BIS stands for Bureau of Indian Standards, India’s national standards body. It is a statutory body set up under the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, and it works under the Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. Whether you see “BIS” on a certificate, a mark, a licence or a customs query, the full form is the same.
If your product needs a BIS licence, our ISI mark certification service takes you from the right Indian Standard to grant.
(BIS is also the short form of the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, which has nothing to do with product standards.)
BIS at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full form | Bureau of Indian Standards |
| Hindi name | Bharatiya Manak Bureau (भारतीय मानक ब्यूरो) |
| Legal basis | Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 (No. 11 of 2016) |
| Status | Body corporate established under Section 3 of the Act |
| Ministry | Department of Consumer Affairs, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution |
| Head office | Manak Bhawan, 9 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi |
| Main roles | Writing Indian Standards, product certification, CRS registration, hallmarking, laboratory recognition |
The Act’s long title describes BIS as “a national standards body” for standardisation, conformity assessment and quality assurance. Under Section 3, the Bureau’s affairs vest in a Governing Council whose ex officio President is the Union Minister in charge of the ministry with administrative control of BIS.
A short history: ISI to BIS
BIS’s origin of BIS page and its standards overview give the sequence:
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 6 January 1947 | Indian Standards Institution (ISI) comes into existence |
| 1955–56 | ISI starts its certification marking scheme under the ISI (Certification Marks) Act, 1952 |
| 26 November 1986 | Parliament passes the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986 |
| 1 April 1987 | BIS comes into existence and takes over from ISI |
| 22 March 2016 | Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 is published in the Gazette |
| 12 October 2017 | BIS Act, 2016 comes into force, replacing the 1986 Act |
The institution was renamed, but its best-known mark was not. That is why BIS-certified products still carry what everyone calls the “ISI mark”. Our post on the ISI mark full form covers that mark in detail.
BIS in common phrases
People search for “BIS full form” in many contexts. The expansion never changes, but the thing being referred to does.
| Phrase | What it means |
|---|---|
| BIS certificate / BIS certification | A licence or certificate from the Bureau of Indian Standards confirming a product conforms to an Indian Standard |
| BIS licence | A licence granted under Section 13 of the BIS Act, 2016 to use a specified Standard Mark on conforming goods |
| BIS mark | The Standard Mark applied under a BIS licence: the ISI mark, the CRS Standard Mark with an R-number, or the BIS Hallmark |
| BIS registration | Usually a CRS registration under Scheme-II for electronics, IT, LED and solar goods |
| BIS in customs | Bureau of Indian Standards; customs checks whether goods under a Quality Control Order carry the Standard Mark under a valid licence |
| BIS Care | The official BIS consumer app, not an acronym |
Glossary of BIS terms and their full forms
These are the abbreviations you meet most often in BIS paperwork, on labels and on the portals.
| Term | Full form or meaning | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| BIS | Bureau of Indian Standards | Everywhere: licences, marks, portals |
| ISI | Indian Standards Institution, the predecessor of BIS (1947–1987) | The ISI mark, BIS’s Standard Mark under Scheme-I |
| IS | Indian Standard, followed by its number (for example IS 1786) | Printed with the ISI mark and the CRS mark |
| CM/L | Prefix of an ISI mark licence number, shown as CM/L-XXXXXXXXXX below the mark; usually read as “Certification Marks Licence”, though BIS’s mark guidance gives the format without spelling it out | ISI-marked products, Manak Online |
| CRS | Compulsory Registration Scheme, run as Scheme-II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 | Electronics, IT, LED and solar products |
| R-number | Registration number granted under CRS, eight digits after “R-” | Printed with the CRS Standard Mark |
| HUID | Hallmark Unique Identification, a six-character alphanumeric code unique to each hallmarked article | Gold and silver jewellery |
| FMCS | Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme, the route for overseas factories to get an ISI mark licence | Imports of Scheme-I products |
| ECO mark | A voluntary environmental label; historically the ISI mark combined with an earthen-pot logo, now governed by the Ecomark Rules, 2024 | Products meeting additional environmental criteria |
| Scheme-I, Scheme-II, Scheme-X | Conformity assessment schemes in Schedule-II of the Conformity Assessment Regulations: Scheme-I is the ISI mark, Scheme-II is CRS, Scheme-X covers products such as low-voltage switchgear under the Electrical Equipment (Quality Control) Order, 2020 | Licences and QCOs |
| QCO | Quality Control Order, a Central Government order making the Standard Mark compulsory for a product | Compulsory certification |
| Manak Online | BIS’s online portal for conformity assessment, FMCS, hallmarking and other services (“manak” means standard) | Licence applications and searches |
| BIS Care | The official BIS mobile app for consumers | Verifying numbers, filing complaints |
| AIR | Authorised Indian Representative, nominated by a foreign manufacturer | FMCS and CRS applications |
A few notes on these. BIS’s FMCS overview says the scheme has run since 2000 and covers products other than electronics and IT goods, which go through CRS instead. HUID has been part of the BIS Hallmark since 1 July 2021, alongside the BIS logo and the purity grade; our HUID number check explains how to read and verify it. The ECO mark is now run under the Ecomark Rules, 2024, notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, with the Central Pollution Control Board and BIS both involved.
What “BIS certified” means on a product
“BIS certified” means the manufacturer of that product holds a valid BIS licence or registration for it, and is using the Standard Mark under that licence. It does not mean the brand, the seller or every product in a range is certified. A licence covers a specific manufacturer, factory, product and, for CRS, specific brands and models.
The mark you should expect depends on the scheme:
| Product type | Mark you should see | Number to check |
|---|---|---|
| Most QCO products: cement, steel, cables, appliances, toys, helmets | ISI mark (Scheme-I) | IS number and CM/L licence number |
| Electronics, IT goods, LED products, cells and batteries, solar PV | Standard Mark under CRS (Scheme-II) | IS number and R-number |
| Gold and silver jewellery and artefacts | BIS Hallmark | Purity grade and HUID |
For how certification works, the ten schemes, documents and official fees, see what is BIS certification and our breakdown of BIS certification cost.
How to check a BIS licence or registration
BIS’s BIS Care app page describes two checks anyone can run: “Verify Licence Details” for a CM/L number and “Verify R-No under CRS” for an eight-digit R-number. The app also has a “Verify HUID” option for hallmarked jewellery. The portals give the same information in more detail:
| Number on the product | Where to check | Step-by-step guide |
|---|---|---|
| CM/L licence number | Manak Online or BIS Care | CM/L number check |
| R-number | crsbis.in or BIS Care | Check BIS registration number |
| HUID | BIS Care, Verify HUID | HUID number check |
Whatever the number, check that the manufacturer name, product, standard and (for CRS) model match the item in front of you, and that the status is valid. A genuine number attached to the wrong product is still misuse.
Who must get a BIS licence
BIS certification is voluntary by default. It becomes compulsory when the Central Government notifies a product, usually through a Quality Control Order. BIS’s Scheme-X FAQ explains that QCOs are issued under Section 16 of the BIS Act, 2016, and that after the date of commencement no person may “manufacture, import, distribute, sell, hire, lease, store or exhibit for sale” a covered product without the Standard Mark.
In practice that means:
- Indian manufacturers of notified products must hold a BIS licence or registration for each factory.
- Foreign manufacturers must hold their own licence, under FMCS for Scheme-I products or CRS for electronics, and nominate an Authorised Indian Representative. See our FMCS guide.
- Importers cannot bring in covered goods unless the overseas manufacturer is licensed and the goods are marked. This is where “BIS” comes up at customs.
- Traders and online sellers cannot sell or stock covered goods without the mark, even though BIS licenses the manufacturer, not the seller.
The full list of products under compulsory certification is on BIS’s compulsory certification page, and we keep a searchable version on our BIS product list. For a step-by-step method, read does my product need BIS and Quality Control Orders explained, or try our licence check tool.
Related full forms
BIS is one of several Indian compliance acronyms that are easy to mix up. See also:
- CRS full form: BIS’s registration scheme for electronics
- BEE full form: energy star labels on appliances
- NABL full form: laboratory accreditation, separate from BIS lab recognition
- WPC and ETA full forms: wireless equipment approvals
How Aaditech can help
Aaditech is a private compliance consultancy, independent of BIS. We help manufacturers and importers identify the right Indian Standard and scheme, prepare Manak Online and CRS applications, get factories ready for BIS assessment and keep licences renewed. Our team includes former BIS officers. See our ISI mark certification service, or for electronics, our BIS CRS registration service.