Yes, BIS certification is mandatory if your product is covered under a Quality Control Order (QCO) and the product cannot be imported, sold, or distributed without BIS certification. Electronics and IT products are covered under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) and other QCO products are covered under the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS) and carry the ISI Mark. The QCO list is growing all the time, so the safest first step is to test for applicability.

CRS is for listed electronics and IT products, it includes lab testing but no factory audit and results in registration with an R-number. FMCS is for foreign manufacturers of other QCO products, it requires testing and a BIS factory audit at your overseas site, and results in an ISI Mark licence. They are not the same and applying under the wrong one wastes months of time so you have to make sure of the scheme first.

Yes, if you are a foreign manufacturer. A foreign manufacturer does not have direct interaction with BIS, instead, it has to appoint an AIR, which is a legally accountable presence in India, which is the point of contact with BIS, manages the portal and carries regulatory responsibility. In 2026, BIS has increased monitoring of the AIR’s role, so selecting an experienced, accountable AIR is a real compliance decision. Markek acts as AIR for its clients.

CRS is usually about 3-5 weeks after testing, no factory audit required. FMCS takes longer, often several weeks to a few months, because it also includes a factory audit at your overseas facility. That’s why you should get FMCS started long before you plan to go to market. Telecom and EPR routes are on their own time frames.

The registration on the CRS is valid for two years and needs to be renewed before expiry. An FMCS/ISI licence is issued for a set period of time and renewed under continued BIS oversight. Selling a product with an expired BIS registration/mark is an offence under the BIS Act, 2016. Hence, renewals should be planned well in advance of the expiry date.

Yes. For every device with a radio function, WPC Equipment Type Approval (ETA) is required and notified telecom equipment requires TEC certification under MTCTE, which is separate from BIS. The product also requires CRS if it is on the CRS list. Internationally recognised CE/FCC reports usually serve as supporting proof for wireless approvals.

Extended Producer Responsibility covers producers, importers and brand owners of plastic packaging, electronic goods and batteries. You have to register for EPR with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and meet the collection and recycling targets. It’s a separate requirement from product certification and often catches importers out, so it should be considered alongside your BIS work.

Two things to note. FMCS is fully digital as of 1 June 2026, no paper applications are accepted and everything is via the Manak online portal. An appliances QCO will make BIS/ISI certification mandatory for over 90 categories of household, commercial and industrial electrical appliances from October 1, 2026, bringing in many companies that never considered themselves appliance makers.

They are either detained or refused by customs, and foreign factories that ship regulated products without BIS certification often face 30 to 60 days of shipment detention, warehousing costs and possible refusal. Certification and AIR appointment take time, so they need to be done before shipment, an uncertified product cannot be regularized quickly at the port.