For industrial use

Unequipped boards, panels, cabinets for industrial switchgear

PARTNER GOVERNMENT AGENCY CLEARANCE

HSN 8538 10 10 (boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets and other bases for heading 8537 apparatus, for industrial use) is subject to mandatory certification under the Mandatory Testing and Certification of Telecom Equipment (MTCTE) scheme administered by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), where the product falls within the notified list under the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2017. Importers must verify whether their specific panel or cabinet model is notified under MTCTE before filing the bill of entry.

What this is

HSN code

8538 10 10

Chapter

85 · Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof

Primary regulator

DoT · Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2017 (MTCTE mandatory certification)

Customs documentation

MTCTE certificate from DoT
TEC type-approval from DoT
Compliance declaration from importer

Compliance steps

1
Determine whether the specific board, panel, console, desk, cabinet or base being imported is listed in the DoT-notified product schedule under the MTCTE scheme. The notified list has been amended successively — verify against the current version per DoT Notification F.No.5-2/2024-TC/TEC (Pt.1) dated 25-02-2025.
Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2017 · DoT Notification TEC/01/2017-TC dated 04-07-2019 as amended vide F.No.5-2/2021-TC/TEC/131 dated 13-06-2022 and F.No.5-2/2024-TC/TEC (Pt.1) dated 25-02-2025
2
If the product is within the MTCTE notified list, obtain the mandatory TEC type-approval certificate from the Telecommunication Engineering Centre before shipment. Upload the MTCTE certificate in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; clearance without a valid certificate will result in consignment detention.
Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2017 · DoT Notification TEC/01/2017-TC dated 04-07-2019 and F.No.5-2/2024-TC/TEC (Pt.1) dated 25-02-2025

A word of counsel

The MTCTE notified list has been amended multiple times — TEC/01/2017-TC (04-07-2019), F.No.5-2/2021-TC/TEC/131 (13-06-2022), and most recently F.No.5-2/2024-TC/TEC (Pt.1) (25-02-2025) — and product families are added or re-scoped with each amendment. The most common error is relying on a scope check against an earlier notification version: a cabinet or panel base that was outside the notified list under the 2022 amendment may have been brought within mandatory certification scope by the 2025 amendment, and importing without a current TEC type-approval exposes the consignment to seizure and the importer to criminal liability under the Indian Telegraph Act.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 8538 10 10 require BIS certification?

No, no BIS Quality Control Order covers unequipped boards, panels, consoles, desks, cabinets or other bases under this tariff line. The operative framework is DoT mandatory certification under the MTCTE scheme administered pursuant to the Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules, 2017, where the specific product is within the notified list.

How do I confirm whether my specific cabinet or panel base is within the MTCTE notified list?

Cross-reference the product description against the current DoT-notified schedule as last amended by F.No.5-2/2024-TC/TEC (Pt.1) dated 25-02-2025; if the product falls within a notified category, TEC type-approval is mandatory before the bill of entry is filed.

What happens if an unequipped industrial panel is imported without an MTCTE certificate when the product is within the notified list?

The consignment is liable to detention at the port of import, and the importer is exposed to monetary penalty and prosecution under the Indian Telegraph Act; re-export at the importer's cost is the typical customs disposition for non-compliant telecom equipment.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: Indian Customs CUSDATA.