BIS Certification - Process, Types and Validity
BIS certification is issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in India. The BIS certification indicates third party, i.e. BIS assurance of any product’s quality, reliability, and safety to the customers. The BIS is involved in several activities like certification of products, standards formulation, testing, hallmarking, calibration scheme, etc.
The BIS certification for products is voluntary. However, the Government of India has made it mandatory for certain products considering public health. As per the government notification, 380 products are mandatorily required to obtain the BIS certification. The BIS certification permits the license holders to use the ISI mark (‘standard mark’) on their products. The ISI (Indian Standards Institution) mark denotes quality products.
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
The BIS is a national standards body promoting and regulating standards of products and goods in India. The BIS has set up eight Central, four regional, and three branch laboratories in India to test the samples of the products during the preliminary and surveillance operations. The BIS certification for products, even though voluntary, is encouraged by the government for the following purposes:
- It provides a safeguard to public health
- It provides quality assurance
- It protects the consumer from hazardous products
- It promotes consumer confidence
Benefits of BIS Certification
The BIS registration provides the following benefits:
- Ensures quality standards as BIS registration products are bound to follow a certain standard while manufacturing the goods
- Gives authenticity to BIS certified products as they deliver high-quality performance and reliability
- BIS certified products minimise environmental risks as BIS has prohibited the usage of certain chemicals and materials under its prescribed norms
- BIS registration is granted after testing the samples of the products in BIS set-up laboratories, ensuring quality inspection and high-quality of products
Products That Come Under BIS Certification
There are different categories of products that require compulsory BIS certification (Scheme-I). There are 380 products totally that require compulsory BIS certification. Here is the list of products under compulsory certification.
Any manufacturer can also obtain voluntary BIS certification for products as it indicates high quality and standards of the products to the customers. Here is the list of 738 products for which a manufacturer can obtain voluntary BIS certification under simplified procedure.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified compulsory BIS registration for certain electronics and information technology goods under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS). Here is the list of 77 products under the Compulsory Registration Scheme.
Types of BIS Registration Schemes
The BIS certification is provided under different types of schemes for the products, which are as follows:
ISI Mark Scheme Registration for Domestic Manufacturers
The manufacturers of products that come under the compulsory BIS certification (Scheme-I) have to register through the normal procedure. However, certain products that require compulsory certification are also included in the list of products that come under simplified registration. When the compulsory BIS certification products are listed under the products eligible for simplified registration, the manufacturers of such products should register them under the simplified procedure and not through the normal procedure.
Under the normal BIS certification procedure, the manufacturer of the compulsory BIS certification product has to submit the BIS registration application to the authorised officer of the jurisdiction where the manufacturing unit is located. The manufacturer of the products must submit Form V under Scheme-I (BIS registration application) along with the required documents and requisite fees.
The BIS officers will conduct a preliminary factory evaluation after receiving the BIS certification application. The BIS officers will collect samples of the products, test them and obtain an independent testing report. When the products meet the confirmed quality standards, the BIS certification/license is provided. Under this procedure, the BIS license is granted within 4-6 months after submitting the registration application.