QCO
Quality Control Order — a government notification making BIS certification mandatory for a specific product category.
A Quality Control Order (QCO) is a notification issued by a Central Government ministry under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016. It specifies one or more Indian Standards that a product must conform to, and makes the corresponding BIS certification mark (typically ISI Mark or CRS registration) legally mandatory before the product can be manufactured, imported, or sold in India.
As of 2026, over 500 product categories are covered by QCOs across steel, cement, electronics, food, textiles, chemicals, electrical goods, and more. New QCOs are being notified regularly. Selling a QCO-covered product without BIS certification carries fines up to ₹5 lakh and up to 2 years imprisonment.
QCOs are published in the Gazette of India and specify effective dates. Some QCOs provide extended deadlines for MSMEs. Check the Complyr QCO Tracker for the current list of active QCOs.
Need help with BIS certification?
Our consultants handle ISI Mark, FMCS, CRS, and hallmarking end-to-end.
Get a free quote