Importing wireless chargers into India: WPC ETA, BIS questions and EPR rules for 2026

Wireless chargers sit between two rulebooks: BIS for electrical safety and DoT's WPC wing for radio. Here is where things stand:

1. WPC ETA: yes. Inductive charging works by radio-frequency energy. DoT has delicensed 9 kHz to 30 MHz for contactless inductive charging^[3], and the 2021 exemption rules for inductive devices, as reproduced, say such equipment must be type approved^[8]. In practice that means a self-declaration ETA, at Rs 10,000 per model^[2].
2. BIS CRS: unclear for the pad itself. The CRS product list has no category named "wireless charger"^[4]. But the mains adaptor that powers it is a CRS product under "Power Adaptors for IT Equipments"^[5]. A wireless charger with a built-in battery is a power bank for BIS^[5].
3. Plastic packaging EPR^[9] and LMPC importer registration for retail packs^[7].
4. E-waste EPR: unsettled. Chargers and adapters are not named in Schedule I^[6].

Battery EPR applies only to chargers with a battery inside^[10]. Not required: BEE labelling and MTCTE.

Because BIS treatment of a plain charging pad is not written down anywhere we could find, ask BIS in writing before your first shipment.

There is no dedicated line. Wireless charging pads are usually declared under heading 8504 40 (static converters), commonly 85044030 (battery chargers) or 85044090 (other)^[18]. We found no official ruling on wireless pads, so treat this as unsettled and agree the line with your customs broker. An advance ruling is the safe route for large volumes.

Product types and how they are treated:

• Plain pad or stand powered by a USB cable or adaptor: radio rules apply; BIS treatment of the pad itself is unclear^[4].
• Pad sold with a mains adaptor: the adaptor needs CRS^[5].
• Wireless power bank (battery inside): CRS as a power bank^[19], battery EPR^[20], and, on our reading, an ETA for the wireless function^[21]. See power banks.
• Car wireless chargers that plug into a 12 V socket: radio rules apply; check BIS treatment.
• Multi-device stations (phone, watch, earbuds): one ETA per model.

Yes, an ETA. Qi and similar chargers transfer power through a magnetic field at radio frequencies. DoT states that the 9 kHz to 30 MHz band has been delicensed for contactless inductive charging^[3]. Delicensed means you need no licence to use the band, not that the device escapes approval.

The rules behind it. The Use of Very Low Power Radio Frequency Devices or Equipments for Inductive Applications (Exemption from Licence) Rules, 2021 (G.S.R. 870(E), 21 December 2021) exempt inductive devices, including wireless charging, across bands from 9 kHz to 30 MHz on a non-interference basis, with field-strength limits measured at 10 metres. Rule 5 says such equipment shall be type approved^[8]. We read these rules through a reproduction, not the Gazette copy.

How the ETA works. All licence-exempt wireless devices get ETA by self-declaration on Saral Sanchar, and the certificate downloads on submission^[1]. The steps: register, enter the model and RF test report details, upload documents, pay through BharatKosh, sign the undertaking with OTP and download the certificate^[22]. The fee is Rs 10,000 per model^[2], and the ETA lasts for the model's life^[2].

Import. For devices that are "Free" under DGFT policy, the Saral Sanchar undertaking is enough to import; no separate WPC import licence is needed^[23]. Customs may accept the self-declaration as evidence for clearance^[2].

Telecom Act transition. DoT is moving authorisations to the Telecommunications Act, 2023 portal during 2026^[24]; check where to file.

The 2021 inductive rules, as reproduced, set field-strength limits by sub-band, all measured at 10 metres and referenced to the European standard EN 300 330^[8]. The lower sub-bands are the ones consumer chargers typically use. Your RF test lab will test against these limits; the table is a guide, not the legal text.

Not named, but not clearly exempt. We checked the CRS product list on 1 November 2026: there is no "wireless charger" category^[4]. The nearest categories are:

• Power Adaptors for IT Equipments^[5]. Any mains adaptor you supply with the pad must be registered here.
• Power Banks for use in portable applications^[5], for chargers with batteries.
• Standalone SMPS with output up to 48 V^[5].

All three are moving to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 by 1 November 2028^[25].

What we recommend. Write to BIS describing the product (input, output, whether it plugs into the mains) and ask which category, if any, applies. Keep the reply with your import file.

A battery, a bundled adaptor or an extra radio changes the approvals: a pad alone needs an ETA, a pad with an adaptor adds BIS for the adaptor, and a pad with a battery becomes a power bank.

Count ETAs per product, not per coil: the fee is Rs 10,000 for each product with one or more RF modules^[26]. Once an ETA is issued, other importers can bring in the same product on it without paying again^[26], so ask your supplier whether one already exists. Check your tariff line in the HS code approval finder, and compare mobile chargers, power banks and smartwatches.

E-waste EPR: unsettled. Schedule I does not name chargers or adapters; their coverage depends on generic entries and on the rules covering components and accessories^[6]. Ask CPCB in writing, and keep the answer.

Battery EPR: only with a battery. Importers of equipment containing batteries are producers^[10] and must register before importing^[15]. Customs has been asked to check battery EPR for such goods^[30].

Plastic EPR: yes. Anyone importing a commodity with plastic packaging is an importer under the plastic rules^[9]. Blister packs and trays count.

Legal Metrology declarations on every retail pack: importer name and address, country of origin, generic name, net quantity, month and year of manufacture, MRP, unit sale price and consumer care details^[29]. Declare the month and year of manufacture, not of import^[7]. For electronics, the date can reportedly appear anywhere on the pack^[31].

BIS Standard Mark on the adaptor (and on the charger, if it is a power bank) with the R-number^[32].

Battery marking for battery models: crossed-out wheeled bin covering at least 3% of the largest side^[33], and your EPR number on the product or packaging^[34].

Plastic EPR number or QR code on plastic packaging^[35].

Check every item below on the product, the retail box and the listing before the factory prints, because a reprint after the goods land costs more than all the fees on this page. Run the artwork through the label checker, and see the product label checklist and LMPC label rules.

One USB-powered pad model, no battery, adaptor not included, first year. Official fees only. The total is our arithmetic.

One USB-powered pad costs about Rs 35,500 to Rs 60,500 in the first year with the RF test, and three models about Rs 85,500 to Rs 1,60,500, on our arithmetic; the ETA and RF test scale per model. Registration fees for EPR and Legal Metrology do not rise with the number of models; BIS fees, ETAs and testing do. Plug your own numbers into the compliance cost estimator, and compare with the cost of importing electronics.

A plain pad is quick on paper: the self-declaration ETA downloads on submission^[1], so the RF test and Legal Metrology registration usually set the pace. The table lists every official clock we could source. The steps that no rule times, such as lab queues, sample shipping and your own artwork changes, usually decide the real date, so ask for those in writing. See how long BIS registration takes and put renewal dates into the licence renewal date tool.

For wireless pads the importer usually does everything: it files the ETA, holds plastic EPR and Legal Metrology, and answers for the radio declaration. A common mistake is to assume that whoever holds the paperwork carries the risk alone: in practice every business in the chain can be asked for it. If you are new to this, start with first-time importers; brands should read D2C brands and foreign manufacturers; marketplace sellers should read Amazon sellers and Flipkart sellers. You also need an IEC before you import anything.

1. Accessories brand launching a 15 W pad. File one ETA per model^[2]. If the box includes an adaptor, use one that already has a CRS licence under your brand or the adaptor maker's, since each brand needs its own application^[12].

2. Seller of 3-in-1 charging stands with a built-in battery. This is a power bank for BIS^[19], and you are a battery producer^[10]. You will most likely also need an ETA for the wireless function^[21].

3. Importer of wireless car chargers. The ETA applies. BIS treatment of 12 V car accessories is not covered by any category we found^[4], so ask BIS before the first order.

Wireless chargers are radio equipment, so enforcement comes mainly from DoT and the consumer regulator rather than BIS, plus BIS for any adaptor or power bank in the range.

• Radio products face a second regulator. CCPA guidelines call a device that works only in de-licensed bands but lacks a WPC ETA an 'unauthorised device'^[36], and in January 2026 CCPA reportedly fined four large platforms Rs 10 lakh each over non-compliant walkie-talkie listings^[43].
• A ministry reply in Parliament reportedly said that in FY 2024-25 BIS bought 344 samples of certified-only products from e-commerce platforms, found 142 without valid certification, and searched 22 e-commerce warehouses^[44].
• At the port, goods imported against a prohibition can be confiscated, and the penalty can reach the value of the goods or Rs 5,000, whichever is greater^[45].

The pattern is the same each time: officers check whether the model in the warehouse matches a live registration, not whether the box looks right. Read what happens if you sell without BIS and why shipments get held at Indian ports.

WPC. In the ETA self-declaration the importer accepts liability to prosecution for a wrong declaration^[40].

BIS. For any part that is a CRS product (adaptor or power bank), breaching section 17 of the BIS Act^[46] can bring up to two years in prison or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh, extendable to ten times the value of the goods^[46].

Legal Metrology. Missing retail declarations: improvement notice, then up to Rs 5 lakh, then Rs 25-50 lakh, including for online marketplaces^[47].

Battery EPR. Non-target violations cost Rs 20,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 80,000 for first to third defaults^[48].

The radio rules are settled for now, and the dated changes to watch are the DoT portal move, marketplace listing rules and the standard change for any adaptor you bundle.

• Self-declaration since 2024. Since 9 September 2024 all ETAs for licence-exempt devices are granted by self-declaration^[1], and CBIC reportedly told field formations about it in October 2024^[49].
• DoT portal changes. New applications under the Indian Telegraph Act have stopped, and possession authorisations under the Telecommunications Act, 2023 moved to eservices.dot.gov.in from 6 August 2026^[50]. We have not seen the ETA route change.
• Adaptors. A bundled adaptor moves to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, with the old standard withdrawn after 1 November 2028^[51].
• Still no BIS category. On 1 November 2026 the CRS list had no wireless charger category^[4].

Track dates on new rules for 2026, the compliance calendar, the QCO tracker and IS/IEC 62368-1.

Any accredited RF laboratory can issue the report: the self-declaration names the lab and its country and confirms the report is genuine^[40]. Unlike BIS testing, it does not have to be an Indian lab.

What the report must show. The inductive exemption sets field-strength limits at 10 m, referenced to EN 300 330, for each sub-band from 9 kHz to 30 MHz^[8]. Ask the lab to state the operating frequency and the measured field strength against those limits, because marketplaces must show the frequency range and the test report on the listing^[36]. If the pad also has Bluetooth or another radio, upload every module's report^[26].

Documents. The ETA needs the RF test report, the manufacturer's authorisation if you are its Indian representative, and technical literature^[2]. See the WPC ETA guide, Saral Sanchar and how to get WPC approval.

Cost of help. One consultancy lists a Rs 7,500 professional fee on top of the Rs 10,000 government fee^[54]; see WPC consultants and WPC ETA cost. If you bundle an adaptor or sell a wireless power bank, that part needs a BIS lab: labs for IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 declare Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,99,000^[55]. See BIS labs, CRS test labs and BIS consultants.

Four Comploa tools cover the main checks for wireless chargers, and they are free.

• Approval checker: answer a few questions about radio, battery and packaging and get the approval list for your model.
• HS code approval finder: start from the tariff line your broker proposes and see which approvals usually follow it.
• Compliance cost estimator: official fees for your model count, with your own lab quotes added.
• Label checker: tick the box and product markings before the factory prints.

Before the first shipment, work through the first electronics import checklist, the EPR registration checklist and customs clearance documents. Before you list, use before listing on Amazon or before listing on Flipkart.

Country guides. See importing from China, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

If your model does not fit neatly, ask us for a free compliance check with the spec sheet and the box artwork.