Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS-CRS) Certification Service

MEITY recently published two lists of new product categories that will fall under the CRS scheme under Compulsory Registration Orders (CRO) IV and V.  These product categories are expected to become mandatory April 1st 2021.  For a complete list of the new products, see the table below. 

In Q4 of 2018 MEITY of the Indian government announced that the BIS (CRS) market surveillance process had changed.  The change at that time was intended to be fully implemented by January of 2019.  As part of the change, Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) was put in charge of surveillance.  Although the new process has been slow to roll out, STPI has recently established an online portal to assist BIS certified manufacturers in registering for the new surveillance program.  Although it is unclear when enforcement of this process might begin, market surveillance is a mandatory part of the BIS certification process.  We recommend all BIS certification holders become aware of these new rules and plan accordingly.  For more information on this change see our Blog post: India BIS Market Surveillance Update

General Information:

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is a government-based certification body who’s activities are overseen by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY).  They have two main certification marks; the Standard Mark for Compulsory Registration (CRS), and the ISI mark.  The CRS certification pertains to product safety, whereas the ISI certification is more focused on product performance and quality.  This page will focus specifically on the CRS certification scheme.

The Standard Mark for Compulsory Registration is a mandatory certification mark required for certain types of electronics and IT goods.  The Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) came into effect in April of 2013.  The requirements for compliance to this scheme are based mainly on safety aspects of a product.  Examples of types of products required to comply with this scheme are: information technology equipment, office equipment, home appliances, and LED lighting products.  The number of products and product categories requiring compliance are continually growing.

Click here to see a video and download the presentation regarding the latest requirements for BIS Safety and WPC Wireless Certification.

General BIS Requirements for Compulsory Registration Scheme:

The BIS certification process requires testing of samples to be performed in India and a report generated from an authorized BIS test lab.  Test labs are not permitted to accept test data from CB reports.  Once testing is complete, and a report has been generated, it must be submitted to BIS within 90 business days of the report date.  This task must be handled by the company’s Authorized Indian Representative (AIR).  BIS then reviews the report, and submittal documents.  Upon acceptance they will either add the models in the report to an existing BIS registration number or create a new registration number if one does not currently exist.

An important distinction to be made between the India BIS approval process and other international approval processes is that BIS does not issue certifications per model or family.  They issue a registration number, which is valid for 2 years and covers all models/families produced by a particular factory.  This is of importance in that any issues found with a model/family after inclusion to a registration, will not only jeopardize approval for that model/family, but all models covered under the associated registration number.

The registration number is issued to the factory that builds the product instead of the applicant or brand owner applying for approval.  An Authorized Indian Representative (AIR) must be established in India for BIS registration.  If the applicant or factory has a representative office in India, this office must take the responsibility of AIR.  If there is no existing representation in India, another legal entity within India can be nominated as the AIR.

BIS registration does not currently require factory inspections, but market surveillance of products is common.  An applicant has a limited period of time to respond to a BIS request for product surveillance.  This request is issued to the AIR, as the legal representative of the product in India.

Getting BIS certification in a fast, expedient manner, and maintaining it once achieved can be hindered by the following obstacles:

• Determine whether products require mandatory BIS certification
• Test samples are delayed in shipping, or get stuck in customs
• Products malfunction or fail during testing
• Family model platforms are interpreted by test lab to require multiple certification reports
• Components interpreted by test lab to require separate BIS certification, increasing cost and time
• AIRs not reliable in dealing with BIS product surveillance issues
• Registrations or certification standards expire, invalidating BIS registration and all products covered under it

G&M Compliance has an established office in India.  Our experienced personnel in both the U.S. and India utilize the following practices to achieve a fast and efficient certification experience:

• Experience in interpreting BIS product definitions, and knowledge of where to find clarification.
• Understand process for clearing test samples through customs.
• Troubleshoot issues on-site during testing, to expedite approval process
• Work with test labs to maximize platform model certification coverage.
• Select the right laboratory based on favorable interpretations of BIS regulations
• Vet 3^rd party AIRs to ensure that they are knowledgeable and reliable.
• Track and alert customers of upcoming registration renewals with G&M’s Certificate Alert and Tracking System (CATS)

Compulsory Registration Order (CRO) IV & CRO V Product Category Lists:

For more information, additional questions, or to request a quote – Please submit an online RFQ, Contact Us, or call.