What Is BIS Certification? The Complete Guide for Manufacturers and Importers (2026)

BIS certification is India's system for ensuring that products sold in the country meet specified safety and quality standards. For manufacturers and importers, it is not optional — for hundreds of product categories, it is a legal requirement under India's Quality Control Orders. This guide explains the entire system from the ground up.

What Is BIS?

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is India's national standards body, established under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. It operates under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and has its headquarters in New Delhi with regional offices in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Chandigarh, and other cities.

BIS has three primary functions: (1) developing and publishing Indian Standards (IS documents) that define technical requirements for products, processes, and services; (2) operating product certification schemes that allow manufacturers to prove conformity to those standards; and (3) administering hallmarking for gold and silver jewellery.

What Are Indian Standards?

An Indian Standard (IS) is a technical document that specifies minimum requirements for a product — covering materials, dimensions, performance levels, test methods, and marking requirements. IS documents are identified by a number and year (e.g., IS 9873 : 2023). BIS has published over 20,000 IS documents covering virtually every product category.

For BIS certification, the manufacturer must prove — through lab testing and factory inspection — that their product meets every requirement of the applicable IS. The IS number determines which certification scheme applies and which tests must be conducted.

Why Is BIS Certification Required?

BIS certification is required by law for products covered under Quality Control Orders (QCOs). A QCO is a government notification that makes compliance with a specific Indian Standard — and the corresponding BIS certification mark — legally mandatory.

As of 2026, over 500 product categories are covered by mandatory QCOs across steel, cement, electronics, food, textiles, chemicals, electrical goods, toys, and more. Selling, importing, or manufacturing a QCO-covered product without BIS certification is a punishable offence under the BIS Act, 2016, with fines up to ₹5 lakh and up to 2 years imprisonment.

The Three Main BIS Certification Schemes

BIS operates several certification schemes. Three apply to manufactured products:

• ›ISI Mark (Scheme I) — for domestic manufacturers in India. Requires factory inspection in India + lab testing. Results in the ISI Mark (the "wheel" logo). Mandatory for QCO-covered products made in India.
• ›FMCS (Scheme II) — Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme. For overseas manufacturers exporting to India. Requires overseas factory inspection by BIS officers + lab testing. Results in the same ISI Mark as Scheme I. Mandatory for QCO-covered imports.
• ›CRS (Compulsory Registration Scheme) — for electronics and IT products under MeitY notification. No factory inspection required — only lab testing. Results in R-CRS mark. Applies to mobile phones, laptops, LED lights, chargers, TVs, routers, and 100+ other categories.

How to Identify If Your Product Needs BIS Certification

• ›1. Search for your product in our Indian Standards database at /find — this shows the IS number applicable to your product
• ›2. Check the QCO Tracker at /resources/qco-tracker to see if a mandatory QCO is in force for your IS number
• ›3. For electronics, check the MeitY CRS notification list to see if your product category requires CRS registration
• ›4. If neither a QCO nor CRS applies, BIS certification is voluntary — though it may still be commercially valuable

The BIS Certification Process — Step by Step

The process varies by scheme, but the general flow is:

• ›1. Identify the correct IS number for your product and confirm the current edition
• ›2. Determine which certification scheme applies (ISI Mark, FMCS, or CRS)
• ›3. Get product samples tested at a BIS-recognised laboratory for all parameters required by the IS
• ›4. Prepare and submit the application to BIS (via BIS Connect portal for CRS; offline application for ISI Mark/FMCS)
• ›5. BIS reviews the application and raises any queries
• ›6. For ISI Mark and FMCS: BIS officer factory inspection
• ›7. BIS grants the licence or registration; manufacturer affixes the appropriate mark
• ›8. Ongoing compliance: annual renewal, periodic BIS market surveillance, and marking fee payments

How Long Does BIS Certification Take?

• ›ISI Mark (domestic Scheme I): 10–18 weeks from application to licence
• ›FMCS (foreign manufacturers): 6–12 months — the overseas inspection scheduling is the primary bottleneck
• ›CRS (electronics): 3–8 weeks — fastest scheme as no inspection is required

Voluntary vs Mandatory BIS Certification

Not all BIS certification is mandatory. For products without a QCO, manufacturers can voluntarily obtain ISI Mark to signal quality to customers. Voluntary ISI Mark is common in sectors like processed foods, textiles, and non-QCO industrial goods.

The commercial benefit of voluntary ISI Mark: many government tenders and large-buyer procurement require BIS-certified products. Retailers and distributors in some sectors also prefer or require BIS certification even where it is not legally mandated.

Getting Started

The first step is confirming whether your product requires BIS certification and which scheme applies. Complyr offers a free 24-hour product assessment — tell us your product name and HS code (or IS number if you know it), and we will confirm the requirement and provide a fee estimate within one business day.

Contact us or search our Indian Standards database to begin.