BIS Certification

Do all industrial goods and products in India need to have BIS Certification?

An overview of the Bureau of Indian Standards

The Indian Standard Institute (ISI) was formed in 1947 with the purpose of ensuring that the Indian public had access to standardized and good quality products. In order to make ISI’s working constitutional in status, the BIS Act 1986 came into being where the ISI was renamed as the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The authority is responsible for assigning BIS Certification.

What is the Objective of the Bureau of Indian Standards?

The objective, other than providing the Institute statutory powers was to help in development of more standards, promotion of these standards, and certification of products and also to set up various quality management systems in accordance with ISO standards.

As part of the product certification process, products need to be tested at BIS approved labs within the country. However, manufacturers of most goods and products in the country can opt for BIS certification on a voluntary basis. Since products registered with BIS bear the stamp of certification, consumers are guaranteed about the safety and the quality of the product when they buy it. This helps create a positive brand image and equity in the market for the manufacturer.

The exceptions to this voluntary certification are certain products identified by the following ministries where the manufacturer needs to obtain the BIS registration on an obligatory basis.

• Ministry of Public Affairs, Food & Public Distribution,
• Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and
• Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

What are the details of CRS under BIS certification?

These products that need to bear the BIS registration mark mandatorily fall under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) of the Bureau. The CRS is divided into two categories –

Scheme – I or ISI Mark Scheme

There are 136 products included under this scheme. As per the rule, manufacturers – Indian or overseas – need to obtain the ISI certification before launching or selling or distributing their products commercially in the Indian market. This has been done keeping in mind the product quality that needs to conform to a certain prescribed standard and specification. ISI registration is a tedious and long-drawn process where the product is tested in-house as well as at a BIS approved lab followed by an audit of the factory premises by BIS officials and submission of ISI certification costs and other required documents.

Product categories identified for ISI certification are:–

Product categories	Number of Products
Cement	13
Electrical household goods	15
Batteries	1
Food & related products	15
Oil pressure stove	13
Automobile accessories	4
Cylinders, valve, and regulation	15
Medical devices	3
Steel products	58
Electrical motors	2
Capacitors	3
Chemicals and fertilizers	1
Kitchen appliances	2
Domestic Water Heaters for use with LPG	1

Scheme – II or Registration Scheme

There are about 49 products under this scheme where manufacturers- Indian or otherwise – need to obtain BIS certification before proceeding ahead with sale or distribution of the products in the Indian market.

Products that require mandatory BIS registration are:-

• Amplifiers with an input power of 2000W and above;
• Automatic data processing machines;
• Electronics clocks with mains power;
• Electronic games (video);
• electronic musical systems with input power 2000Watts and above;
• Laptop/Notebook/Tablet;
• Microwave ovens;
• Optical disc players with inbuilt amplifiers of input power 200Watts and above;
• Plasma/LCD/ LED TVs of screen size 32” and above;
• Printers/plotters; scanners;
• Set-top box;
• Telephone answering machines;
• Visual Display Units and video monitors of screen size 32” and above;
• Wireless keyboards;
• Passport reader;
• Cash registers;
• Copying machines/duplicators;
• POS terminals;
• Mail processing machines/postage machines/franking machines;
• Smart card reader;
• Power banks for use in portable applications;
• Mobile phones;
• Self-ballasted LED lamps for general lighting;
• DC or AC supplied electronic control gear for LED modules;
• Power adaptors for audio, video and similar electronic apparatus;
• Power adapters for IT equipment;
• Fixed general-purpose LED luminaries,
• UPS/Investors of rating<= 5KVA; LED Floodlights;
• LED hand lamps;
• LED lighting chains;
• UPS/Investors of rating <=10 KVA;
• Sealed secondary cells/batteries containing alkaline or other non-acid electrolytes to be used in portable applications;
• Indian language support for mobile phone handsets;
• Recessed LED luminaries;
• LED luminaires for emergency lighting;
• Plasma/LCD/LED TV of screen size up to 32;
• Visual Display units, video monitors of screen size up to 32;
• CCTV cameras/CCTV recorders;
• Adapters for household and similar electrical appliances;
• USD driven barcode readers, barcode scanners, IRIS scanners, optical fingerprint scanners;
• Smartwatches;
• Crystalline silicon terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules;
• Thin film terrestrial photovoltaic (PV) modules;
• Power inverters for use in the photovoltaic power system;
• Storage battery; and
• Utility-interconnected photovoltaic inverters.

Few noteworthy points about CRS are: –

• After BIS registration and ISI Registration, the manufacturer is assigned a unique number.
• This registration number bears specific information pertaining to the manufacturer, location of manufacture, the brand, and the product type.
• The manufacturer needs to apply for separate registrations for the same product being manufactured at different locations.
• At the same manufacturing unit if different brands are being manufactured by the same manufacturer, he still needs to apply for separation registration numbers.

Our topic of discussion is the BIS registration process for the following two products under Scheme – II of CRS. These are-

A. Product Description

S.N.	Product Name	Applicable Indian Standard
1	SELF-BALLASTED LED LAMPS FOR GENERAL LIGHTING SERVICES	IS 16102(Part 1):2012*
2	DC OR AC SUPPLIED ELECTRONIC CONTROLGEAR FOR LED MODULES	IS 15885(Part 2/Sec 13):2012*

Details of the Indian Standards –

1. IS 16102(Part 1):2012* – The Self Ballasted LED Lamps for General Lighting Services – Safety Requirements. – the scope covers all domestic and general lighting purposes self-ballasted LED lamps that have a rated wattage up to 60 W; and rated voltage of DC supplies up to 250 V or AC supplies up to 1000 V at 50 Hz. It covers the safety and interchangeability requirements. The IS (Part 1) was adopted by BIS after seeking approval from the Electro-technical Division Council. This Indian Standard also has a second part that deals with the performance requirements of the lamps.
2. IS 15885(Part 2/Sec 13):2012* was adopted by BIS after due approval from the Electro-technical Division Council. The scope covers general and safety requirements for electronic control gear for LED modules with supply voltages up to 1000 Volts DC and 1000 Volts at 50 Hz AC. These control gears for LED modules are required to provide constant voltage or current at SELV or higher voltages.

B. Steps of BIS certification

Submit a sample of the product at a BIS recognized lab for testing along with the testing fees. The laboratory will take about 15 days to test the sample for conformance and non-conformance aspects and generate the test report.

Sign in at https://www.crsbis.in/BIS/login.do.using your existing User Id and password. New applicants need to first register themselves at the site before proceeding with the application process.

Fill online Form VI.

Make the required payment of government fees via NEFT or Demand Draft.

Upload the required documents (list given below).

After completing the online submission process, the applicant is required to submit the hard copy of the Form, the original test report, acknowledgment of online submission and copies of the other documents to the BIS head office.

After the hard copy is received, BIS officials start with the scrutiny process. The application and the documents are checked thoroughly. In case of queries and shortcomings, the applicant would be required to respond back in the given time frame.

The product is certified only when the documentation and other requirements are fulfilled as per BIS rules and regulations.

C. BIS certification cost

S.No.	Product Name	Lab/Testing Fees	Government Fees
1	SELF-BALLASTED LED LAMPS FOR GENERAL LIGHTING SERVICES	Rs. 40, 000/-	Rs. 53, 000/-
2	DC OR AC SUPPLIED ELECTRONIC CONTROLGEAR FOR LED MODULES	Rs. 40, 000/-	Rs. 53,000/-

D. Documents required for BIS certification

The list of mandatory documents include –

1. Copy of Acknowledgement received about the online submission of the form.
2. Business license or any other official document as address proof.
3. Demand Draft in original or screenshot of NEFT payment confirmation.
4. An authorization from the CEO or manufacturer in case the application is signed by an authorized signatory.
5. Form VI to be signed by ink by the applicant along with the official stamp.
6. For registered brands, the registration certificate. In case the brand is owned by another entity or individual, an authorisation letter from the brand owner.
7. For unregistered brands, a copy of the Trademark application. If owned by another person or entity, an authorisation letter from the brand owner.
8. Affidavit as per format C for Indian manufacturers. In case the affidavit is signed by an authorized signatory, ID proof of the person.
9. Affidavit cum undertaking as per Format A or B for foreign manufacturers, as is the case applicable.
10. Original test reports.

E. Frequently Asked Questions

• Who are BIS certifying agents? How can they value-add to the BIS certification process?

These are people or agencies that know the process of BIS certification in and out and have been getting products registered for different manufacturing companies and industries for years. They are aware of the updated processes and possess a thorough knowledge of documents that are required for getting products certified by BIS in a timely manner. Hiring BIS certification consultants is a sensible idea because BIS registration can get unnecessarily delayed if steps or documents are not complete as per BIS laid down rules and regulations. Most BIS certifying agents charge a nominal amount for providing consultancy. Some of the leading consultants charge about Rs. 25000/- as consultancy fee on a per product basis.

• What happens if the hard copy of Form VI and documents do not reach BIS office within 15 days of online submission?

It is mandatory that the hard copies reach within 15 days of online submission. Else the application is canceled, and the manufacturer needs to re-apply again.

• What is the validity period of the test report?

The test report that is submitted along with the application cannot be more than 90 days old at the time of submission.

• What is the validity of the BIS certification?

The certificate is valid for a period of two years. Before the expiry of the current license or registration, it is essential to start the process of renewal of the license. The application for renewal needs to be made through the BIS portal and Form – XII needs to be filled up. Required documents along with the renewal fee also need to be submitted alongside. The license will expire after 90 days from the date of expiry if the renewal application and the fee are not received by the applicant/manufacturer in the interim period.

• I am a manufacturer but new to the process of BIS registration. How do I know that I need to get my product mandatorily registered or not?

The first step for a new manufacturer is checked if his product falls under the CRS or not. It is best to hire professional service of BIS certification agents who are well-aware of all details. If the product is listed under the CRS, then the steps for BIS registration mentioned above need to be followed.

• After my product is certified does my product need a stamp or mark so that the consumers know that the product has been certified?

Yes. For products under Scheme- II, the product and the packaging need to bear the Standard Mark as proof of conformance. The Standard Mark consists of a monogram, the applicable IS number and the manufacturer’s unique registration number.

For products under Scheme – I of CRS, the product and the packaging need to be stamped with the ISI Mark as proof of ISI certification.

These Marks need to be either printed or embossed or re-printed so that they are always visible and legible.

Enterslice, one of the leading management consultants in India can help traders get BIS Certification following the due process in no time. Our team of professionals have in-depth experience and can get the job done quickly at very short notice.