IS 616:2017 explained: the audio and video safety standard for earphones, speakers and TVs under BIS registration

IS 616:2017 is titled Audio, video and similar electronic apparatus - Safety requirements (Fifth Revision). It is identical to IEC 60065:2014 under dual numbering^[1]. BIS keeps it under its electronics committee LITD 07^[1].

It is a product safety standard. It deals with protection against electric shock, fire and other hazards from equipment such as amplifiers, speakers, televisions and similar devices. It does not cover sound quality, radio performance or energy use.

This page gives facts about the standard and how Indian rules use it. It does not reproduce any of the standard's text; the full standard is sold by BIS.

The current edition is IS 616:2017, the fifth revision of the standard^[1]. BIS lists no amendment to it^[1].

One listing detail to know about: on the CRS portal's product list, the category Power adaptors for audio, video and similar electronic apparatus is shown against IS 616:2010, while every other IS 616 category is shown against the 2017 edition^[8]. Our records show this exactly as BIS publishes it. We have no official explanation for the difference, so confirm the edition with your lab before testing an adaptor.

The bigger change is the move to a new standard. Its CRS replacement is IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, Audio Video Information and Communication Technology Equipment - Part 1: Safety Requirements (Second Revision), which is identical to IEC 62368-1:2023^[9].

IS 616 covers the safety of audio and video equipment. TVs, phones-style wearables, batteries and radios bring other standards and approvals. This table shows which one does which job.

Yes, for BIS registration. MeitY's S.O. 4997(E), dated 29 October 2025 and published in the Gazette on 4 November 2025, replaced IS 616:2017 and IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 in the CRS order's schedule with IS/IEC 62368 (Part 1):2023^[3].

IS 616:2017 may still be used alongside the new standard until 1 November 2028, after which it stands withdrawn for CRS^[4].

What this means today (1 November 2026):

• Products registered against IS 616:2017 are inside the concurrent window^[4].
• The CRS portal's product list still shows IS 616:2017 against earphones, speakers and TVs, for example^[8] and^[8]. The gazette notification is the legal text^[3].
• BIS's guidelines of 9 March 2026 list the IS 616 categories among 38 that move to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[11]. Existing licensees submit complete new test reports for every lead model through the 'Standard Revision/Amendment/Essential Requirement' option, with an undertaking for series models^[11].
• BIS's FAQ of 22 July 2026 says the R-number stays the same^[7], there is no BIS fee for migrating registered models^[7], and renewals under IS 616:2017 are allowed up to 1 November 2028^[7].
• Critical components certified only to IS 616 are not accepted after migration^[7]. Full detail is on our IS/IEC 62368-1 page.

Extended reality devices are different. AR, VR and MR products were added at S. No. 65 directly under IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, and for them the old standards could run alongside only until 1 May 2026^[4]. BIS guidance of 13 August 2026 places AR and MR glasses in that category^[15].

In the 2021 CRS order, IS 616:2017 applied to audio and video products such as electronic video games, plasma, LCD and LED TVs of 32 inch and above, optical disc players with amplifiers of 200 W and above, amplifiers of 2000 W and above, and electronic musical systems of 200 W and above^[10]. Later phases added consumer audio products. The CRS portal lists these categories against IS 616; the date is the implementation date it gives for each.

Most IS 616 products ship under heading 8518 (earphones and speakers) or 8528 (TVs). The HS code does not decide BIS coverage; the CRS category does. Codes marked 'commonly declared' come from tariff lookups, so confirm them with your customs broker. See HS code.

Not yet. TV sets were made subject to a second standard, IS 18112 (digital television receivers for satellite broadcast), by S.O. 1929(E) of 26 April 2023^[5]. Its start date has been pushed back several times. The latest MeitY notification, S.O. 4182(E) of 26 July 2026, moved it from 26 July 2026 to 26 January 2027^[5]. A BIS circular of 31 July 2026 confirms the 26 January 2027 date and says the original date was 26 April 2025^[18].

Two inconsistencies in official sources:

• Date. The CRS portal's product list still shows 26 July 2026 for the IS 18112 TV requirement^[8]. The later gazette notification S.O. 4182(E) sets 26 January 2027^[5]. The gazette is the legal text, so 26 January 2027 is the date to work to.
• Edition. The MeitY record names IS 18112:2022^[5], while the portal list shows IS 18112:2025^[8]. Ask your lab which edition it tests to.

Until the IS 18112 date, the portal shows TVs as IS 616:2017, or IS 616:2017 with IS 18112^[8].

BIS guidance of 13 August 2026 sorts glasses-style wearables by what they do^[15]:

• Audio glasses go under Wireless Earphones and Headphones, an IS 616 category^[8].
• Smart glasses with a camera that records video go under Video Camera, also IS 616^[8].
• Smart glasses with a photo-only camera go under Digital Camera, which the portal lists against IS 13252 (Part 1):2010^[8]. See IS 13252 (Part 1).
• AR and MR glasses go under Extended Reality Products, which use IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[8].

The product is tested at a BIS-recognised or BIS-empanelled lab, and that lab's report is what BIS assesses^[19]. Labs post a clause-by-clause price list on BIS's LIMS portal, which shows the shape of a full IS 616 test. TUV India's Bengaluru lab, for example, charges Rs 60,000 and lists lines for marking and instructions, heating in normal use, construction against electric shock, shock hazard in normal use, insulation, mechanical strength, clearances and creepage, terminals, flexible cords, connections, stability, resistance to fire and fault conditions. Insulation is the largest line, at Rs 15,000, followed by mechanical strength at Rs 10,000^[6]. The steps around the test are:

IS 616 lab charges run from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1,80,000 before tax across 62 labs on BIS LIMS, with a median of about Rs 60,000^[6]. BIS's own fees are extra.

Labs fix their declared charges for three years at recognition or renewal^[21]. For televisions, check the size limit in the lab's scope: some labs list TVs up to 150 inches, others up to 105 or 90 inches^[6]. Budget with the BIS CRS fee calculator and our CRS registration cost guide.

BIS does not publish a fixed CRS sample quantity for IS 616; the lab sets it. BIS's rules decide which model is tested: the worst-case model in a series^[24].

• Series size. Wireless headphones and earphones, and musical systems under 200 W, allow up to 10 models in one series under the Phase IV guidelines^[24].
• Brands. Several brands from one factory can share one test report, but each brand is registered separately and each brand's label must be in the report^[25].
• Samples are unmarked. Do not put the Standard Mark on samples^[26].
• Bringing samples in. The CRS order does not apply to goods imported for testing in India^[27]. See importing samples for BIS testing.

Rejections usually come from mismatches between the report, the label and the application. BIS's January 2025 advisory lists the common ones: model numbers that differ from the test request, missing marking labels for applied models, label ratings that do not match the product description, and samples that already carry the Standard Mark^[28].

For audio brands, the brand trail is the usual problem. BIS's deficiency list includes a missing brand registration certificate, a brand on the certificate that does not match the label in the report, and a missing brand-owner authorisation^[29]. Small products such as earbuds may carry the mark on the packaging only if the product is too small^[30], so the packaging artwork in the report matters.

Fees are not refunded if BIS rejects an application after processing^[31]. See CRS rejections, how to read a BIS test report and the CRS application checklist.

IS 616 is applied through the BIS Compulsory Registration Scheme, run as Scheme-II of BIS's Conformity Assessment Regulations^[12]. It works on self-declaration of conformity, backed by a lab test^[32].

The order behind it began as MeitY's 2012 order, S.O. 2357(E)^[12]. BIS records 3 July 2013 as the date the requirement for IS 616 and IS 13252 products was notified and implemented^[2]. Today's legal basis is the 2021 order, S.O. 1248(E)^[33], explained on our electronics CRS order page. Every standard we cover is listed on the IS codes hub.

The registration is granted to the manufacturer, per factory, not to the importer^[32]. Foreign manufacturers must nominate an Authorised Indian Representative^[19].

The Standard Mark must show the R-number and the IS reference^[34]. For small products such as earphones, MeitY's FAQ allows the mark on the packaging only when the product is too small^[30]. See CRS labelling and the product guides for Bluetooth earphones and Bluetooth speakers.

Batteries inside. Wireless earphones and speakers contain rechargeable cells. Lithium cells and batteries are a separate CRS category under IS 16046^[8], and importing equipment with a battery makes you a producer under the battery EPR rules^[35]. See battery EPR.

Covered goods may not be imported, sold or stored for sale unless they conform to the Indian Standard and carry the Standard Mark with a registration number^[32]. Under section 29(3) of the BIS Act as enacted (later amendments not checked), breaking section 17 can lead to imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh for a first offence and at least Rs 5 lakh after that, extendable to ten times the value of the goods, or both^[36]. BIS can also order a stop to supply and a recall of non-conforming marked goods^[36].

1. A TWS earbud brand. The factory can test to IS 616 at around the median Rs 60,000^[6], but must move every lead model to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 by 1 November 2028^[37], where the median charge is about Rs 1,25,000^[22]. Going straight to the new standard saves one round of testing. The importer separately needs battery EPR^[38] and, as usually applied, a WPC ETA^[13]. Selling on Amazon? See Amazon sellers.

2. A 65-inch TV importer planning 2027 shipments. TVs need IS 18112 in addition to the safety standard from 26 January 2027^[5], and colour TVs sit in a restricted import policy under DGFT Notification 22/2015-2020^[17]. Choose a lab whose IS 616 or 62368 scope covers the screen size^[6], and plan the BEE label too^[14]. See televisions.

3. Smart glasses with speakers and a video camera. BIS guidance places glasses that record video under Video Camera, an IS 616 category, and audio-only glasses under Wireless Earphones and Headphones^[15]. AR or MR glasses are Extended Reality Products, where only IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 has been accepted since 1 May 2026^[4].

IS 616 entered CRS in 2013 and will be withdrawn for it after 1 November 2028. Track wider changes on the QCO tracker and new rules for 2026.

• Sample quantities. BIS publishes no CRS sample count for IS 616; ask your lab.
• The 2010 edition for adaptors. The portal shows IS 616:2010 for audio and video power adaptors^[8]; we found no official reason.
• IS 18112 edition. MeitY names the 2022 edition^[5] while the portal shows 2025^[8].
• New fee structure. Consultants report a Rs 25,000 yearly processing fee from 2026^[39]; we have not seen the official table.

For a second opinion on your product, ask for a free compliance check or compare BIS consultants.