WPC ETA fees in 2026: the government fee, testing, consultants and other DoT charges by route

The government fee for a WPC Equipment Type Approval by self-declaration is Rs 10,000 per model, paid through BharatKosh^[1]. You pay it once: the ETA is valid for the lifetime of the model unless the WPC Wing revokes it^[1].

That Rs 10,000 is the only fee DoT lists on its ETA page^[1]. Your real cost is higher because you need an RF test report for the application^[1]. One consultancy estimates RF testing at Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 per model, depending on the number of radio modules, bands and the lab^[7], and consultants typically charge Rs 7,000 to Rs 12,000 to file^[8].

This page covers every fee you may meet on the wireless side: ETA, the old WPC import licence, the new Radio Equipment Possession Authorisation, and the MTCTE fee that some Wi-Fi products also need. For what an ETA is and who needs one, start at WPC ETA; for the papers, see WPC ETA documents.

Most importers only ever pay the self-declaration ETA fee. The other DoT fees apply to radios outside the licence-exempt bands or to dealers in them. The table sets them side by side.

Per model. The Rs 10,000 ETA fee is per model under the self-declaration format DoT annexed to its 2019 OM^[1]. The application form itself is built around one equipment category, make and model: saving the draft after choosing them generates a provisional application number^[9].

So a brand launching three earbud models pays Rs 30,000 in ETA fees, even if all three use the same Bluetooth chip. There is no series or family discount on the WPC side, unlike BIS CRS series rules where one test can cover a series.

Colour or cosmetic variants sold under one model number are one model. A new model number is a new ETA. Plan your model numbering with this in mind before you print packaging, because the ETA number and the BIS R-number both attach to the model number.

Anything with a transmitter in a licence-exempt band pays the fee; anything without a radio does not. DoT names mobile handsets, laptops, smart watches, short-range devices, speakers, headphones, earphones, printers, scanners and cameras among products covered by the self-declaration route^[1]. The variant matters more than the category: a wired CCTV camera needs no ETA while a Wi-Fi one does^[10]. Our product pages, summarised below, give the reported position for each. Before paying, list every radio module in the device with its band and output power, because each module is tested separately and the whole model then pays the fee once, whatever the number of modules inside.

You pay inside the Saral Sanchar application. After you submit the application it shows as awaiting payment on the dashboard; 'Pay Now' sends you to BharatKosh, and after payment you upload the signed undertaking, confirm with a mobile OTP and download the ETA^[11].

Saral Sanchar now sits inside DoT's Telecom eServices portal, and the old address redirects there^[12]. Login is through Janparichay/MeriPehchaan^[13].

RF testing is usually the biggest cost, and it is not a government fee. One consultancy estimates Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 per model, with each RF module tested separately, so a phone with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other radios costs more than a single-radio earbud^[7]. Treat that range as a consultant estimate.

The self-declaration says the attached test report was issued by an accredited laboratory, naming the lab and its country^[14]. DoT's OM does not require an Indian lab, so a report from your factory's accredited lab can work. That is very different from BIS, where safety testing must be at a BIS-recognised lab, and BIS's Group-1 list has only Indian labs^[15].

If you also need BIS CRS for the same product, the RF report and the safety report are separate documents from separate standards. Ask the lab for both in one booking if it is accredited for RF and recognised by BIS for the safety standard.

Add the government fee, testing and help. For a single-radio Bluetooth product, a realistic estimate is Rs 10,000 government fee^[1] plus testing at the consultancy-estimated Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000^[7] plus a consultant's Rs 7,000 to Rs 12,000 if you use one^[8]. That is roughly Rs 32,000 to Rs 62,000 per model, excluding GST on the private fees.

One consultancy advertises a package of Rs 7,500 professional fee on top of the Rs 10,000 government fee, Rs 17,500 excluding GST, and quotes 5-7 working days once RF reports are ready^[8]. That figure excludes testing.

See our WPC ETA cost guide for more scenarios and the compliance cost estimator to add ETA to a full product budget.

Take a brand importing a dual-band Wi-Fi router and two Bluetooth speaker models.

Router. ETA Rs 10,000^[1]. Wi-Fi access points and CPE in 2.4/5 GHz also need MTCTE^[16], and routers sit in MTCTE fee Group C at Rs 30,000^[6]. From 1 January 2024 only the administrative fee is charged for ER-based MTCTE applications^[17], though you still pay the lab.

Speakers. Two models, so two ETAs: Rs 20,000^[1]. Bluetooth speakers also need BIS CRS, which is outside DoT and has its own fees.

DoT government fees in total: Rs 10,000 + Rs 30,000 + Rs 20,000 = Rs 60,000, before testing. The router figure assumes Group C; if TEC classes your device as Wi-Fi equipment in Group B, the MTCTE fee is Rs 20,000 instead^[6]. Check the MTCTE fees page and the WPC ETA vs MTCTE explainer.

You pay nothing to WPC when the product has no radio, when you import only for testing, or when you import standalone accessories.

No radio, no ETA. Plain power banks, wired chargers, USB cables and battery packs have no transmitter and need no ETA^[10]. Check the variant: a power bank with Qi wireless charging or Bluetooth may need one^[10].

Testing and prototypes. Devices in licence-exempt bands imported for testing, prototype or pre-launch purposes are exempt from ETA, but you file an undertaking in the prescribed format with Customs^[3].

Accessories. No WPC import licence or NOC is needed for standalone antennas, cables, connectors or batteries, or for non-RF products^[3]. RF amplifiers are the exception and do need a WPC import licence^[3].

Use the approval checker or the HS code approval finder to see whether your product has a radio that counts.

Not for ordinary licence-exempt products. For devices in notified licence-exempt bands that are 'Free' under DGFT import policy, the system-generated import undertaking from Saral Sanchar is enough, and no separate WPC import licence is needed^[3].

Where an import licence is needed, it is applied for on Saral Sanchar and auto-generated after upload and payment; the fee is Rs 500 per licence and it is valid for one year^[4]. It applies to equipment in licensed bands, which also needs an operating licence^[3], and to RF amplifiers^[3].

Remember that the ETA only covers radio rules. DoT says ETA holders must get any DGFT NOC or clearance themselves before importing^[2]. Drones are the clearest case: excluded from self-declaration ETA^[1] and separately restricted by DGFT^[18].

It is the new fee for possessing and dealing in licensed-band radio equipment under the Telecommunications Act, 2023. The application fee is Rs 1,000; the authorisation fee is Rs 10,000 a year for manufacture, sale or import for sale, hire, repair, testing or demonstration (valid one to five years), or Rs 2,000 a year (minimum Rs 500) for import solely for testing or demonstration (up to 12 months)^[5].

Applications moved to DoT's Authorisation Portal from 6 August 2026^[19], and new applications under the old Indian Telegraph Act have stopped^[13].

This does not replace the Rs 10,000 ETA for licence-exempt products. DoT's ETA page still sends applicants to Saral Sanchar^[19]. REPA matters if you import licensed-band walkie-talkies or similar radios; licence-exempt PMR 446 radios are a separate case^[20].

Some do. Wi-Fi access points and CPE, WLAN controllers and PTP/PMP wireless access equipment in 2.4/5 GHz are under MTCTE as well as needing WPC ETA^[16].

MTCTE fees go by group: Group A Rs 10,000, B Rs 20,000, C Rs 30,000, D Rs 50,000^[6]. 2.4/5 GHz equipment, IoT gateways and trackers are Group B; routers and LAN switches Group C^[6]. MTCTE fees are also paid through BharatKosh and are non-refundable^[6], and a regular certificate lasts ten years^[6].

Consumer devices such as phones, smartwatches, CCTV cameras and set-top boxes are not MTCTE categories^[16], so for them the ETA fee is the only DoT fee. Our MTCTE products page lists what is covered.

No. The ETA is valid for the model's lifetime unless WPC revokes it^[1], so there is no renewal fee. That makes the WPC side the cheapest part of a wireless product's yearly compliance budget.

You do pay again if the model changes. An ETA is not valid if the approved parameters change, such as frequency range or power^[21]. A new radio module or a firmware change that alters output power is in practice a new model and a new Rs 10,000 fee.

Compare this with the yearly costs elsewhere: a BIS CRS licence now has an annual fee^[22], and e-waste EPR has an annual maintenance charge of Rs 5,000^[23]. The compliance calendar puts them all on one timeline.

Most wasted WPC money comes from paying for the wrong model or the wrong product. The common ones:

Yes, for radio products. The CCPA's 2025 guidelines on radio equipment listings require licence-exempt radio listings to state frequency ranges, give ETA details with a downloadable ETA copy and accredited test report, and carry the seller's certification; platforms must remove non-compliant listings within 24 hours of a DoCA or DoT direction^[24].

The guidelines treat a radio in de-licensed bands without an ETA as an 'unauthorised device'^[24]. News reports in January 2026 said CCPA fined Meesho, Flipkart, Amazon and Meta Rs 10 lakh each in walkie-talkie listing cases^[25]. Against that, Rs 10,000 per model is cheap.

If you sell on Amazon or Flipkart, keep the ETA PDF and test report ready to upload for each listing. Our Amazon listing checklist includes it.

Whoever applies pays, and in practice that is the Indian importer or the manufacturer's Indian representative. The self-declaration is made by the importer or authorised Indian representative, who confirms the ETA fee has been paid^[14]. If the applicant is an Indian representative, it uploads the manufacturer's authorisation^[1].

Customs may accept that self-declaration as enough evidence to clear the licence-exempt product^[1]. Because the ETA attaches to the model, several importers of the same model can rely on one ETA only if the brand's representative holds it and shares it. If two importers each apply, the model is approved twice and paid for twice.

Foreign brands selling through several distributors should hold the ETA through one Indian entity. Our foreign manufacturers guide and distributors guide cover how to split the paperwork.

Budget per model, once, at launch. Because the ETA is lifetime^[1], WPC is a launch cost, not a running cost. The quick rule: Rs 10,000 times the number of radio models you launch this year^[1], plus testing.

The running costs on wireless products are elsewhere: BIS CRS annual fees and surveillance (see CRS surveillance), e-waste EPR returns (EPR annual returns), and LMPC label compliance (LMPC label rules).

If you want a single figure for a range, the compliance cost estimator adds ETA, CRS, EPR and LMPC together, and the India compliance fees data page lists every government fee in one table.

DoT's Saral Sanchar helpdesk takes tickets on the portal and calls on 011-23350020 or 011-23350025, Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm^[13]. Payment problems on BharatKosh usually need the application number and the BharatKosh transaction reference.

Our Saral Sanchar portal guide walks through the screens. WPC consultants can file for you, and our free compliance check will tell you which DoT approvals your product needs before you pay for any.