IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 explained: the new safety standard for electronics under BIS registration

IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 is the Indian safety standard for audio, video, information and communication technology equipment. Its full title is "Audio Video Information and Communication Technology Equipment - Part 1: Safety Requirements (Second Revision)". It is identical to IEC 62368-1:2023 under single numbering and supersedes IS/IEC 62368 (Part 1):2018^[1]. BIS keeps it under committee LITD 07^[6].

For BIS registration it replaces two older product-family standards: IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 for IT equipment and IS 616:2017 for audio and video equipment. MeitY's S.O. 4997(E) made the switch in the CRS order^[2].

Is the slug's standard current? Yes. The 2023 edition is the one MeitY notified, and BIS's record shows no amendment yet^[6].

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

IS/IEC 62368-1 replaces two safety standards but does not replace the battery standard or the extra requirements for phones, TVs and CCTV. This table shows which standard does which job after migration.

MeitY's S.O. 4997(E), dated 29 October 2025 and published on 4 November 2025, replaced IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 and IS 616:2017 in the CRS order with IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[2]. The old standards may run alongside until 1 November 2028, after which they stand withdrawn^[3].

The exception: extended reality. AR, VR and MR products were added directly under IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, with the old standards allowed only until 1 May 2026^[3]. The CRS portal shows extended reality products under IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 from 5 December 2025. Wider changes are on the QCO tracker and new rules for 2026^[11].

BIS's guidelines of 9 March 2026 list 38 CRS categories that move from IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 or IS 616:2017 to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[4]. Some of the most imported, all from that list:

Yes. Three groups keep a second requirement^[4]:

• Televisions keep IS 18112:2025 alongside the safety standard.
• Mobile phones keep IS 16333 (Part 3):2022 (Indian language support).
• CCTV cameras and recorders keep the Essential Requirements for security of IP-based cameras.

If migrating to IS/IEC 62368-1 affects compliance with those requirements, licensees must submit fresh test reports for them too; if it does not, a signed declaration is enough^[4].

Not covered: products under other standards, such as LED lamps and luminaires, UPS units or lithium cells, are not in BIS's list of 38 migrating categories^[4]. Their standards are listed on the IS codes hub.

The 38 migrating categories span laptops, phones, chargers, power banks, earphones, speakers, monitors, printers, set top boxes, CCTV and TVs^[4]. The HS code does not decide BIS coverage, and codes marked 'commonly declared' come from tariff lookups, not rulings. See HS code.

For licences already granted under IS 13252 (Part 1) or IS 616^[4]:

1. Test all lead models to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 at a BIS-recognised lab, identified under MeitY's revised series guidelines.
2. Submit the complete test reports through the "Standard Revision/Amendment/Essential Requirement" option in the CRS login.
3. Give an undertaking that series models in the licence also comply.
4. BIS issues a letter listing the models that now comply.

If a licensee has not migrated by 1 November 2028, the licence stops being operative and BIS may cancel it or delete models^[4].

Until 1 November 2028, new applications may be filed under IS 13252 (Part 1) or IS 616, or under IS/IEC 62368-1:2023. Those using the old standards must declare that they will move to the new one by the deadline. After 1 November 2028 no licence is granted under the old standards^[4].

In practice, testing a new product to the old standard means paying for a second test within three years. BIS's FAQ says applicants are encouraged to file new applications under IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[5].

Exception: extended reality products have had to use IS/IEC 62368-1 only since 1 May 2026^[3].

IS/IEC 62368-1 is organised by kind of hazard rather than by product. Lab price lists on BIS's LIMS portal show the shape of a full test: Vimta Labs in Hyderabad, for example, charges Rs 80,000 and prices lines under the clauses on electrically-caused injury, electrically-caused fire, hazardous substances, mechanically-caused injury, thermal burn and radiation, plus annexes for components, batteries, flammability and mechanical strength, including enclosure impact, drop and glass impact tests. Insulation materials, touch current and wire insulation are its largest lines at Rs 5,000 each^[7]. Two points from BIS shape the testing:

• Components. Clause 4.1.2 of the standard requires components that act as safeguards to meet IS/IEC 62368-1 or the relevant IEC component standards. That is why BIS will not accept critical components certified only to IS 13252 or IS 616 after migration^[5].
• Parallel testing. Components and end products can be tested in parallel under BIS's parallel testing guidelines^[5].

BIS's standard record lists 34 laboratories against IS/IEC 62368-1:2023^[6], but the LIMS search on 1 November 2026 showed 46 labs for the 2023 edition^[7]; use LIMS, which is the live list. The official CRS steps still apply: test request, sample within 60 days^[17], application within 90 days of the report^[18], grouped by MeitY's series guidelines^[18].

IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 tests cost Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,99,000 before tax across 46 labs on BIS LIMS, with a median of about Rs 1,25,000, roughly double the median for the standards it replaces^[7][19][20]. BIS fees are separate.

Labs fix declared charges for three years from recognition or renewal unless the standard changes^[21]. Seven LIMS entries are still for the superseded 2018 edition, so check the edition on the lab's entry. Budget with the BIS CRS fee calculator and the CRS registration cost guide.

BIS does not publish a sample count for IS/IEC 62368-1; the lab sets it. What BIS fixes is coverage: one representative sample per licence is not enough, and every lead model in each series needs a full report^[22].

• Series. Test labs report up to ten models per series under MeitY's 62368 guidelines, led by the highest power rating or worst case, and by the highest-TDP processor where processors differ^[13]. We have not seen the MeitY document.
• End-of-life models. A lead model that has reached end of life can be withdrawn and the next lead model in the series tested^[5].
• Factories. Each manufacturing location needs its own reports^[5].
• Samples. Samples must not carry the Standard Mark^[23], and goods imported for testing are outside the CRS order^[24]. See importing samples for BIS testing.

The new trap is components. BIS will not accept critical components that comply only with IS 13252 or IS 616 after migration^[5]. BIS's general rule accepts a component's own BIS mark where it is under a CRO or QCO, then a report from a BIS-accepted lab, and only after that CB, UL or VDE certificates^[25].

The familiar traps still apply. BIS's January 2025 advisory requires model numbers in the report to match the test request, marking labels for every applied model, and ratings that match the product description^[26]. Phones, TVs and CCTV also need fresh reports for their extra requirements if migration affects them, or a signed declaration if it does not^[4].

BIS does not refund fees for applications rejected after processing^[27]. See CRS rejections and how to read a BIS test report.

BIS's FAQ illustrates the Standard Mark for migrated products as "IS/IEC 62368-1" above the R-number, under Regulation 6 and Annexures I-III of Scheme II of the Conformity Assessment Regulations^[5]. The mark goes on the product, its package or both^[28], at least Arial size 6^[28]. Small products such as earphones may carry it on the packaging only^[29]. See CRS labelling.

Most confusion about the switch comes from six assumptions that BIS's own guidelines and FAQs contradict. Here is what each official document actually says.

• "Migration gives me a new R-number." It does not. The R-number stays the same, and separate licences for different categories are migrated one by one^[5].
• "Every CRS product has to move." Only the 38 listed categories move^[4]. Lithium cells under IS 16046, LED drivers under IS 15885, LED bulbs under IS 16102 (Part 1) and luminaires under IS 10322 keep their own standards.
• "The deadline is in 2026." For the 38 categories it is 1 November 2028^[3]. Only extended reality products had the earlier 1 May 2026 cut-off^[3].
• "I must renew on the new standard." Renewals under the old standards are allowed up to 1 November 2028^[5].
• "BIS charges a migration fee." It charges none for registered models moved through Standard Revision^[5]; the cost is the lab work.
• "My old component certificates carry over." Components that comply only with IS 13252 or IS 616 are not accepted after migration^[5].

The label change is small: the mark shows 'IS/IEC 62368-1' above the same R-number^[5]. Check artwork with our label checker and the CRS labelling guide.

IS/IEC 62368-1 is applied through MeitY's Electronics and IT Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021^[30], covered on our electronics CRS order page, certified under BIS Scheme-II^[8]. The licence goes to the manufacturer for each factory^[31]; foreign factories need an Authorised Indian Representative^[18].

Covered goods cannot be imported, sold or stored for sale without conformity and the Standard Mark^[31]. Under section 29(3) of the BIS Act as enacted, a breach can bring up to two years in prison, or a fine of at least Rs 2 lakh (Rs 5 lakh for repeat offences) extendable to ten times the value of the goods^[32].

Related standards: IS 13252 (Part 1) and IS 616, both withdrawn for CRS after 1 November 2028^[3].

1. A phone maker with two factories and 25 models. At up to ten models per series, as reported^[13], 25 models need at least three lead models. Reports are needed per location^[5], so two factories need at least six reports. At the median lab charge of about Rs 1,25,000^[7], that is about Rs 7,50,000 in lab fees before tax. BIS charges no migration fee^[5]. The IS 16333 (Part 3) language requirement needs a declaration or a fresh report^[4].

2. A new earbud brand applying in 2026. It may still file under IS 616 with a declaration to migrate^[4], but that means paying for a second test before 1 November 2028. Filing under IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 now is what BIS encourages^[5]. See Bluetooth earphones.

3. A licence that misses the date. If a licensee has not migrated by 1 November 2028, the licence stops being operative and BIS may cancel it or delete models^[4]. Goods landing in India after that date without a valid registration cannot clear^[33]. Track the date with the licence renewal date tool.

• MeitY's series guidelines of 20 May 2026. Only lab summaries are available to us^[13].
• Sample quantities. BIS publishes none for this standard; ask your lab.
• Lab count. BIS's standard record says 34 labs^[6], LIMS showed 46^[7]. Use LIMS.
• New fee structure. Consultants report a Rs 25,000 yearly processing fee from 2026^[34]; we have not seen the official table.

For help planning a migration, ask for a free compliance check or compare BIS consultants.