What an imported product's package must declare under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules

Every pre-packaged commodity sold at retail in India has to carry a set of mandatory declarations under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011. Imported goods are no exception: the importer is one of the people the rules name, and its details go on the box.

The Department of Consumer Affairs summarised the list in Parliament in August 2024. Every pre-packaged commodity must declare the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or importer, the country of origin, the common or generic name, the net quantity, the month and year of manufacture, the MRP, the unit sale price, a best before or use-by date where the commodity can become unfit for human consumption, and consumer care details^[1].

The table below turns that list into a checklist for an electronics importer, with the rule each item comes from and anything that has changed. Then we take each declaration in turn.

A caution before you start: we could not read the current consolidated text of rule 6, because the Department of Consumer Affairs websites and India Code were unreachable during our research^[1]. Everything here comes from the 2024 ministerial answer, the original 2011 rule text and the amendment notices we could open. Where a point rests on a secondary report, we say so.

The declaration covers the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or importer^[1]. For goods you import, the Indian importer's name and address is the one buyers and Legal Metrology officers look for, because that is the business registered under rule 27.

Rule 27(2) asks for the complete address of the premises where the import is made when you register^[2]. Print the same name and address on the package. A mismatch between the label and the certificate is one of the easiest problems for an inspector or marketplace to spot. If your address changes, apply for an alteration of the certificate, which costs Rs 100^[2], and update the packaging.

If you also want to show the foreign manufacturer's name, you can, but it does not replace the importer details.

The package must state the country of origin^[1]. Print the country where the product was made, in a form a buyer can read, such as "Country of origin: China".

Country of origin is getting more attention online. According to secondary reports, every e-commerce entity offering an imported product must give its listing a searchable and sortable country-of-origin filter from 1 July 2027^[5]. The marketplace will rely on the origin you enter, so make sure the listing, the invoice and the box all agree.

Country of origin is also one of the details the 2026 amendment requires registered importers to report in their yearly update on the online portal^[3].

Every package must declare its net quantity^[1]. For most electronics this is a number of units, for example "1 unit" for a single device. Where the box holds several items, count them.

Where the size of the commodity matters, rule 6(1)(f) also requires the package to give the dimensions, and the dimensions of each piece if they differ^[2]. Cables and screens are typical cases where size matters to the buyer.

Inches and other customary units are a frequent question. A Department of Consumer Affairs advisory of 18 May 2026 reportedly allows customary units next to SI units, provided the SI unit is declared prominently and prevails in case of dispute, for example "139 cm (55 inches)"^[6]. We have not seen the advisory, so treat this as reported guidance and lead with the metric figure.

Net quantity has its own penalty. Importing a pre-packaged commodity with a net-quantity error beyond the permitted limits carries a fine of Rs 10,000 to Rs 1 lakh for a first offence, rising for repeat offences^[4].

The month and year of manufacture. This is where much older guidance is out of date.

The original 2011 rule 6(1)(d) let you give the month and year in which the commodity was manufactured, pre-packed or imported. The current rules, from 1 January 2024, require the month and year of manufacture^[2]. The change came through G.S.R. 722(E) of 6 October 2023^[1].

For electronic products, spare parts and accessories, G.S.R. 722(E) reportedly lets the month and year of manufacture be shown anywhere on the retail package, as long as it is visible and legible^[7]. We have not checked this against the Gazette text.

In practice, ask the factory to print the manufacture month on each production batch, or to give you the date so your labelling partner can add it. Do not print the date the goods cleared customs.

Two prices must appear: the maximum retail price and the unit sale price^[1]. G.S.R. 722(E) required the unit sale price in addition to the MRP with effect from 1 January 2024^[1].

The detail of the unit sale price rule comes from an earlier amendment. G.S.R. 226(E) of 28 March 2022 reportedly substituted rule 6(11) so that the unit sale price is declared in rupees, rounded to two decimals, and is not needed where the retail sale price equals the unit sale price^[8]. We have not read that Gazette text. Its commencement was postponed several times and finally fixed at 1 January 2024 by G.S.R. 714(E) of 30 September 2023^[9].

For a single device sold as one unit, the MRP and the unit sale price will often be the same. Where they are, the reported rule says the unit sale price is not needed separately^[8].

Stickers. The 2011 text of rule 6(3) prohibits stickers that make or alter the mandatory declarations. The one exception is a sticker showing a reduced MRP, inclusive of all taxes, which must not cover the original MRP^[2]. So you cannot sticker over a foreign price, and you cannot raise the MRP with a sticker.

Rule 6(2) says every package must bear the name, address, telephone number and e-mail address of the person or office to contact for consumer complaints^[2]. The 2011 text says e-mail "if available"; we have not verified the current wording^[2]. Give an e-mail address anyway.

Use an Indian contact that someone actually answers. If your foreign supplier runs the service centre, you can print its Indian details, but your own name and address must still appear as importer.

On the principal display panel. Rule 8(1) says every declaration must appear there, with the area around the net quantity kept free of other printing^[2]. The panel can be all in one place, or split as the definition allows^[2].

Rule 6(5) deals with a commodity packed in two or more units. The declarations go on the main package, with information about the accompanying packages. Components sold as spare parts, however, must carry all the declarations on each package^[2].

For an importer of electronics this means:

• a phone sold with a charger and cable in one retail box needs the declarations on the outer box;
• the same charger or cable imported separately as a replacement part needs its own full set of declarations;
• accessories sold on their own in retail packs are retail packages in their own right.

LMPC is only one layer. A typical imported gadget's box also carries marks under other laws, and inspectors and marketplaces check them together.

The declarations are the same for every product^[1]; what changes is how you state quantity and size. Our notes for common imports:

• Televisions and monitors. Screen size matters, so declare dimensions^[2]. A May 2026 advisory reportedly lets you add inches beside the SI unit, provided the SI unit is prominent^[6].
• USB cables. Length is the size that matters; give it with the net quantity^[2].
• Mobile phones sold with a charger and cable. One set of declarations on the outer box with information on the accompanying items^[2].
• Mobile chargers sold as replacement parts. Each pack needs the full set^[2].
• Toys and pressure cookers. Imported in retail packs, they are reported to need rule 27 registration and the package declarations^[19].
• Power banks. Net quantity is the number of units; battery EPR marks sit alongside^[13].

Only under a time-limited relaxation that we have not seen extended. G.S.R. 577(E) of 14 July 2022 allowed electronic products made, packed or imported after 15 July 2022 to give some rule 6 declarations through a QR code for one year. Even then, the package itself had to show the name of the manufacturer, packer or importer and the consumer-care phone number and e-mail^[20].

We have not verified whether this relaxation was extended. Until you can show an extension, print every declaration on the package.

The simplest place is the factory, before shipment. Since 29 May 2026 there is also a confirmed option inside India: importers may make the mandatory declarations at bonded warehouses of AEO Tier-2 and Tier-3 certified operators, provided retail packages carry all mandatory declarations before leaving those warehouses^[3].

We have not confirmed how labelling elsewhere after landing is treated, so if you do not use an AEO bonded warehouse, label before shipment.

Fixing artwork at the factory costs almost nothing; relabelling in India costs a bonded warehouse visit at best. Work through these steps on the final print file.

Since a 2017 amendment, e-commerce entities must reportedly display on their platform the mandatory label declarations for the pre-packaged commodities they offer for sale^[21]. That is rule 6(10). We could not read its current text, so we cannot give you the exact list the platform must show^[21]. Give the marketplace the same details that are on the box.

The penalty for non-conforming packages now expressly reaches sales through e-commerce platforms and online marketplaces^[4].

Rule 3(c) exempts packaged commodities meant for industrial or institutional consumers from the provisions that apply to retail packages^[1]. If you import components for your own assembly line, or bulk goods sold only to institutions, the retail declarations may not apply.

A July 2024 draft proposed amending rule 3 so the rules apply to all retail packages, including those over 25 kg. We have not found a final notification^[1].

1. Supplier's name instead of the importer's. The importer's name and complete address must be on imported packs^[2].
2. 'Date of import' instead of month of manufacture. Correct since 1 January 2024^[2].
3. MRP sticker over the printed MRP. Only a reduced-MRP sticker is allowed, and it must not cover the original^[2].
4. No phone or e-mail for complaints. Both are required^[2].
5. Relying on a QR code. The 2022 QR relaxation was for one year^[20]; print everything.
6. Treating the outer carton as optional. A non-transparent wrapper needs all the declarations too^[2].

The product label checklist and label checker catch most of these. For a professional review, see LMPC consultants.

Here is an illustrative layout for a pair of wireless earphones imported from China. The names and numbers are placeholders, not real data. Each line maps to a declaration in the table above.

• Product: Wireless earphones
• Imported and marketed by: [Your company name], [complete address as on your LMPC certificate]
• Country of origin: China
• Net quantity: 1 unit (one pair, with charging case and cable)
• Month and year of manufacture: [month/year from the factory]
• MRP: Rs [amount] (inclusive of all taxes)
• Unit sale price: Rs [amount] per unit, if it differs from the MRP
• Consumer care: [name, address, phone, e-mail]

The package will usually need other marks too, which come from other approvals rather than LMPC, such as the BIS Standard Mark with the R-number for a CRS-registered product^[11].

Under section 36(1) of the Legal Metrology Act, as substituted in 2026, anyone who imports, sells or offers a pre-packaged commodity whose package does not carry the required declarations gets an improvement notice for a first offence, a penalty of up to Rs 5 lakh for a second, and a fine of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for later offences^[4]. If an improvement notice is ignored, your registration can be suspended or revoked after a hearing^[4]. See LMPC registration for the full penalty ladder.

The rules have moved fast. Dated changes that touch imported packs:

Register under rule 27 if you have not (LMPC importer registration), check each SKU's artwork, and keep a dated copy of the approved label with the shipment file. Penalties for wrong labels are on LMPC penalties. Sellers on marketplaces should also read the Amazon listing checklist and Flipkart listing checklist. Budget the work with the compliance cost estimator, or ask us for a free compliance check on your box.