-Sanchit^[12].
2. At examination, a representative sample of each type of toy in the consignment is drawn and sent to a nominated lab^[12].
3. You submit the test report within two months of assessment. If it passes, the bond is cancelled. If it fails, you bring the goods back to the CFS, and destruction is at your cost^[12].

In 2019 JNCH nominated six labs for this testing^[12]. Other ports issue their own public notices and lab lists, so ask your customs broker which labs your port uses now. We have not confirmed whether DGFT changed this condition after 2019.

Every consignment carries a No Use Bond for its full assessable value and a lab test for each type of toy in it, on top of the factory's BIS licence. Under the JNCH procedure the bond equals the assessable value and a sample of each toy type is tested at a nominated NABL lab^[12]. So a container with 12 different toys means 12 samples. The test report must reach Customs within two months^[12], and until the sample passes you may not sell the goods^[3].

Two ways to keep this manageable: ship fewer toy types per consignment, and pre-test the exact production batch so the port test holds no surprises. Use the customs clearance documents checklist, and file through ICEGATE. Detained goods sit in the CFS while you wait; read why shipments get held at Indian ports.

Most toys need none of these. BEE star labels apply to listed appliances, and MTCTE applies to telecom equipment; ordinary toys are neither.

Radio-controlled toys, toy walkie-talkies and toys with Bluetooth or Wi-Fi are different. Anything that transmits radio signals raises the question of WPC ETA. We have not researched which toy radio products need an ETA, so check the frequency band of the transmitter against the WPC rules before you import. See also WPC ETA vs MTCTE.

Usually yes, for packaging, and often for batteries.

Plastic packaging. An 'importer' under the Plastic Waste Management Rules includes anyone who imports for commercial use any commodity with plastic packaging^[13]. Blister packs, shrink-wrap and plastic bags around toys all count. You must register on CPCB's EPR portal and may not do business without it^[13]. The application fee runs from Rs 10,000 to Rs 50,000 by tonnage^[14]. See plastic EPR.

Batteries. Anyone who imports equipment containing batteries is a 'producer' under the Battery Waste Management Rules^[15], and CPCB says importers must register before importing^[17]. Battery-operated toys, and toys shipped with batteries in the box, bring this in. See battery EPR.

E-waste. Schedule I of the E-Waste Rules names only a few toy-type items: electrical trains or car racing sets (TLSEW1), hand-held video game consoles, video games and similar^[18]. If your product is one of these, e-waste EPR applies; see e-waste EPR. Other electric toys are not named in the 2022 schedule.

Yes, if the toys are sold in retail packs, which almost all are. On our reading, importers of pre-packaged commodities register under Rule 27 of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, as the Delhi Legal Metrology importer form shows^[20]. The fee is Rs 500^[21], and a new importer must apply within 90 days of starting^[21]. Since 29 May 2026 the certificate stays valid until cancelled^[22].

Each retail pack must declare 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^[30]. See LMPC and LMPC label rules.

A toy pack in India carries BIS marking, Legal Metrology declarations and, where they apply, EPR markings. The table pulls them together.

Check a finished, packed sample. The free label checker and product label checklist cover the same ground.

The official BIS fees are small next to the annual minimum marking fee, which for toys is high. The example below is for one licence, first year, Indian large-scale factory, assuming one inspection man-day. Fees come from the BIS FAQ^[6] and the September 2026 marking fee list^[4][5].

• Testing. Lab charges for IS 9873 and IS 15644 are not published by BIS in a form we could verify. Electric toys are tested against IS 15644 and the relevant IS 9873 parts^[25], so expect a larger lab bill for them.
• Unit-rate marking fee. The marking fee is Rs 4.5 per 1,000 pieces for non-electric toys and Rs 80 per 1,000 pieces for electric toys^[4][5]. A BIS grant letter states you pay the higher of this actual fee and the minimum^[48]. On 5 lakh electric toys a year that is Rs 40,000, below the Rs 1,46,000 minimum, so the minimum is what you pay.
• Foreign factory extras. Officer travel, visa and insurance, a Rs 10,000 contingency payment^[10] and the USD 10,000 bank guarantee^[7].
• Concessions. Indian micro and small enterprises get 80% and 50% off the minimum marking fee until 31 May 2029^[37]. The concessions use the MSMED Act definitions^[49]; in our reading a factory abroad cannot qualify, so it pays the large-enterprise rate. Check with BIS if your case is unusual.
• Customs testing, EPR and LMPC fees, covered above.

For the full breakdown see BIS ISI licence cost and BIS ISI mark fees.

A large foreign factory pays about Rs 1.2 lakh in first-year BIS fees for one non-electric toy licence, and about Rs 1.7 lakh for electric toys, before lab charges and officers' travel. Extra series cost little in BIS fees: FMCS charges Rs 5,000 per added variety or group^[10], but each series needs its own test report. BIS's lab system lists IS 9873 (Part 1) testing from Rs 1,850 to Rs 18,129 before tax^[50]. The inspection line assumes a two-day foreign visit^[51] by one officer. Try other mixes in the compliance cost estimator. Customs duty is a separate, bigger number: basic customs duty on toys under heading 9503 is 70%^[52], while parts of electronic toys for manufacture attract 20% plus AIDC^[53].

About six months for a new foreign factory licence, then up to two months per consignment before the port test report releases your stock for sale. Those are BIS's FMCS average and the JNCH reporting window^[7][12].

A foreign factory files Form V with a self-evaluation report, an AIR nomination and its process and quality documents, and is always inspected. Under the 2026 grant guidelines the application goes in on Form V with a self-evaluation-cum-verification report^[54]. The simplified option with your own lab report is not open to foreign manufacturers, so every foreign file gets a factory visit and drawn samples^[55]. A visit normally lasts two days for a foreign factory, and grant is expected within 90 days under option-1 if everything is right first time^[51].

BIS's FMCS list asks for proof of the Indian agent or office, the AIR nomination, a manufacturing process flow chart and quality documents^[56]. Calibration certificates must stay valid for at least three months after the application is recorded^[57]. Use the ISI documents list and apply on Manakonline.

A first-time importer buying plush and plastic toys from a trading company. Ask the trader for the factory name and the BIS licence. The licence is issued to a factory at an address, not to a trader^[6]. Check the licence scope covers your series^[25]. Budget for the Customs sample test and the No Use Bond on every consignment^[12], and do not list stock for sale until the report is back.

A marketplace seller adding battery-operated cars. Your plush supplier's licence will not cover them: electric toys are licensed against IS 15644^[25], and a licence covers one standard^[26]. You also become a battery producer for EPR^[15]. If the car is radio-controlled, check WPC. Marketplaces have been held answerable for non-compliant goods: in 2022 CCPA ordered Amazon to recall pressure cookers sold without meeting a QCO^[58].

A foreign toy brand setting up in India. Each factory, including contract factories, needs its own FMCS licence^[6], an AIR^[27] and a USD 10,000 bank guarantee^[7]. An Indian subsidiary can watch the 2026 Transition Facilitation Order, which lists the Toys QCO^[59], but it only helps companies DPIIT specifically permits^[59].

The factory holds the licence and the importer cannot apply in its place; the importer holds EPR and LMPC; everyone who sells is liable for unmarked stock. Put this split into your supply contract, and check suppliers on the Flipkart seller and Amazon seller guides.

These are the common failure points, roughly in the order they bite.

Expect market samples, quarterly consignee reports and an annual fee cycle. Under BIS's February 2026 market surveillance guidelines, generally two samples a year are bought for each Scheme-I licence, rising to three or four depending on past compliance^[65]. Samples can be picked up anywhere in the supply chain, including the port of entry^[65], and at least one must come from a state other than the licensee's^[65]. The licensee files month-wise production and consignee details every quarter^[65]; a licensee that does not is given 30 days and then faces suspension proceedings^[66].

After a first failed sample, the licence goes on enhanced surveillance every three months until consecutive samples pass^[67]. Suspended, cancelled and expired licences are published on the e-BIS dashboard^[68], which is how buyers and marketplaces check suppliers. See how to verify a BIS licence.

Renewal is filed on the BIS portal in Form XII, preferably two months before the validity date, and is usually automatic if fees and data are in order^[69][70]. A licence can be renewed for one to five years, with the licence fee and advance minimum marking fee paid for the period chosen^[71]. The actual marking fee is worked out from a production statement certified by a chartered or cost accountant^[72], and a BIS grant letter reportedly says the higher of the actual fee and the minimum is payable^[48].

Miss the date and you have 90 days with a Rs 5,000 late fee, but you may not mark or dispatch goods meanwhile^[73]. A foreign licensee also extends its bank guarantee to six months beyond the new validity^[11]. A self-compliance report is mandatory at each renewal^[74]. More on ISI renewal; set a reminder with the licence renewal date tool.

Strictly, at the port and in the market. Every consignment is sampled at the port^[3], and BIS's guidance on failed market samples treats only certain warning and marking lapses as non-critical, and only the first time in two years; every other toy failure is critical^[46]. A Rajya Sabha reply reportedly said toy imports fell from US$ 276 million in 2014-15 to US$ 65 million in 2023-24, with 1,509 licences granted to domestic makers by July 2024^[75]. BIS reportedly bought 344 QCO product samples online in 2024-25, and 142 had no valid certification^[76]. See selling without BIS and the Amazon seller guide.

Section 17 of the BIS Act bars importing, selling, storing or exhibiting for sale notified goods without a Standard Mark under a valid licence^[8]. The penalty is imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first offence and Rs 5 lakh for later ones, which can go up to ten times the value of the goods, or both^[8]. Importers are directly bound because the Act's definition of 'person' includes them^[8].

On the customs side, a consignment whose sample fails is sent back or destroyed at your cost^[3]. BIS can also order stop-supply and recall of non-conforming marked goods^[8], and it buys ISI-marked samples from the market for testing^[6]. Packaging errors under Legal Metrology carry their own penalties, from an improvement notice for a first offence upward^[77].

Start with the free tools, test at a lab recognised for your standard, and use a consultant mainly for the FMCS file and factory visit. The approval checker, QCO deadline checker and compliance cost estimator answer most first questions.

BIS's lab system lists IS 9873 (Part 1) testing from Rs 1,850 to Rs 18,129 before tax, with for example Rs 10,000 at Alpha Test House, Bahadurgarh^[50]. In Delhi NCR, toy labs include Basil Quality Testing, SGS India and Intertek India in Gurugram and Eurofins in Noida^[78]. See Delhi NCR labs and Mumbai and Pune labs. Browse BIS-recognised labs by city.

Consultant fees are commercial and headline prices often exclude government and lab fees^[79]. Compare scope with our BIS consultants guide and how to choose a BIS consultant, or ask us for a free compliance check.