The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in India has two certification schemes for foreign manufacturers: the Indian Standards Institute Certification Scheme (ISI) and the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS). The two schemes cover different products. The BIS registration under CRS covers almost all gadgets and IT products, but also
solar technology, LEDs and control technologies. Due to sometimes large technological differences, test costs vary. However, since BIS certification according to CRS, unlike ISI, does not include a factory inspection, the certification costs are significantly lower.
There are currently around 90 mandatory standards in the CRS scheme of BIS certification, and this number is increasing. In 2020 alone, 20 new standards requiring certification were added, and for the first time, industrial electronics are also covered by BIS under CRS. The best way to find out if your product is subject to certification is to search for it in the “Find Your Product” section. The BIS registration certification process consists of application, testing in India and the application of the BIS standard logo on the product’s label. Testing costs are largely in the high three or low four figures, but can increase another factor for certain products.
The most important facts about BIS registration (CRS)
- Application form (CDF – Construction Data Form)
- List of all components of the product (CCL – Critical Component List)
- English translation of the manufacturer’s extract from the commercial register
- Existing ISO certificates
- Illustration of the circuit (PCB) of the product to be certified
- Application documents: 1-2 months depending on customer
- Product testing in India: 1 month
- Certificate: 1 month
- Many companies are surprised at the amount of data requested, which often delays document preparation.
- Marking is still required, but this is sufficient on the label and can thus be implemented very quickly.
- Application costs: ~€100
- AIR fees, if applicable: ~1.000 €
- Test fees: from ~800 €
- Consulting fees: from ~2,000 €
Please note: Testing fees vary, for some products such as solar cells these can reach high four figure ranges in total.
What is the BIS registration under the Compulsive Registration Scheme (CRS) for?
BIS registration (CRS) is a mandatory product certification for more or less clearly defined product groups. For example, PCs of all kinds (for consumers, for controlling machines) must be registered, tested and marked accordingly in order to be imported into India. Without a corresponding certificate, the delivery would be rejected by Indian customs.
Every year, new product groups are added to the list of products subject to certification, so it is never possible to say conclusively whether a particular product is exempt.
The new mandatory standards that are added every year almost always come into force on a later date after they have been announced. Most of them start on 1.4 or 1.10, so manufacturers usually have a transition period to apply for BIS registration in time.
How does the BIS registration (CRS) work?
As described above, registration has four main steps:
- Submit application documents
- Carry out product testing in India
- Obtain certification
- include the BIS Standard logo on the label.
When completing the application documents, note that all information must be in English. Any documents from the manufacturer (e.g. extract from the commercial register) must also be translated into English.
Furthermore, an Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) must also be appointed for some formal steps in the registration process for BIS registration under CRS. However, it is sufficient to mention one in the application form (Construction Data Form – CDF) and of course we can provide one if you do not have a branch in India.
After successful completion of the tests and issuance of the certificate, you will receive the information on how to be marked. This is the BIS standard logo and it is sufficient to include this on the label:
The BIS certificate is always valid for two years and can be renewed relatively easily thereafter. At any time during the certificate’s validity, the authority can carry out random tests on products available on the market to ensure that the product has not been altered (so-called “BIS Surveillance”).
Frequent mistakes
There are errors in the application documents
he formal requirements of the BIS are very specific, formal errors happen more often than content errors.
Application documents not in English
Especially the certified translation of the extract from the commercial register is often forgotten.
Your Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) does not participate
Please note that you can replace the AIR at any time if it does not cooperate.
The products do not comply with the standards
Indian standards (IS) are very often based on international standards, especially IEC standards. Nevertheless, there are specific differences every now and then.
The products are not marked/certified
The most common error is the lack of BIS because no certification obligation has been wrongly identified or also because no marking has been done.