Importing water purifiers into India: the RO rules, ISI mark under IS 16240 and EPR

Water purifiers are unusual. The BIS rule for RO purifiers does not come from a Quality Control Order under the BIS Act. It comes from environment rules made by the Ministry of Environment after National Green Tribunal and Supreme Court proceedings^[6].

For a domestic RO (reverse osmosis) purifier you need:

1. An ISI licence held by the factory, under IS 16240. The Water Purification System (Regulation of Use) Rules, 2023 require every domestic RO purifier manufactured, imported, produced or assembled after they began to carry the BIS Standard Mark under IS 16240^[1]. BIS lists IS 16240:2023 as the standard^[2].
2. EPR for discarded elements. Used filters and membranes must be managed under the plastic, e-waste and hazardous waste rules^[1].
3. Plastic packaging EPR^[7].
4. LMPC importer registration^[8].

Non-RO purifiers (UV, UF, gravity) are not covered by the RO rules, which define a domestic system as RO-based^[1]. Whether the 2026 household appliances QCO catches electric UV or UF purifiers is unclear: water purifiers are not in its named list^[9], though its scope covers all household appliances up to 250 V^[9]. Ask BIS before importing.

Not required: CRS, the BEE label^[5], or a WPC ETA unless the purifier has Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

For a domestic RO water purifier imported for retail sale (checked 1 November 2026). Non-RO notes in the third column.

Household water purifiers are usually declared under 8421 21 20, "household type filters" for filtering or purifying water^[19]. This is from a third-party tariff database; check with your broker.

The technology decides the rule more than the HS line:

RO plus UV combination units are RO-based systems on our reading and fall under the RO rules.

The factory's ISI licence under IS 16240 comes first.

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.

What they are. The Water Purification System (Regulation of Use) Rules, 2023 were notified by MoEFCC as G.S.R. 833(E) on 10 November 2023 under the Environment (Protection) Act, and came into force one year after publication^[1].

Which products. A "domestic water purification system" is an RO-based point-of-use system with a capacity of twenty-five litres per hour that reduces total dissolved solids and chemical contamination and removes physical and microbiological impurities^[1]. Commercial RO systems are defined separately^[1].

The BIS requirement. Every domestic system manufactured, imported, produced or assembled after commencement must bear the Standard Mark under a BIS licence as per IS 16240^[1]. No domestic system may be sold by the manufacturer without the mark and BIS certification^[1].

Waste. Discarded elements are to be managed under the plastic waste, e-waste and hazardous waste rules^[1]. CPCB publishes guidelines on reject water and discarded elements^[1].

Reporting. The manufacturer files a compliance report with the SPCB by 30 November of the following financial year^[1].

Enforcement. The SPCB or Pollution Control Committee is the nodal agency^[1].

History. The first version was the Environment (Protection) 115 Amendment Rules, 2021 (G.S.R. 724(E), 4 October 2021), which gave manufacturers eighteen months to get the Scheme-I licence^[6].

The 2021 amendment and the 2023 rules differ in small but useful ways.

BIS's Scheme-I list shows IS 16240:2023, "Reverse Osmosis Based Point of Use Water Treatment System for Drinking Purposes", linked to both the 2021 and 2023 notifications^[2]. The licence works like any other ISI licence.

• Applicant: the factory. Foreign factories use FMCS with an Indian-resident AIR^[10][22].
• Process: inspection of the factory and its testing set-up, and independent testing of samples^[4].
• Time: about six months for FMCS^[4]; about one month for Indian factories using a recognised-lab report^[21].
• Fees: application Rs 1,000, inspection Rs 7,000 per man-day, annual licence Rs 1,000 plus a minimum marking fee^[21]. Foreign factories also pay officers' travel and a Rs 10,000 contingency payment^[11] and give a USD 10,000 bank guarantee^[4].
• After grant: surveillance visits and market samples^[26].

IS 16240 is a product standard for RO performance. It is not part of the IS 302 family. The electrical safety of the purifier's pump and power supply is a separate question; see the umbrella QCO note below.

The minimum marking fee for IS 16240 is Rs 2,34,000 a year for a large enterprise, and the unit rate is Rs 13 per purifier^[27], the highest per-unit rate of the appliances on this site. That means the unit-rate total passes the minimum at 18,000 purifiers a year. A BIS grant letter reportedly says the higher of the two is payable at renewal, with the minimum paid in advance^[28], and the actual fee is worked out from a certified production statement^[29].

So a brand selling 30,000 RO units a year would owe about Rs 3,90,000 in marking fee, not Rs 2,34,000. Indian micro and small enterprises get 80% and 50% off the minimum until 31 May 2029^[30], but the concession is on the minimum only. See BIS ISI fees and FMCS fees for the rest.

RO purifiers: no, on our reading. The 2026 QCO does not apply to appliances "notified for mandatory Bureau of Indian Standard certification under any other Act"^[9]. Domestic RO purifiers are notified for mandatory BIS certification under the Environment (Protection) Act rules^[1]. We found no BIS statement placing RO purifiers inside or outside the umbrella order, so this is an inference.

UV, UF and other electric non-RO purifiers: unclear. The order's scope covers all household, commercial or similar electrical appliances up to 250 V single-phase^[9], but its 90-item list does not name water purifiers^[9]. Earlier versions called their lists "illustrative"; the 2026 version does not. BIS maps appliances with no matching Part 2 to IS 302 (Part 1) plus the relevant IEC standards^[31]. Write to BIS before you import electric non-RO purifiers after 1 October 2026^[9].

Gravity filters with no electrical parts are outside an electrical appliances order.

This is unsettled. Schedule I of the E-Waste Rules, 2022 does not name water purifiers. Its only purifier entry is "Indoor air purifier" (LSEEW30)^[3]. The rules apply only to EEE listed in Schedule I^[32].

But the water purifier rules themselves say discarded elements must be managed under the E-Waste Rules, along with the plastic and hazardous waste rules^[1]. And for commercial systems, SPCBs register manufacturers and importers under the plastic and e-waste rules^[1].

Our reading: register for e-waste EPR if CPCB's portal offers a fitting code, and keep a written record of CPCB's answer if it does not. Registration costs Rs 10,000 for a producer whose sales have just started^[14].

Plastic EPR. Water purifiers reach India in film bags, foam and plastic-strapped cartons. An importer of products in plastic packaging is an obligated entity^[7][23]. Register on CPCB's portal^[23]; the application fee is Rs 10,000 below 1,000 tonnes a year^[15]. Plastic packaging must show your name and registration number^[33].

LMPC. Every importer of a pre-packaged commodity registers under rule 27^[8], for Rs 500^[8], within 90 days of starting imports^[8]. The registration now stays valid until cancelled^[16]. 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^[34]. See LMPC label rules.

For purifiers, plastic EPR goes beyond packaging. Filters and membranes thrown out by users are discarded elements that the manufacturer must manage under the Plastic Waste Management Rules^[1].

Replacement filter cartridges sold separately are spare parts; each retail pack needs full LMPC declarations^[8].

• ISI Standard Mark under IS 16240 for RO purifiers^[1].
• LMPC declarations on the retail box^[34], with month and year of manufacture^[34].
• Plastic EPR name and registration number^[33].
• Product markings required by IS 16240; follow the BIS product manual for your licence.

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, IS 16240, first year, before GST. The IS 16240 minimum marking fee is now shown; BIS revises it through its marking fee notification^[12].

• The IS 16240 marking fee is in the table: Rs 2,34,000 minimum for a large enterprise^[27], and the unit rate can overtake it at high volumes (see the worked example below).
• Officer travel and per diem for a foreign factory visit^[11].
• Testing charges for IS 16240 performance tests.
• E-waste EPR, if CPCB requires it for whole purifiers^[3].
• Managing discarded elements, which the rules make the manufacturer's job^[1].

See the cost of a BIS ISI licence.

One RO model selling 5,000 units costs about Rs 2.7 lakh in government fees in year one; three models selling 24,000 units in total cost about Rs 3.5 lakh, because the Rs 13 unit rate pushes the marking fee above the minimum. The example assumes a large foreign factory, three domestic RO models under one IS 16240 licence, all in the first application, and a two-day factory visit by one officer. Testing, consultants, travel, GST and any e-waste EPR are extra.

The three-model column shows the effect of the unit rate: 24,000 units at Rs 13 is Rs 3,12,000^[27], so on the reported rule the licensee pays the Rs 2,34,000 minimum in advance and a further Rs 78,000 when the actual fee is settled^[28]. Models added after grant cost Rs 5,000 per variety^[11]. Try your own volumes in the compliance cost estimator.

1. A brand importing RO purifiers from China. The Chinese factory needs an FMCS licence under IS 16240^[2][10]. The goods cannot be sold without it^[1]. You register for plastic EPR and LMPC and plan for filter take-back.

2. A seller importing UV-only purifiers. The RO rules do not apply^[1]. The open question is the 2026 umbrella QCO^[9]. Get BIS's answer in writing before the next shipment.

3. A distributor importing commercial RO plants for offices. Users of commercial systems must register with the SPCB, and the SPCB registers manufacturers and importers for plastic and e-waste EPR^[1].

Each approval sits with a different party, and the importer of record carries more than most people expect. RO purifiers add an environmental layer: the manufacturer must file a compliance report with the State Pollution Control Board^[1], and must manage discarded filters and membranes^[1]. 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.

The most common problem is the wrong assumption about which rule applies.

Purifier files most often fail on the technology question (RO or not), on the State Pollution Control Board step, and on the high per-unit marking fee that brands forget to budget. The table pairs each with the rule and a fix. For listing rules, see the Amazon sellers guide.

The RO rules are made under the Environment (Protection) Act, and the SPCB is the nodal agency for compliance^[1]. Plastic waste violations attract penalties under section 15 of that Act^[40]. We did not find a specific penalty table for the water purifier rules.

Using the ISI mark without a valid licence is separately an offence under the BIS Act^[37]. A Legal Metrology label failure draws an improvement notice, then up to Rs 5 lakh^[38]. E-waste and plastic EPR shortfalls bring environmental compensation^[35].

Enforcement now runs through warehouse searches, online test purchases and public lists of failed licences, not only port checks. For RO purifiers the State Pollution Control Board is a second enforcer next to BIS, because the rules sit under the Environment (Protection) Act. We found no published case that names water purifiers 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.

RO purifiers have been under the same rule since the 2023 rules took effect, but the products around them changed in 2026. The umbrella appliances order has been compulsory since 1 October 2026 for large and medium firms, with small and micro enterprises following on 1 January and 1 April 2027^[9]. Air-cleaning appliances and DC air purifiers are named in its list^[9]. Track updates on the QCO tracker, the electrical appliances QCO and IS 302 Part 1.

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 water purifier.
• 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.

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.