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India's electronics and information technology industry covers the full Chapter 85 product space — power…

CRS · 238 LINES · 62 STANDARDS

India's electronics and information technology industry covers the full Chapter 85 product space — power supplies, batteries, consumer audio and video equipment, computing peripherals, lighting controllers, electrical accessories, semiconductor assemblies, and the optical media and storage devices that feed them. The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) regulates 135 HSN codes within this scope, drawn from a notified universe of 26 Indian Standards spanning IS 302 series safety for household appliances, IS 13252 and IS 616 for IT and audio-video equipment, IS/IEC 62368-1 (IS 19014) for the unified safety standard, and product-specific standards for batteries, LED lights, mobile phones, set-top boxes, smart meters, and welded plates. The scheme split breaks down as 102 HSN codes under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS), 28 under the ISI Mark Scheme, and 5 under Scheme-X — making electronics the largest CRS-notified industry hub on bisqco.

The dominant route is the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS), constituted under Section 16 of the BIS Act, 2016 and operationalised through the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order. CRS is administered as Scheme-II of Schedule-II of the BIS Conformity Assessment Regulations, 2018. The pathway runs on a test-and-self-declare basis: sample testing at a BIS-recognised laboratory, upload of the test report on the BIS portal (manakonline.in), declaration of conformity, and grant of an R-number. There is no factory inspection. The R-number must appear on the product itself and on its packaging; the registration is product-and-model specific, not site-specific. Typical timeline from sample submission to R-number grant is 4–8 weeks.

Four pain points dominate practitioner workload on this hub. First, R-number placement on the product surface — font size, location, and durability under IS 17904 cause field rejections during market surveillance. Second, model and variant scope: a single R-number covers only the tested model, and every BOM-level change to a critical component (display, battery, SoC, power adapter) requires a fresh registration. Third, IEC-to-IS harmonisation lag — the gap between IEC publication and BIS adoption forces parallel testing for global SKUs. Fourth, the brand-owner versus contract-manufacturer split: CRS registration is held by the brand owner, but the OEM factory's name and address must match the test report. Most consequentially, IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 (notified as IS 19014) is replacing IS 13252 (audio, video, and similar electronic apparatus) and IS 616 (information technology equipment); the three standards remain in concurrent running until 01-11-2028, after which the older licences will not satisfy customs verification or market enforcement.

At a glance

238

Tariff lines (8-digit HSN)

Indian Standards in industry

HSN chapters mapped

CRS

Primary mark scheme

Who it affects

Indian manufacturers

An Indian manufacturer of CRS-notified electronics — whether a contract assembler in Noida or a brand-owner OEM in Bengaluru — must obtain an R-number before commercial dispatch under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order. Goods placed in the channel without a valid R-number are liable to seizure during market surveillance under Section 17(1)(b) of the BIS Act, 2016 and attract monetary penalty under Sections 29–33. Sales to government tenders, large e-commerce platforms, and institutional buyers require the R-number to be quoted on the invoice.

Foreign manufacturers

A foreign manufacturer shipping CRS-notified electronics to India holds the registration in its own name through an Indian Authorised Representative (AIR) — CRS does not mandate overseas factory inspection, unlike FMCS, and the registration is granted purely on the basis of test reports from a BIS-recognised Indian laboratory. The AIR carries statutory liability for compliance, recall coordination, and surveillance response. Foreign manufacturers should appoint the AIR before commencing sample testing and confirm that the AIR's name and address match the records filed with BIS at every renewal.

Importers

An Indian importer of CRS-notified electronics must verify the supplier's R-number on manakonline.in against the IS number, the product model, and the registered factory address before each purchase order. Customs verification at Indian ports is conducted in real time against the BIS portal; a lapsed, mismatched, or model-scope-deviated R-number results in immediate consignment detention at the port of arrival, with demurrage and ground rent accruing from day 1 and re-export, conditional release, or confiscation as the only remaining options.

Applicable Indian Standards

Tariff lines by chapter

Ch 85Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof635 lines

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Frequently asked

Which electronics products need BIS registration under CRS?

Products notified under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirements for Compulsory Registration) Order — currently 102 HSN codes in Chapter 85 on bisqco — including IT equipment, video monitors, set-top boxes, mobile phones, sealed secondary cells, LED luminaires, power adapters, and storage devices. Each notification cites the applicable IS standard and the S.O. number; the registration requirement is product-and-model specific.

How long does CRS registration take?

Typical timeline is 4–8 weeks from sample submission to grant of the R-number, conducted under Scheme-II of Schedule-II of the BIS Conformity Assessment Regulations, 2018. The pathway is test-and-self-declare: BIS-recognised laboratory testing, upload of the test report on manakonline.in, and declaration of conformity — no factory inspection is conducted.

What is the difference between R-number and CM/L?

The R-number is issued under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) for electronics and IT goods and is product-and-model specific; the CM/L licence is issued under the ISI Mark Scheme (Scheme-I of Schedule-II) for QCO-notified non-electronic products and is product-and-factory specific. The R-number does not require factory inspection; CM/L requires both factory inspection and ongoing surveillance.

When does IS/IEC 62368-1 replace IS 13252 and IS 616?

IS/IEC 62368-1 (notified as IS 19014) becomes the sole applicable safety standard for audio, video, information technology, and communication equipment from 01-11-2028. Until that date, IS 13252 (audio and video apparatus) and IS 616 (information technology equipment) remain valid in concurrent running with IS 19014; after 01-11-2028 older R-numbers will not satisfy customs verification.

Can Amazon and Flipkart list non-CRS-registered electronics?

No. The Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules, 2020 read with the BIS Act, 2016 require online marketplaces to display the R-number on the product listing page for every CRS-notified product. Listings without a valid R-number attract takedown notices from BIS and monetary penalty under Sections 29–33 of the BIS Act, 2016 on both the seller and the marketplace operator.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-23. Source: BIS / DGFT / Indian Customs CUSDATA.