What it covers
BIS certification is administered by the Bureau of Indian Standards and applies to hundreds of notified products — from cement, steel and cables to appliances, toys and footwear. It comes in three main flavours:
- ISI Mark (Scheme I) — testing plus factory inspection; required for most industrial and consumer products under QCOs.
- CRS (Scheme II) — lab-test-based registration for electronics and IT products.
- FMCS — the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme, the ISI route for factories outside India.
When it is mandatory
Whenever a Quality Control Order covering your product is in force. Use our product database to check your product's QCO status instantly — every product page shows whether certification is mandatory, upcoming or voluntary.
Typical process
- Map the product to its Indian Standard (IS).
- Prepare the application and technical file.
- Sample testing at a BIS-recognised laboratory.
- Factory inspection (ISI/FMCS routes).
- Grant of licence, followed by annual marking fees and surveillance.
Cost drivers
Laboratory testing charges (the largest variable — compare labs in our directory), BIS application and licence fees, annual marking fees by unit size, and consultant fees if you outsource the paperwork.
