India Market Launch — BIS, WPC & CDSCO
India, handled properly
India is one of the fastest-growing destinations for electronics, and one of the most commonly misjudged. The schemes are well documented and business is conducted in English, so the difficulty isn't access to information. It's that the requirements are cumulative and the sequencing is unforgiving.
A single connected device can simultaneously need BIS registration under the Compulsory Registration Scheme, WPC equipment type approval for its radio, MTCTE certification through TEC, Legal Metrology-compliant packaging declarations and e-waste EPR registration. Each has its own authority, timeline and documentary requirements, and several require testing in an Indian laboratory, which foreign test reports can't replace.
Foreign manufacturers also need representation in India. Getting that wrong, or appointing it late, delays everything downstream. This engagement runs the whole sequence with one consultant, so the schemes that can run in parallel do, and the ones that can't are started in the right order.
What you receive
- Which schemes apply: BIS CRS or ISI, WPC ETA, TEC MTCTE, CDSCO
- Authorised Indian Representative requirements, with what to check before appointing
- Testing in BIS-recognised Indian labs planned and coordinated
- Applications prepared with your representative and tracked with each authority
- Legal Metrology labelling and e-waste EPR registration handled
Who this is for
- You're taking an electronics or connected product into India for the first time
- You're unsure which of BIS CRS, ISI, CDSCO, WPC or TEC applies to you
- You're a foreign manufacturer and need the representation route handled
- You've been quoted wildly different timelines and want one owner for the whole process
How it runs
- 1
Scheme determination
Which schemes apply, often several at once, and which authority owns each.
- 2
Representation
What your Authorised Indian Representative must be able to do, and what to check before you appoint one.
- 3
Testing
Samples, test scope and a BIS-recognised Indian lab, coordinated through to reports.
- 4
Applications to approval
Applications prepared with your representative and followed through each authority, with labelling, Legal Metrology and EPR completed alongside.
Worth knowing
Checkable facts, with the source. Useful whether or not you buy anything from us.
BIS registration under the Compulsory Registration Scheme is mandatory for categories including smartphones, laptops, tablets, power banks and specified peripherals under the Electronics and IT Goods Order.
Source: BIS Compulsory Registration Scheme
BIS CRS registration requires testing in a BIS-recognised laboratory located in India; foreign test reports are not accepted as a substitute.
Source: BIS CRS scheme requirements
Radio equipment additionally requires WPC Equipment Type Approval, and a range of telecom equipment requires MTCTE certification through TEC — separate processes from BIS registration.
Source: WPC ETA and TEC MTCTE schemes
Common questions
Can we use our existing CE or FCC test reports?
Generally not for BIS. CRS registration requires testing in a BIS-recognised Indian laboratory. Planning around that constraint, rather than discovering it, is a large part of the value here.
What's an AIR and do we need one?
An Authorised Indian Representative is the in-country entity a foreign manufacturer acts through for certain schemes. Whether you need one, and what they must be able to do, depends on which schemes apply, which is the first thing we establish.
How long does India realistically take?
Longer than most first-time entrants plan for, and the schemes run partly in parallel and partly in sequence. You get realistic per-scheme timelines in the scope rather than a single optimistic number.