Documents for a WPC ETA: the RF test report, the self-declaration undertaking and what Customs and marketplaces ask for

DoT lists three documents for a self-declaration ETA: an RF test report, an authorisation from the manufacturer if the applicant is its Indian representative, and technical literature^[1]. On top of those, the portal generates an undertaking that you sign and upload after paying^[4].

That is a short list compared with BIS CRS documents, which run to forms, an affidavit and a notarised AIR nomination. The reason is the route: since DoT's OM of 9 September 2024, every ETA for licence-exempt wireless devices is granted on self-declaration, and the certificate is downloaded on submission^[3]. Nobody at WPC reviews your file before the ETA issues.

That puts the weight on the documents being right. The undertaking makes you liable for a wrong declaration^[2]. This page explains what each document must contain, how the self-declaration differs from the lab report, and what else Customs and marketplaces want. For the money side see WPC ETA fees; for the approval itself see WPC ETA.

Gather these before you open Saral Sanchar. The first three are the uploads DoT lists^[1]; the rest are what the portal and the undertaking need from you.

The RF test report proves the device transmits only within the licence-exempt band and the power and other limits set by the relevant gazette notification. In the 2019 self-declaration format, the importer confirms the products operate only in licence-exempt bands within the gazetted parameters^[2].

Which parameters apply depends on the band. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in 2.4-2.4835 GHz are reported to be exempt under the 2005 low-power rules^[6]; inductive wireless charging sits in 9 kHz to 30 MHz^[7]; PMR walkie-talkies are limited to 446.0-446.2 MHz at 500 mW e.r.p.^[8]. Your report should test against the frequency range and power limit in that notification, not just against an EU or US standard.

The report must cover every radio in the device. A consultancy notes that each RF module is tested separately^[9], so a laptop with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth needs both covered. Make sure the model number on the report matches the label and the Saral Sanchar entry exactly.

No. In the self-declaration the importer undertakes that the attached test report was issued by an accredited laboratory, naming the lab and its country, and that the report is genuine^[2]. DoT's OM does not name an accreditation body or require an Indian lab^[2].

So a report from an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited lab abroad, such as the factory's usual RF lab, can be used. Check three things before relying on it: the lab's accreditation scope includes the RF tests in the report; the report is for the same model and hardware version you will import; and it tests to the Indian band limits.

This is the opposite of BIS. For CRS, safety tests must be at a BIS-recognised laboratory, and the October 2026 Group-1 list had only labs in India^[11]. For MTCTE, foreign labs can be recognised only if ILAC-accredited and not in a country sharing a land border with India^[12]. The WPC rule is the loosest of the three.

The lab report is evidence; the self-declaration is your legal promise about that evidence. The report shows how one sample performed. The self-declaration, which you sign, says every unit you import operates only in the licence-exempt band within the gazetted limits, that the fee is paid, that the goods are exempt from import licensing under DGFT policy, and that you will cooperate with WPC sample checks and audits, accepting prosecution for a wrong declaration^[2].

That is why a good report is not enough on its own. If the factory later changes the radio module or raises output power, the ETA is not valid for the changed product^[13], and your signed declaration becomes false.

The self-declaration is also what Customs relies on. DoT says Customs may treat the importer's or representative's self-declaration as sufficient evidence to clear licence-exempt wireless products^[1].

Technical literature is the manufacturer's description of the radio: what bands it uses, at what power, with what antenna. DoT lists it as a required upload^[1] without defining it, so give WPC what lets someone check the declaration against the report.

A good pack is the product datasheet or user manual pages that state frequency bands, maximum output power, modulation and antenna type and gain, plus a photo of the rating label showing the model number. If the device uses a pre-certified radio module, add the module's datasheet and name the module on the cover page.

Keep the literature consistent with the RF report and the label. A user manual that lists a band your report did not test is the kind of mismatch that surfaces later in a marketplace review or a DoT check. The same technical file also serves BIS and, for Wi-Fi equipment, MTCTE.

You need it when you apply as the manufacturer's Indian representative rather than as the maker^[1]. In practice that covers most importers of foreign brands.

DoT does not publish a template. A workable letter is on the manufacturer's letterhead, names your Indian company, lists the models it authorises you to apply for, and is signed by an authorised officer with date. Ask for it to cover future models in the same family, so you are not chasing a new letter for each launch.

The self-declaration format is signed by the importer or authorised Indian representative^[2], and that signature carries the liability. If you are a distributor rather than the brand's chosen representative, agree in writing with the brand who holds the ETA. Two importers applying for the same model each pay the fee. Compare the Authorised Indian Representative role under BIS, which is more formal.

An ETA attaches to a make and model, because the application is saved against an equipment category, make and model^[14]. If the same hardware is sold under two brand names with two model strings, treat it as two models with two document sets, even if the RF report comes from the same test run.

Several importers of one brand's model can rely on a single ETA only if the applicant, usually the brand's Indian representative, shares the certificate with them; the declaration is made by the importer or authorised representative^[2]. Distributors should ask for the ETA, the RF report and the authorisation chain in writing before importing. If a second importer files its own ETA for the same model, it pays the fee again^[1]. Our distributors guide covers the paperwork split.

Everything is uploaded inside the ETA form on Saral Sanchar; nothing is posted. The steps follow DoT's applicant manual.

Get the company profile right first, because changing it later is harder. Saral Sanchar lets you update the profile without scrutiny only while no application is in process in any module; once one is in process, changes need scrutiny by a DoT officer^[14].

Check the legal name, registered address, GSTIN and authorised contact person against your other registrations before the first application: your IEC, your LMPC importer registration and, if you have one, your CRS AIR nomination. A name spelled differently across these is a recurring cause of customs queries.

Login is through Janparichay/MeriPehchaan^[15]. Use a company mobile and shared mailbox for OTPs rather than a person's own, so the account survives staff changes. Our Saral Sanchar portal guide covers the screens.

Customs may accept the importer's or representative's self-declaration as sufficient evidence to clear licence-exempt wireless products^[1]. For products that are 'Free' under DGFT policy, the system-generated import undertaking from Saral Sanchar is enough to allow import, with no separate WPC import licence^[5]. CBIC is reported to have told field formations about the 2024 self-declaration OM in Instruction 24/2024-Customs^[16].

In practice keep a clearance pack per model: the ETA certificate, the signed undertaking, and the RF report, matched to the model numbers on the invoice and packing list. Give your customs broker the pack before the bill of entry is filed.

The ETA is not a DGFT clearance. DoT says ETA holders must get any DGFT NOC or clearance themselves before importing^[3]. Our customs clearance documents checklist lists the rest of the file.

You need an undertaking to Customs instead of an ETA. Devices in licence-exempt bands imported for testing, prototype or pre-launch purposes are exempt from ETA, but the importer must submit an undertaking in the prescribed format to Customs^[5].

Use this for the units you send to the RF lab and the BIS lab before launch. Keep the quantity reasonable for testing, mark the invoice 'samples for testing, not for sale', and keep the lab's acknowledgement. BIS has a parallel rule: MeitY's CRS FAQ says the CRS order does not apply to goods imported for demonstration, R&D or testing^[17].

Our post on importing samples for BIS testing covers the shipping side for both regulators.

Most importers of licence-exempt products never need one^[5]. Where an import licence is needed, it is applied for on Saral Sanchar and auto-generated after upload and payment of Rs 500; supporting documents include the service licence or dealer possession licence, PO or proforma invoice, technical literature, ETA copies and frequency assignment letters^[18].

That list shows who it is for: holders of operating licences and dealers in licensed-band radios^[5], and importers of RF amplifiers^[5]. Dealer possession licences are being replaced by the Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation on DoT's new Authorisation Portal^[19]. If your product is a licensed-band radio, read our walkie-talkies page first.

For radio equipment, the CCPA's 2025 guidelines require listings to state the operating frequency ranges, give the ETA details with a downloadable ETA copy and a downloadable test report from an accredited lab, and carry the seller's certification that the device and report are unaltered^[20]. Listings without these must be taken down^[20].

So the RF report is no longer an internal document: it is published with the listing. Make sure it is the final report for the model you sell, with no confidential pages you would not want public. Prepare a clean PDF set per model: ETA certificate, RF report, and a one-line seller certification.

See the Amazon sellers and Flipkart sellers guides and the before-listing-on-Flipkart checklist.

The ETA is often one of three or four approvals for a wireless product, and the technical file can be reused across them.

Because the ETA issues on submission, mistakes are not caught at filing. They surface at customs, on a marketplace, or in a DoT check, when they are more expensive. The usual ones:

• Model mismatch. The RF report, the ETA and the label show different model strings. Fix before filing; a new model string is a new ETA.
• Untested radio. The report covers Bluetooth but the device also has Wi-Fi. The declaration covers every radio^[2].
• Changed hardware. The factory swaps the radio module or raises power. The ETA is not valid if approved parameters change^[13].
• Wrong route. Radar, jammers, drones and satellite equipment cannot use self-declaration^[1].
• No DGFT check. The ETA does not clear DGFT restrictions^[3].
• Lost OTP mobile. The undertaking is confirmed by mobile OTP^[4]; use a company number.

Keep them for as long as the model is on sale, and then some. The ETA is valid for the lifetime of the model^[1], and the undertaking commits you to cooperate with WPC sample checks and audits^[2] at any time in that life.

A simple record per model: ETA certificate; signed undertaking; RF report; technical literature; authorisation letter; BharatKosh receipt; and, per shipment, the invoice and bill of entry showing the model. If WPC or a marketplace asks about a unit sold three years ago, this file answers it.

The same habit helps elsewhere: LMPC now asks importers for yearly updates on products and quantities imported^[26]. The compliance calendar lists the recurring filings.

Saral Sanchar's helpdesk takes portal tickets and calls on 011-23350020 or 011-23350025, Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm^[15]. For new applications under the Telecommunications Act 2023, DoT has moved authorisations to its Authorisation Portal^[27]; the ETA page still points to Saral Sanchar.

Read how to get WPC approval for the whole journey, or ask WPC consultants to prepare the file. Our free compliance check and the approval checker will tell you whether your product needs an ETA at all.