MTCTE certification fees in 2026: what TEC charges per product group, and what you pay on top

TEC's fee for MTCTE is a flat administrative fee per application. The amount depends only on which fee group your product is in. The MTCTE Procedure v3.0 (TEC 93009:2024) sets four groups^[1]. Since 1 January 2024, TEC charges only this administrative fee for applications based on an Essential Requirement, whether the product is under the General Certification Scheme (GCS) or the Simplified Certification Scheme (SCS)^[2].

The group reflects how much time and complexity TEC expects in testing the product or evaluating its reports. That is why simple phones sit in Group A and network equipment sits in Group C. The table below is the whole of TEC's own fee schedule. Everything else you pay (lab testing, consultants, an Indian representative's charges) is set privately.

The group is fixed by TEC's product list, not by your choice. When you submit an application on the MTCTE portal, the portal shows you the scheme, the Essential Requirement and the fee payable^[3]. Before that, you can work it out from Tables A.1 and A.2 of the procedure.

Simplified Certification Scheme (SCS) products are split across Groups A, B and C^[3]:

• Group A: 2-wire telephone equipment, conferencing equipment, cordless telephones, G3 fax machines, ISDN customer premises equipment and modems.
• Group B: equipment working in the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands, PON broadband equipment, PABX, C-MSAAE, DSL equipment, end-point devices for environmental monitoring, feedback devices, hypervisors, IoT gateways, IP multimedia conferencing equipment, IP terminals, radio broadcast receivers, smart electricity meters and tracking devices.
• Group C: LAN switches, routers, transmission terminal equipment, 5G core, SIMs, optical fibre and optical fibre cable, and the core-network nodes such as HLR/HSS, MSC, SGSN/GGSN and SMSC.

General Certification Scheme (GCS) products are all in Group C. That covers cellular base stations up to 4G and for 5G, BSC/RNC, E-band radio relay, HF radio, mobile radio trunking, PTP/PMP microwave radio, cellular repeaters, satellite communication equipment, VHF/UHF radio system equipment and compact cellular networks^[3].

For the products importers ask about most, TEC's own examples line up the same way. Equipment in 2.4/5 GHz, IoT gateways, tracking devices, smart meters and radio broadcast receivers are Group B (Rs 20,000). Routers and LAN switches are Group C (Rs 30,000). Modems and cordless phones are Group A (Rs 10,000)^[1].

If you certify a whole family of chassis and modules together, the fee is Group D (Rs 50,000) whatever the product is^[1].

If the product is not notified, or is exempt, there is no TEC fee to pay. Check this before budgeting; the full list is on MTCTE products.

Under SCS, TEC does not evaluate the reports in depth, and a certificate is normally issued within fifteen working days. Under GCS, TEC evaluates reports from its designated labs and normally issues the certificate in 4 to 8 weeks^[1].

Before 1 January 2024, TEC's fee table also had a separate charge for evaluating test reports. TEC's notification of 27 December 2023 moved most products into SCS and said only the administrative fee would be charged for ER-based applications from 1 January 2024^[2]. Some consultants still show an extra "test report" fee in their price lists, for example Rs 50,000 on top of Group A or Rs 1,00,000 on top of Group B, according to one consultancy's published table^[9]. That is not a TEC fee. If you see it on a quote, ask whether it is the lab's testing charge or the consultant's own fee.

The fee buys a certificate that is normally valid for ten years from issue. A provisional certificate is normally valid for two years^[1].

Testing is the biggest cost for most products, and TEC does not set it. Under the procedure, when a product is tested by a Conformity Assessment Body (CAB), the lab's own charges apply. Only tests done in TEC or RTEC labs have a fee notified by TEC^[3]. TEC has told all its designated CABs to publish their testing charges on their websites^[10], so you can compare labs before you send samples.

As one example, SGS India's published MTCTE testing charges are reported as Rs 85,000 for a router, Rs 55,000 for a tracking device, Rs 85,000 for a smart electricity meter and Rs 55,000 for 2-wire telephone equipment, before taxes^[11]. These are one lab's list prices, not a rule. Other labs and other configurations will cost more or less.

Test reports from labs abroad can sometimes cut this cost. As a time-bound relaxation, TEC accepts reports from ILAC-accredited labs except for parameters that must be tested in Indian CABs, and such reports must be no more than two years old when submitted^[1]. Under the 2025 rules, a lab abroad can be recognised as a CAB only if it is ILAC-accredited and not in a country that shares a land border with India^[8].

Where a product's safety parameters are already covered by a BIS certificate or a report from a BIS-recognised lab, TEC accepts that evidence, so you need not pay twice for safety testing^[1]. See BIS CRS for the BIS side.

Products notified for security testing are tested at NCCS-designated labs against ITSARs^[8], and one portal application gives an integrated certificate for both^[3]. DoT announced that from 1 August 2025 the ComSec security test evaluation fee fell to Rs 10,000, Rs 20,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 50,000 for Groups A to D, from Rs 2,00,000 to Rs 3,50,000 before; this is from a reported summary^[12]. Security lab charges are on top. Most consumer imports such as Wi-Fi routers should confirm on the portal whether the ITSAR route applies to their model.

Every follow-on action costs the same as the original administrative fee for the product's group^[3]:

Re-testing, where needed, is paid to the lab on top. The certificate number stays the same after a modification.

Renewal should be applied for at least two months before the certificate expires. TEC renews only if neither the Essential Requirement nor the equipment model has changed, and the renewed certificate is valid for ten years (or two where applicable)^[3]. If the ER has been revised, you will be testing against the new version, so budget for lab fees, not just the renewal fee.

You do not need a new certificate, or a new fee, for an unchanged model or brand or for changes to labelling only^[8].

You pay inside the application on the MTCTE portal. The fee is deposited through BharatKosh, the government's Non-Tax Receipt Portal (NTRP)^[1]. The sequence is fixed: you submit the application with the BoM and data sheet, the portal shows the fee, you pay, and only then can you upload test reports^[3].

Fees are non-refundable. The only exception is when TEC does not process the application for reasons not attributable to you, and the refund then needs approval from TEC's Sr. DDG or Head^[3]. So check the product, variant and ER before you pay. Picking the wrong product on the portal means paying again.

The administrative fee is fully waived for government R&D institutes such as C-DOT and C-DAC until 31 March 2028^[3]. Private companies, start-ups and importers pay the full fee.

Yes, partly. A DoT scheme in force from 5 March 2025 reimburses part of testing and certification charges in the telecom field, under both mandatory and voluntary certification^[4].

The testing must be done at a TEC- or NCCS-designated or recognised lab, or at an NABL-accredited lab where no TEC-designated CAB exists for that test. The scheme runs for two years from its start or until its Rs 25 crore fund is used up, whichever comes first. Applications go to tec.gov.in/tcrs and were accepted from 10 March 2025^[4].

Two practical points follow. First, testing at a lab abroad under the ILAC relaxation will not qualify, because the scheme names Indian designated labs. Second, the scheme is for start-ups and micro and small enterprises. A trading company that imports finished products may or may not meet those definitions; check your Udyam or start-up registration before counting on the refund.

Illustrative, our arithmetic. A micro enterprise certifies one router. TEC fee Rs 30,000 (Group C)^[1]; reported lab price Rs 85,000^[11]; total Rs 1,15,000.

• If the testing qualifies (TEC- or NCCS-designated lab), up to 60% of testing and certification charges can be reimbursed^[4]: up to Rs 69,000, leaving a net cost of about Rs 46,000.
• As a start-up, up to 75%: up to Rs 86,250 back.
• If tested abroad on an ILAC report^[1], the lab bill falls outside a scheme that names TEC/NCCS-designated labs, so only the TEC fee portion could be claimed, if at all.

The Rs 25 crore fund and two-year life are hard limits^[4], so file the claim as soon as the certificate issues.

The cost of getting caught is ten times the fee. If notified equipment is found without a valid certificate, the holder is told to stop sale, distribution or use within seven days. To resume, it can get certified within 180 days by paying ten times the normal fee, and the authority may seek seizure or destruction of the equipment^[8]. The MTCTE procedure also says contravention cases pay ten times the applicable administrative fee^[1].

For a Group B product such as a tracker, that turns a Rs 20,000 fee into Rs 2,00,000, before the lab bill and the lost sales. Telecom operators must also cut off service to users of uncertified notified equipment after seven days' notice^[8], which matters for SIM-based products.

These examples add TEC's fee to reported lab prices. Lab prices are one lab's published list and will vary^[11]. Consultant and Indian representative charges are left out.

Example 1: one GPS tracker model. Tracking devices are Group B^[3]. TEC fee Rs 20,000^[1]. Reported lab price Rs 55,000^[11]. Total about Rs 75,000 plus tax on the lab bill. If the tracker also has Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, add a WPC ETA at Rs 10,000 per model^[13].

Example 2: one router. Routers are Group C^[1]. TEC fee Rs 30,000. Reported lab price Rs 85,000^[11]. Total about Rs 1,15,000 before tax. A Wi-Fi router may also need a WPC ETA, and a consumer Wi-Fi router may instead be certified as 2.4/5 GHz equipment (Group B), so check the product on the portal first.

Example 3: three Wi-Fi access point models from one factory. Each model is an application at Group B, so the TEC fee is 3 × Rs 20,000 = Rs 60,000^[1]. If the models share hardware and differ only in configuration, ask whether they can be certified as associated models under one certificate, which saves both TEC fees and lab time.

Less than it looks, because a regular certificate normally runs ten years^[1]. A Group B tracker certificate at Rs 20,000 works out to Rs 2,000 a year of TEC fee; a Group C router at Rs 30,000, Rs 3,000 a year (our arithmetic). Renewal costs the same group fee^[3] and should be filed at least two months before expiry, and only if neither the Essential Requirement nor the model has changed^[3]. A provisional certificate lasts two years^[1], and converting it costs another group fee, so a provisional route can cost double. Put the expiry into the licence renewal date tool and the compliance calendar.

A connected device often needs all three, and their government fees are of a similar order. Lab testing usually dominates.

For the safety part, yes. TEC accepts a valid BIS certificate or a safety report from a BIS-recognised lab for safety parameters in an MTCTE Essential Requirement^[1], so a product already under BIS CRS avoids paying twice for safety testing. Radio testing for WPC is separate; see WPC ETA costs and how to get WPC approval. For GPS trackers and walkie-talkies, the product pages show which combination applies. A foreign maker also needs an Authorised Indian Representative on the portal^[15]; see foreign manufacturers.

Budget for these on top:

• Lab testing at a TEC-designated CAB, priced by the lab^[3].
• Security testing at an NCCS-designated lab if the product is notified for security testing against ITSARs^[8].
• An Authorised Indian Representative if the maker is abroad. The AIR is the Indian company that imports the equipment and registers on the portal^[15]. Its charges are private.
• Other approvals: a WPC ETA for radios in licence-exempt bands^[13], BIS where the product is on the CRS list, and EPR. See the MTCTE cost guide and WPC ETA vs MTCTE.
• Labelling: the TEC logo and certificate number must go on the product^[3].

1. Budgeting for a test report evaluation fee that no longer exists. One consultancy's table still lists a 'test report' fee of Rs 50,000 to Rs 2,00,000 on top of the administrative fee^[9]; TEC charges only the administrative fee for ER-based applications since 1 January 2024^[2].
2. Paying for a family certificate you do not need. Family certification is charged at Group D, Rs 50,000^[1]; for one or two models, individual applications can be cheaper.
3. Paying before the BoM is right. Fees are non-refundable except where TEC fails to process for reasons not attributable to you^[3].
4. Selling first and certifying later. That costs ten times the fee^[1].
5. Using a lab abroad and then claiming reimbursement. The scheme covers TEC/NCCS-designated labs^[4].

If you want help, the WPC consultants page lists firms that also handle MTCTE.

• 1 January 2024: only the administrative fee for ER-based applications^[2].
• Procedure v3.0: regular certificate validity raised from five to ten years^[1].
• 5 March 2025: reimbursement scheme for start-ups, micro and small firms^[4].
• 16 May 2025: MTCTE moved under the Telecommunications Act rules^[8], with existing requirements continuing^[16].
• 1 August 2025: ComSec security evaluation fees cut, as reported^[12].

The MTCTE portal showed 5,552 certificates and 11,533 certified models on 1 November 2026^[17]. For a full cost picture across approvals use the compliance cost estimator, see MTCTE certification cost, or ask for a free compliance check.