In BIS certification, CRS stands for Compulsory Registration Scheme. It is Scheme-II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018, under which the Bureau of Indian Standards registers manufacturers of notified electronics, IT, LED, battery and solar products on the basis of a self-declaration of conformity backed by a third-party laboratory test report. A registered product carries the BIS Standard Mark with its IS number and a unique registration number, the R-number.
If you need a new registration, a renewal or a model inclusion, our BIS CRS registration service handles the whole process.
(Outside BIS, CRS has other expansions, such as the OECD’s Common Reporting Standard for tax information. This post is only about the BIS scheme.)
CRS at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full form | Compulsory Registration Scheme |
| Scheme | Scheme-II of Schedule-II, BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 |
| Basis | Self-declaration of conformity, supported by a test report from a third-party laboratory |
| Assessment at site before grant | No |
| Main order for electronics | Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021, issued by MeitY |
| Mark | BIS Standard Mark with IS number and R-number |
| Portal | crsbis.in |
| Validity | Up to five years initially, renewable for up to five years |
Legal basis: the Compulsory Registration Order
CRS registration is compulsory only because a ministry has notified the product under an order. For electronics and IT goods, that ministry is MeitY.
According to the About CRS page on crsbis.in, the original Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2012 was notified on 3 October 2012 for fifteen categories of electronics items, and was then extended:
| Date | Categories added |
|---|---|
| 3 October 2012 | First 15 product categories |
| 7 November 2014 | 15 more |
| 17 August 2017 | 13 more |
| 1 April 2020 | 12 more |
| 1 October 2020 | 7 more |
The 2012 Order has since been replaced. STPI’s page on the order states that it was renotified under the BIS Act, 2016 as the Electronics and IT Goods (Requirement for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021, notified on 18 March 2021. MeitY continues to amend the 2021 Order to add or revise products, so older articles that cite only the 2012 Order are out of date.
The orders state that notified goods must not be manufactured, stored for sale, imported, sold or distributed unless they “bear the Standard Mark with unique registration number obtained from BIS”.
CRS is not limited to MeitY products. The same Scheme-II route is used for solar photovoltaic products under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s Solar Photovoltaics, Systems, Devices and Components Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2017, and for a few chemicals notified by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
The Registration Mark and the R-number
The CRS mark is the BIS Standard Mark used under Scheme-II. BIS calls it the “Registration (CRS) Mark” on its consumer app page. It is a different design from the ISI mark, and it always comes with two numbers:
- The IS number, the Indian Standard the product was tested against, for example IS 16046 for portable sealed secondary cells.
- The R-number, written as R-XXXXXXXX. BIS’s BIS Care app page describes it as an eight-digit number.
Scheme-II, as reproduced in BIS’s CRS marking guidelines and restated in the 2026 amendment, sets the marking rules:
| Rule | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Placement | Standard Mark on the product, the package or both |
| Numbers | Licence (registration) number and IS reference shown with the mark; if the number cannot go below the mark, it is placed close to it in a line |
| Size | IS number, registration number and words not smaller than Arial font size 6 |
| Durability | Legible, indelible and non-removable |
| Website | Reference to the BIS website, www.bis.gov.in, on the product or package, even when e-labelling is used |
| E-labelling | Devices with an integrated display screen may show the Standard Mark electronically instead of physically |
| Product details | Model, batch or date of manufacture and the manufacturer’s address, as the Indian Standard requires |
So “R-number meaning” is simple: it is the manufacturer’s BIS registration number. It is not a product serial number, and one R-number can cover several models of the same product and brand.
Example products under CRS
BIS publishes the full list of products under the Registration Scheme. Examples at the time of writing:
| Product | Indian Standard |
|---|---|
| Laptops, notebooks and tablets | IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 |
| Mobile phones | IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 |
| Power banks | IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 |
| Power adaptors for IT equipment | IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 |
| Smart watches | IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 |
| CCTV cameras and recorders | IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 |
| Microwave ovens | IS 302-2-25 |
| UPS and inverters up to 5 kVA | IS 16242 (Part 1) |
| Sealed secondary cells and batteries for portable use | IS 16046 |
| Self-ballasted LED lamps | IS 16102 (Part 1) |
| Fixed general purpose LED luminaires | IS 10322 (Part 5/Sec 1) |
| Electronic control gear for LED modules | IS 15885 (Part 2/Sec 13) |
| Crystalline silicon PV modules (MNRE) | IS 14286 and IS/IEC 61730 (Parts 1 and 2) |
Many IT and audio-video products have moved from IS 13252 (Part 1) and IS 616 to IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, so check the standard currently listed for your product before booking tests. Our BIS product list shows every CRS product with its standard and notifying order.
How to check an R-number
- Read the label. Note the R-number and the IS number printed with the Standard Mark.
- Use BIS Care. In the official app, open “Verify R-No under CRS”, enter the eight-digit number and tap Go. The app also has a search for registered manufacturers by product, model and brand.
- Or use crsbis.in. The Registered Manufacturers search on crsbis.in takes the numeric part of the R-number and shows the manufacturer, product, IS number, status, validity, brand and scope.
- Match the details. The manufacturer, brand and model must appear in the scope, and the status must be valid.
A genuine R-number used on a model outside its scope is still misuse. Our guide to checking a BIS registration number walks through each screen and explains what to do if the details do not match.
CRS vs the ISI mark
Both are BIS licences to use a Standard Mark, but they work differently.
| CRS (Scheme-II) | ISI mark (Scheme-I) | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis of grant | Self-declaration of conformity with a third-party lab test report | BIS assessment of the factory and product testing |
| Factory visit before grant | No | Yes |
| Number on the product | R-number (eight digits) | CM/L licence number |
| Typical products | Electronics, IT goods, LED products, batteries, solar PV | Cement, steel, cables, appliances, toys, helmets |
| Portal | crsbis.in | Manak Online |
| Overseas factories | Apply directly under Scheme-II with an Indian representative | Apply through FMCS |
If you are unsure which applies, see what is BIS certification, the ISI mark full form and the BIS full form glossary.
Who registers under CRS
Under Scheme-II as substituted by the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Amendment Regulations, 2026:
- The manufacturer applies, separately for each product, and separately for each brand name unless the brand owner is the same.
- The product must be tested against all requirements of the Indian Standard by a third-party laboratory, as the sampling guidelines for that product require, and the manufacturer signs an undertaking and an affidavit.
- Foreign manufacturers must nominate an Indian representative, who also files an affidavit. The application form allows this to be a branch or liaison office, the brand owner or another nominated party. This person is commonly called the Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) and answers to BIS for compliance.
- Importers, distributors and online sellers do not hold the registration, but they cannot import or sell notified goods that lack it.
After grant, BIS may draw samples from the market or in transit for testing. STPI’s page notes that MeitY runs surveillance of registered manufacturers with STPI’s help, while BIS is responsible for search and seizure.
Validity and fees
The 2026 amendment changed the validity rules. A registration is now granted initially for up to five years and may be renewed for a further period of up to five years, with fees paid annually in advance. The original 2018 text granted an initial two years.
The amended Scheme-II sets an application fee, annual licence fee and renewal application fee of ₹1,000 each, and a processing fee of ₹25,000 per application per year. Micro enterprises and start-ups get 80% off the processing fee, small enterprises 50% and medium enterprises 20% until 31 May 2029, after which all MSMEs get 20%. Testing charges are set by the laboratory. For the full fee picture, see BIS certification cost, and for the filing steps, time limits and common mistakes, see the BIS CRS registration process.
Related full forms
- BIS full form: the Bureau of Indian Standards and its other abbreviations
- WPC and ETA full forms: wireless approvals that many CRS products also need
- BEE full form: energy labels on appliances
- EPR full form: e-waste obligations for electronics producers
- RoHS full form: hazardous substance limits in electronics
How Aaditech can help
Aaditech is a private compliance consultancy, independent of BIS and MeitY. We help Indian and overseas manufacturers choose the correct standard and BIS-recognised laboratory, file on crsbis.in, set up the Authorised Indian Representative nomination correctly, answer BIS queries and check labels before launch. Our team includes former BIS officers. See our BIS CRS registration service.