D2C & e-commerce
BIS QCOs: how to check if your product needs certification before it ships
Check before you ship: if your product category is covered by a Quality Control Order, BIS certification (ISI mark or CRS registration, depending on the scheme) is mandatory for both domestic manufacture and import — uncertified consignments are held at customs, and importers routinely discover the requirement only when goods are stuck and demurrage is accruing (documented cases run past ₹4 lakh in demurrage alone). The QCO list changes in both directions: roughly 790 product categories have been brought under QCOs over recent years, while the government withdrew 14 QCOs in November 2025 as part of a review — so a static list you found on a consultant blog may be wrong this quarter. Verify against current BIS/DPIIT notifications for your exact HS code and product description.
What a QCO does
A Quality Control Order makes conformity to a specified Indian Standard mandatory for a product category — sale, import, distribution or storage of non-conforming goods becomes prohibited. Compliance is evidenced through BIS schemes: the ISI mark (Scheme I) for many industrial and consumer goods, or Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) for electronics and IT products.
QCOs bind importers exactly as they bind domestic manufacturers — and for imports the certification generally needs to exist for the foreign manufacturing site before goods arrive, with timelines of 6–12 weeks and costs commonly ₹50,000–₹1.5 lakh+ per product model. For small order values, certification economics can decide whether the product is viable at all.
The list moves — in both directions
The QCO regime expanded rapidly to cover hundreds of categories, drawing criticism for the burden on MSMEs; a government review (the Gauba committee) followed, and in November 2025 fourteen QCOs were withdrawn to ease compliance for manufacturers. New QCOs continue to be notified for other categories, often with transitional windows — the Furniture QCO's implementation included a 180-day transitional relief for consignments already in transit.
Two practical consequences: first, never rely on an undated list; second, transitional provisions matter enormously if you have goods on the water when an order takes effect — relief windows exist precisely because importers got caught.
How to check your product, in order
Work from the legal texts, not summaries: identify your product's HS code and common description; search recent QCO notifications from the relevant ministry (DPIIT, MeitY for electronics under CRS, Textiles, Chemicals & Petrochemicals); check BIS's lists of products under mandatory certification for both Scheme I and CRS; and confirm dates — both the QCO's effective date and any amendment or withdrawal.
- HS code + product description first — QCOs are written around both
- Check the ministry's QCO notification AND its amendments (effective dates shift)
- Electronics/IT → check MeitY CRS product list; most else → BIS Scheme I
- Goods already in transit when a QCO lands → look for transitional relief provisions
- Re-check quarterly: the November 2025 withdrawals show the list shrinks too
If goods are already stuck
Options narrow once a consignment is held: re-export, abandonment, or regularisation where a transitional window or exemption applies. Demurrage accrues daily regardless. The cheaper universe is the one where the check happened at product-selection time — this is a category of risk that is almost entirely front-loadable.
Frequently asked questions
My supplier says the product 'has CE marking'. Does that help in India?
No. CE, FCC or other foreign marks have no standing under Indian QCOs — conformity must be to the specified Indian Standard, evidenced through BIS's schemes (ISI mark or CRS registration), generally tied to the specific manufacturing site.
Are small importers or MSMEs exempt from QCOs?
Generally no for imports. Some QCOs have carved out micro/small domestic manufacturers or given them extended timelines — and the 2025 review withdrew several QCOs citing MSME burden — but assume applicability until the specific order says otherwise.
How do I know if a new QCO is coming for my category?
Draft QCOs are typically notified to the WTO and published for comment before taking effect, and ministries announce phased implementation dates. Monitoring those notifications for your category is exactly the kind of change-watching a compliance watcher automates.
Check what applies to your business
Describe your business in two or three lines and Compliance Radar matches the rules and government schemes that apply — deadlines and penalties included, every claim cited to the official source. First 3 queries are free. No card.
Run this check free →