Overview of BIS Certification

BIS stands for Bureau of Indian Standards, which is a National Standard Body of India established under the BIS Act 2016. Its purpose is to promote the harmonious development of standardization, marking, and quality certification of goods, along with related matters. BIS plays a critical role in providing traceable and tangible benefits to the national economy by ensuring the provision of safe and reliable quality goods, reducing health hazards to consumers, promoting import and export substitutes, controlling the proliferation of varieties, and more through standardization, certification, and testing. BIS is involved in various activities for the interest of consumers, and they are as follows:

• Compulsory Registration Scheme
• Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme
• Product Certification Scheme
• Hall Marking Scheme
• Laboratory Services

In India, the BIS issues BIS Certification to provide customers with a third-party guarantee of goods' safety, quality, and reliability. The Government of our country has made it compulsory to consider public health for specific products. The purposes of BIS Certification are to increase the customer's confidence and trust in the products, provide quality assurance, safeguard customers from hazardous products and protect public health.

The manufacturers of electronic products listed under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) obtain the BIS Certification. The Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) was notified by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in 2012. The Ministry also passed an order in 2012 that a person cannot manufacture, distribute or store goods for sale or import that do not conform to the Indian Standard as specified in the order and bear a standard mark with a BIS unique registration number.

Quality Control Orders (QCO)

BIS is a National Standards Body in India responsible for Conformity Assessment, Standardization, and Quality Assurance of goods, services, processes, and systems. The Indian Standards established by BIS form the basis for Product Certification Schemes, providing Third Party Assurance of product safety, quality, and reliability to consumers.

While BIS certification is essentially voluntary, the Indian government mandates compliance with Indian standards for certain products under several considerations such as public interest, safety of humans, animals, or plants, environmental protection, prevention of unfair trade practices, and national security. For these products, the Indian government requires the use of Standard Mark under Certificate of Conformity (CoC) or License from BIS, issued via Quality Control Orders (QCOs) with the consultation of BIS.

The Central Government of India has published QCOs, exercising the powers conferred under Sections 16, 17, and 25 of the BIS Act, 2016, thereby making BIS certification mandatory for certain products.

Benefits of Securing BIS Certification
In A Nutshell, BIS Certificate:
Provides ground for Quality Management,
Ensures better utilisation of resources
Get rid of overhead expenses used to manufacture the final products.
Facilitate global recognition, thereby ensuring access to untapped and overseas market
Serves as strong evidence of product quality
Enable firm to deploy best quality product
Aids firm to improve market reputation over time.

Product Covered Under BIS Certification (FMCS Scheme) / ISI Mark Scheme, partial list

1. Cement
2. Household Electrical goods
3. Batteries
4. Oil Pressure Stoves
5. Automobile Accessories 6. Cylinder, Valves and Regulator
7. Medical Equipment
8. Alloy, Steel and Iron Products
9. Electrical Transformers
10. Electrical Motors
11. Capacitors
12. Chemicals, Fertilisers, Polymers & Textiles
13. Kitchen Appliances
14. Domestic Water Heaters for use with LPG
15. Air Conditioner and its related Parts, Hermetic Compressor and Temperature Sensing Controls
16. Plugs and Socket-Outlets and Alternating Current Direct Connected Static Prepayment Meters for Active Energy
17. Domestic Gas Stoves for use with Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)
18. Transparent Float Glass
19. Domestic Pressure Cooker
20. Cables
21. Rubber Hose for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) 22. Aluminium Foil
23. Non-Electric Toys
24. Electric Toys
25. Flat Transparent Sheet Glass
26. Safety Glass
27. Woven Sacks
28. Butterfly Valves
29. Reflectors for Bicycles 30. Paper
31. Automobile Wheel Rim Component
32. Foot Wear
33. Press Tool-Punches
34. Helmet for riders of Two-Wheeler Motor Vehicles
35. Refrigerating Appliances
36. Centrifugally cast (spun) iron pipes
37. Flux Cored (Tubular) Electrodes
38. Sewing Machine
39. Water Treatment System
40. Jute Bag
41. Stamping/laminations/cores of transformers (with or without winding)
42. Requirement of Retro-Reflective Devices for Bicycles
43. Cattle Fee

Types of Documentation Needed for BIS Certification under FMCS Scheme

In order to meet quality conformity, BIS demands a number of documents, as shown below, for the issuance of BIS Certification to the applicant:

• Name and Address proof of the applicant and the factory.
• Proof of Establishment of Manufacturing Unit such as Certificate of Incorporation or Registration Certificate, MOA, etc.
• SSI or MSME Certificate
• Details of Outsourcing of the manufacturing process
• Layout plan
• Location plan of the factory
• Manufacturing Process Flow
• Detailed List of Machinery involved
• List of Testing equipment and facilities
• Calibration Certificates of testing equipment
• 3rd party laboratory test report as per the Indian Standards • If an authorised signatory signs the Application, an authorisation letter from the CEO in the name of the authorised signatory

In the case of Overseas or foreign manufacturers, the Indian Agent and Nomination Form details.

Technical details of products, such as PCB Layout, Schematic Diagrams, User Manual and Critical Components List

Acknowledgement receipt

Letter of Consent from CEO of Company
Undertaking and Affidavit attested with ID Proof and signature of the approved Indian Representative (in case of the foreign or overseas manufacturer)
Original Test Reports from BIS Laboratory

Undertaking related to the test report

After the Audit process, the BIS Officer conducts the surveillance process for conducting a complete factory survey.

The steps of the Audit Process are as follows:
The examining Authority visits the factory to testify to the test reports. BIS Officer then sends the samples to the laboratory.
Test report gives feedback or brief on the inspection
A performance review report is prepared
After examining all the reports, BIS issues the Certificate.

BIS CRS

An Overview of BIS CRS Registration

CRS (Compulsory Registration Scheme) is regulated under Scheme – II of BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. In 2012, CRS Scheme was primarily introduced by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology and in this Scheme, it is compulsory for manufacturers to obtain BIS CRS Registration Certificate for their electronic products before launching them into the market. This Scheme is based on self-declaration of conformity by the manufacturers. Over the past years, the number of licenses under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) has grown significantly.

Also, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology notified Electronics & Information Technology Goods (Requirement for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021 in October 2012 for 15 categories of electronics products. On November 13, 2014, 15 more electronic product categories were added by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. In October 2016, the Ministry also notified the Indian Standard for Indian Language Support for Mobile Phones. Another 13 electronic product categories were added by the Ministry under this order in August 2017. In September 2017, the Ministry of New & Renewal Energy notified 5 more products under the Solar Photovoltaics, Systems, Devices & Components Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2017.

According to the Order, no individual can manufacture or store for sale, import, or distribute products that don't follow the Indian Standard specified and don't bear the Standard Mark with a unique Registration Number obtained from the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS).

CRS stands for Compulsory Registration Scheme, which was first introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology for electronic and IT products. Currently, there are 76 products under this Scheme. All individuals and businesses who are storing, selling, manufacturing, importing, or distributing electronic products under the product list must apply for BIS CRS Registration. Any individuals who are the manufacturers of electronic products must apply for this Registration after getting their product tested from BIS recognised labs.

Then, BIS registers the manufacturers under BIS CRS Registration Scheme who are allowed to declare that their articles conform to the Indian Standards. Once the entity is successfully registered, they are permitted to use the Standard Mark as informed by the BIS CRS Registration is allotted to the applicant.

List of Products Covered under Compulsory Registration Scheme

Following is the list of products that require a BIS CRS Registration Certificate in India:

Who can apply for BIS CRS Registration?

Any Manufacturers (Indian or Overseas) of any product that comes under the scope of the Compulsory Registration Order notified by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology or Ministry of New & Renewable Energy need to apply for BIS CRS Registration.