Other flash-lights excluding those for photographic purposes

Portable battery-operated flashlights and hand torches

BIS QCO APPLICABLE · ISI MARK SCHEME · IS 2083

HSN 8513 10 20 (portable battery-operated flashlights excluding those for photographic purposes) is covered by a Bureau of Indian Standards Quality Control Order. Conformity to IS 2083 is mandatory under the ISI Mark Scheme by virtue of the Flashlight (Quality Control) Order, 2025, with staggered enforcement dates based on enterprise size commencing 28 July 2025 for general importers. No separate customs-clearance overlay applies to this tariff line.

What this is

HSN code

8513 10 20

Chapter

85 · Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof

BIS QCO

Applicable · ISI Mark Scheme · CM/L required

Indian Standard

IS 2083 · effective 21-01-2025

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

BISBIS·Bureau of Indian Standards

Compliance steps

1
Source only from a Bureau of Indian Standards CM/L-licensed manufacturer holding a current licence against IS 2083 covering flashlights or hand torches. Verify the supplier's CM/L number, licensed product scope, and licensed manufacturing facility on the BIS online register before placing the purchase order.
Flashlight (Quality Control) Order, 2025 · S.O. 501(E) dated 21-01-2025 · Scheme-I of Schedule II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018
2
Confirm which enforcement date tier applies to your enterprise before importation. General enterprises (other than micro and small) must comply from 28 July 2025; small enterprises from 28 October 2025; micro enterprises from 28 January 2026.
Flashlight (Quality Control) Order, 2025 · S.O. 501(E) dated 21-01-2025 · Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006 (27 of 2006)
3
Ensure every flashlight bears the ISI mark and the supplier's CM/L number as required under Scheme-I of Schedule II to the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. Marking must appear on the product itself and not solely on the outer packaging.
Scheme-I of Schedule II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018 · Flashlight (Quality Control) Order, 2025
4
Quote the supplier's BIS CM/L number on the bill of entry. Customs verifies the CM/L in real time against the BIS online register; an absent, expired, or scope-mismatched licence triggers consignment detention, demurrage, and potential re-export or confiscation.
Flashlight (Quality Control) Order, 2025 · BIS Act, 2016 · Customs Act, 1962
5
Check paragraph 2 of the Flashlight (Quality Control) Order, 2025 for documented exemptions before assuming a consignment falls outside the QCO scope. Where an exemption applies, retain the exemption basis documentation for production at customs.
Flashlight (Quality Control) Order, 2025 · S.O. 501(E) dated 21-01-2025 — para 2 exemptions

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is misreading the staggered enforcement calendar as a blanket deferral. General importers (entities that are neither micro nor small enterprises under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006) became subject to IS 2083 compliance from 28 July 2025 — well before the micro-enterprise deadline of 28 January 2026. Presenting a supplier's CM/L licence issued after the applicable enforcement date does not cure a pre-certification import; the QCO attaches to the goods at the date of entry into India, not the date of licence issuance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 8513 10 20 require BIS certification?

Yes. Flashlights under this tariff line must conform to IS 2083 and bear the ISI mark under a CM/L licence granted by the Bureau of Indian Standards, pursuant to the Flashlight (Quality Control) Order, 2025 notified as S.O. 501(E) dated 21-01-2025.

When did the Flashlight QCO enforcement commence, and does a single date apply to all importers?

No single date applies. General enterprises became subject to the QCO from 28 July 2025; small enterprises from 28 October 2025; micro enterprises from 28 January 2026, as defined under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Act, 2006.

Are photographic flashlights also covered by this QCO?

No. HSN 8513 10 20 explicitly excludes flashlights for photographic purposes; those products fall under separate tariff lines and are outside the scope of the Flashlight (Quality Control) Order, 2025.

Does a single CM/L licence cover all flashlight models from the same manufacturer?

No. A CM/L licence is scope-specific by product specification, model, and licensed manufacturing facility; flashlight models or facilities outside the licensed scope are not covered and customs detains the consignment on any mismatch with the BIS register.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-18. Source: BIS / Indian Customs CUSDATA.