BIS

What does BIS stand for?

BIS is the abbreviation for “Bureau of Indian Standards”, the Indian central authority for standardisation and accreditation. The Indian Standards Institute (ISI), founded in 1947, was expanded in its powers and renamed the BIS.

The office issues certificates for management systems and various products from domestic as well as foreign production and writes standards for different industries (e.g. raw materials, electronics, chemicals and medicine). The BIS is not the only authority or authority-like institution that writes standards (e.g. ARAI for automotive standards), but is expected to gain more and more importance and authority in the coming years and still be the only authority that still issues standards within the 2020s, among others.

What does the BIS certify?

The Bureau is responsible for both domestic and foreign companies. While it issues product as well as system certifications (according to ISO) in India itself, only the product certifications according to the IS standards are relevant for foreign companies.

There are two categories / schemes under which products can be certified: the Compulsive Registration Scheme (CRS, Scheme II) and the Foreign Manufacturer Certification Scheme (FMCS, also called ISI, Scheme I). Both schemes differ in process as well as the products that are covered.

Which product groups are covered by the two BIS certifications?

Detailed lists can be found at BIS ISI and BIS CRS and you can also search directly for the appropriate certifications for specific products at Find Your Product. In summary, the two schemes cover the following product groups:

What is the BIS certification process for import into India?

As indicated above, the processes for the two schemes differ somewhat. This overview makes the differences clear: