BIS CRS Registration

Overview

The Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) is the route the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) uses for most electronics and IT products. It sits under Scheme-II of Schedule II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018, made under the BIS Act, 2016.

For electronics, the legal mandate comes from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) through the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021, which replaced the earlier 2012 order. Other ministries use the same scheme for their products, for example the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for solar photovoltaic modules, inverters and storage batteries.

Under these orders, no one may manufacture, store for sale, import, sell or distribute a notified product unless it conforms to the specified Indian Standard and carries the BIS Standard Mark with a valid registration number (the “R-number”).

CRS is a self-declaration scheme: the manufacturer has the product tested at a BIS-recognised laboratory, submits the report and declares conformity. BIS then grants the registration without a pre-grant factory visit, and checks compliance afterwards through market surveillance.

Who needs it

• Domestic manufacturers of any product notified under a CRS order.
• Foreign manufacturers exporting notified products to India. They must appoint an Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) who is responsible for the registration in India.
• Brand owners who source from contract manufacturers. Registration is granted to the factory that makes the product, with the brand name recorded against it, so each factory–brand combination needs to be covered.
• Importers and online sellers are not registered themselves, but they cannot legally import or sell a notified product that is not registered.

Products covered

The list is long and keeps growing as new phases are notified. Typical categories include:

The current product list, the applicable Indian Standard for each product and the list of BIS-recognised laboratories are published on the official CRS portal at https://www.crsbis.in.

Note: New products are added by amendment orders, often with phased dates and transition periods. Always check the latest notification for your product before planning a launch or a shipment.

Documents required

• Test report from a BIS-recognised laboratory (sample tested against the latest version of the Indian Standard)
• Factory details: legal name, address, licence or registration documents of the manufacturing unit
• Trademark or brand authorisation, where the brand owner is not the manufacturer
• AIR nomination letter and AIR identity and address documents (foreign manufacturers)
• Affidavit or undertaking in the format BIS prescribes
• Product details: model list, technical specifications, photographs and labelling artwork
• Organisation chart, list of critical components and the manufacturing process flow, where asked

Process

1. Identify the standard and series. Confirm the notified product category, the Indian Standard that applies and how the models can be grouped under BIS series guidelines.
2. Submit samples to a recognised lab. Samples are sent to a BIS-recognised laboratory in India. Foreign manufacturers usually ship them in through the AIR.
3. Testing. The lab tests against the full Indian Standard and issues a report, which in most cases is also linked to the application on the portal.
4. Online application. The manufacturer (or AIR) registers on the CRS portal, fills in the application, uploads documents and pays the fees.
5. Scrutiny and queries. BIS reviews the file and may raise queries on the report, documents or labelling.
6. Grant of registration. BIS issues a registration number. The product can then be marked with the Standard Mark and R-number as prescribed.
7. Adding models. Further models or brands can be included in the registration through an inclusion request, often with a fresh test report.

Validity, renewal & surveillance

Under the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Amendment Regulations, 2026, notified in February 2026, CRS registrations are reported to be granted and renewed for up to five years, up from two years for a new grant. Annual fees must still be paid in advance and annual production data must still be filed, or the registration can be suspended. Renewals should be filed before expiry to avoid late fees and a break in validity.

BIS and the line ministries run market surveillance, drawing samples from the market and testing them. A failed sample can lead to suspension or cancellation of the registration and action against the stock in trade.

Note: Fees, validity terms and portal procedures are revised from time to time by BIS. We’ll share a current fee estimate for your products when we scope the work.

How Aaditech helps

Aaditech was set up in 2010 by former Directors of the Bureau of Indian Standards. Our CEO, Mr B.K. Jain, headed the BIS electrical laboratory before joining us, and the team was empanelled by DeitY (now MeitY) in 2014 for CRS market surveillance. We know how a CRS file is read, and where products tend to fail in the market.

• Gap assessment. We check whether your product is notified, which standard and series apply, and whether CRS alone is enough or WPC, BEE or EPR also apply.
• Test planning. We pick the representative models, line up a recognised laboratory and prepare the samples and technical file so testing runs once, not twice.
• AIR guidance. For overseas manufacturers we explain the AIR’s legal responsibilities and help set up the nomination correctly.
• Documentation and filing. We prepare the application, affidavits and labelling artwork and file on the CRS portal.
• Query handling. We respond to BIS queries and follow the file through to grant.
• After grant. We track renewals, annual fee and production-data deadlines, model inclusions and changes to the Indian Standard.

Our clients include Acer, Havells, Polycab, KENT RO, CHINT, Amazon and Flipkart. Talk to us before you place your next import order.