Summary: India’s electronics market, valued at USD 81 billion in FY2024, is growing rapidly, attracting both domestic and foreign manufacturers. To ensure quality standards, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) requires certain electronic products to be registered under the Compulsory Registration System (CRS) before they are sold in India. This scheme covers around 75 product categories including mobile phones, laptops, solar systems and various electronic accessories. Manufacturers have to apply for BIS registration, send product samples for testing to recognized laboratories and ensure that their products conform to Indian standards. The BIS license is valid for two years and can be renewed after inspection. The application process involves obtaining login credentials, generating a test request, and submitting a sample. Fees are specified for new applications, renewals and inclusions, with additional fees for additional test reports. CRS aims to protect consumers from substandard goods while supporting the growth of India’s electronics sector.

India is one of the largest electronics markets in the world. According to an estimate, the size of the electronics market in India is around USD 81 billion in FY 2024, which is poised to reach USD 106 billion in FY 2026. Although the Indian government has provided a lot of incentives for Make-In- India, still the Indian electronic market attracts many foreign sellers. Mobile phones take up the largest share of the pie. In this article, we will explore the Compulsory Registration System (CRS) of products under the Bureau of Indian Standard, which is India’s national standards body established under the BIS Act, 2016.

Mandatory registration: There are certain products (as notified) of Indian and foreign manufacturers that need to be registered with BIS and labeled with the BIS standard mark. This must be done before selling the products in the Indian market.

Product coverage: Under the Compulsory Registration Scheme, the coverage of products (around 75) is classified as follows:

1. Electronic products under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. These include:

• Electronic games
• Laptop, notebook, tablets
• mobile phones,
• Plasma, LCD, LED, Printers, scanners, keyboards
• Optical disc players
• Electronic watches
• Adapters, UPS, batteries, LED lights, cameras, barcode reader, ATM, digital camera, etc.
• 2. Solar voltaic systems under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
• 3. Certain phosphoric acid from the Ministry of Chemicals
• 4. bales of cotton under the Ministry of Textiles

Registration Steps:

1. Get your login credentials

2. Generate the test request

3. Send the sample to the laboratory

4. Apply on the portal upon receipt of confirmation

Each step has sub-steps to complete the registration process.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for the BIS Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS), a manufacturer must:

1. Be the factory owner of a product covered by the Compulsory Registration Order (CRO).

2. Apply for BRI registration.

3. Test their product in a BIS recognized laboratory.

4. Ensure that the product complies with Indian standard specifications.

5. Self-declares compliance with the standards.

6. Create a login on the BIS Registration Portal and upload an English Business License.

Required documents/details:

• Self-Declaration of Compliance
• Compliance of the test report by a third-party testing laboratory of product samples (components and raw materials).
• Name and address proof of production unit and field of activity.
• Copy of the confirmation received from the portal
• Details of authorized signatory and other related documents
• Details of samples to be tested by BIS
• Also the details of the Product Models/Varieties to be covered

License validity:

• BIS licenses for electronic products are issued for a minimum of two years.
• If there are no problems during regular inspections, the license can be renewed for another two years on request.
• To avoid expiration, the renewal application and required fees must be submitted within 90 days of the license validity date.
• Renewal will only be considered if the application fee, annual fee, processing fees and any outstanding fees are paid in full.

Fee structure:

BIS registration fee for electronic and IT goods

• Processing fee and registration fee is required for a minimum of 2 years.
• The above fee is for a test report. For each additional test report, an additional processing fee of Rs. 20,000 will be charged for the new application and inclusion.

The CRS scheme aims to provide a boost to the rapidly expanding electronics and IT sectors. It also protects Indian consumers from fake and substandard products and they have the right to enjoy compliant goods of world-class quality.

If you are planning to enter the Indian market or obtain CRS, or need assistance or have any questions, we encourage you to contact us.

*****

Abhinarayan Mishra FCA, FCS, LL.B, IP, RV; Partner, KPAM & Associates, Chartered Accountants, New Delhi ; +91 9990013755; +91 9910744992; (email protected); (email protected)