BIS CRS Registration

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) regulates the manufacturing standards of various consumer products. It sets the standards for the producers and updates them regularly as per the need of time. BIS provides many certifications including BIS CRS Registration to the manufacturer if it adheres to the Indian Standards set by the National Standards Body - Bureau of Indian Standards. Such standards should be maintained in the manufacturing process and the raw materials used to build that product. The Government of India also regularly makes some product manufacturers mandatory to get the BIS Certification under the Compulsory Registration Scheme.

What is CRS Registration Scheme?

CRS stands for Compulsory Registration Scheme. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified a list of fifteen categories of electronic items in 2012 for mandatory registration. Since then, as per the new trends, the central government adds new items to this list regularly. The main objective of making BIS CRS Registration mandatory is to protect the public interest, health, environment, unfair trade practices and national security in the country. You cannot manufacture, store, sell, import, or distribute these notified items without BIS CRS Registration.

Who Can Apply For BIS CRS Registration?

The Manufacturers and factory owners need to apply for the grant of licence under the BIS Compulsory Registration Scheme if they are manufacturing the items as notified. The central government notifies these items in the official gazette. Currently, this list contains eighty-one items and they come from five different ministries of the Indian Government and hence can be divided into five different categories. If you are making one of these items in your factory, you should get the BIS CRS Registration. These five categories are as mentioned below-

• Electronics and IT Goods
• Solar Photovoltaic, Systems, Devices and Components
• Low - Voltage Switch Gear and Control Gear
• Chemicals
• Textiles

These eighty-one products are covered under the BIS CRS Registration Scheme notified by five Ministries of the Indian Government. Along with the item list, the respective Indian standard to which these products should conform and the date of such implementation are also given-

The BIS Registration under the Compulsory Registration Scheme has various benefits for consumers, manufacturers, distributors and the environment. These benefits are described below-

• The certification mark ensures that the product is manufactured as per the prescribed Indian Standards which further re-affirms the quality of it. It helps consumers to identify the quality products through the standard mark.
• They get a competitive edge as the consumers prefer products that are built on a national standard against a local non-certified product.
• The distributors can take domestic brands to global markets and the BIS Certification helps them to convince consumers of new markets about the quality of their product.
• You can use it to ensure the authorities about the standards followed in the manufacturing process of this product as well as the material used in it.
• BIS updates its standards as per new environmental norms. It embraces green standards to make the products and manufacturing process more eco-friendly, and sustainable.

A manufacturer needs to furnish the following documents when seeking the licence for his product under the compulsory registration scheme-

• Photo ID of Responsible Person
• Address ID of Responsible Person
• Business Registration Details (Partnership/MSME/Company etc.)
• PAN Card of the Business Entity
• GST Registration
• MoA & AoA
• Brand Name Registration
• Brand Authorisation
• An application under Form I
• Undertaking as per Form II
• Third-Party Laboratory Test Report
•  Affidavit as per Form III

The process to obtain the BIS certification under the Compulsory Registration Scheme involves various stages. These stages are as follows-

Application for BIS CRS Registration

The manufacturer can apply for registration under the Compulsory Registration Scheme through Form 1 of Scheme II included in the BIS Conformity Assessment Regulation 2018. He has to keep the following things in mind while preparing the application form-

• To choose which Indian Standard applies to his product.
• To ensure that he can manufacture and test the product according to the process laid down in the Indian Standards.
• To apply for the grant of license through registration based on self-declaration of conformity.
• To use different applications for different products and brand names. But if the owner of two brands is the same then he can apply for both of his brands in the same application for one product.
• To ensure that the product is well tested and conforms to the said Indian Standard.
• To submit an undertaking as per Form II and an affidavit as per Form III.
• To submit the third-party lab test report along with the application.
• To accept the terms and conditions of the licence.

Acceptance of Application for BIS CRS Registration

Upon receipt of the application submitted by the manufacturer, the following process takes place-

• The Bureau of Indian Standards examines the contents of the application and verifies the material information provided by the manufacturer.
• The BIS also examines the product test results conducted by third-party laboratories.
• Then the Bureau of Indian Standards reviews the application and test results for their completeness and conformance with the Indian Standards.
• If everything goes fine till this stage the Bureau decides on the application. It also checks whether the manufacturer has the infrastructure to efficiently manufacture these products for an extended period while also maintaining the quality as per the specified Indian Standards.
• The Bureau then issues a licence to the manufacturer through registration based on self-declaration of conformity.
• This document has various details including the scope of the license, licence number, address, brand name, model number, validity, Indian standard, facsimile of standard mark etc.

Other Rules for BIS CRS Registration

There are some additional rules you must be aware of after you get the BIS CRS Registration-

• The Bureau monitors the manufacturers who got BIS CRS Registration.
• It can collect samples from the market, from transportation or the dispatch point as well. Then it sends these samples to a third-party laboratory for testing.
• The Bureau can also take feedback from the buyers of such products.
• It also acknowledges and investigates when any complaint is received regarding the quality of the product that has obtained a standard mark from BIS.
• The complaints shall be closed after ninety days excluding the time utilised by the testing process at the laboratory.
• If any test report fails to prove the conformance of the product with the Indian Standards then the Bureau of Indian Standards can cancel the licence of such manufacturer for that product.

Guidelines for Labelling and Marking of Standard Marks

The Bureau guides the use of standard marks on the product and packaging. The Bureau has described the mark with all the necessary details regarding its design in the BIS Conformity Assessment Regulation of 2018. It should be used as per the following guidelines-

• The manufacturer should use the standard mark on the product, packaging or both and it should be the same as shown in Annexure I of these regulations.
• The measurements, dimensions and proportions should be as per the Annexure II of these regulations.
• The colour scheme of the mark should also align with the colours shown in Annexure III of these regulations.
• The Manufacturer should mention the license number and the relevant Indian Standard along with the standard mark.
• Product details should also be mentioned on the product, packaging or any attached tag.
• If the Bureau of Indian Standards prescribe any additional guidelines for a specific product then such details shall also be mentioned on it.
• The mark should be easily visible, legible, indelible and non-removable with durability as prescribed by the Indian Standard.

The BIS Conformity Assessment Regulation of 2018 revised the old fee structure and prescribed the fee for various activities requested by manufacturers and factory owners. It includes the fee for application, renewal, processing and other requests. The table below explains the fee structure for BIS CRS Registration-

Apart from the above-mentioned fees, there are some other activities that the manufacturers and the factory owners may need and the fees regarding these activities are given below-

Validity and Renewal of BIS CRS Certificate

The licence given under this scheme to use the standard mark is valid for two years from the date of issue. The manufacturer can renew this licence by applying for such renewal with the requisite fee. He should apply for the renewal at least three months before its expiry. The renewal is also given for a period of two years but up to five years of renewal can be granted on request of the manufacturer if he pays the additional fee of twenty-five thousand rupees for each additional year. If at any time, it is found by the Bureau that a product does not comply with the quality standards and bears a BIS Certification mark then it can cancel such a license.

We, at Corpseed, have a team having extensive knowledge relating to various horizons of laws related to Indian Standards and BIS Certifications applicable in India as well as the processes involved to apply for a BIS Licence. We perform desk-based research, documentation, and coordination to provide consultation to clients in establishing their businesses and fulfilling the necessities as prescribed by the applicable rules.