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I import or sell gadgets/electronics, what's this BIS CRS mark I keep hearing about?

The BIS Compulsory Registration Scheme covers roughly 74 categories of electronic and IT products (power banks, chargers, certain audio devices, etc.), if your product falls on that list, you legally cannot manufacture, import, sell or distribute it in India without BIS registering it first and letting you carry the CRS mark. You get there by testing at a BIS-recognised lab, then filing Form I plus test reports and brand authorisation on the CRS portal; registration typically runs for around two years and needs renewal. Check the product list before you place a manufacturing or import order, retrofitting compliance after stock has landed is expensive and slow.

Go deeper

3 resources, 3 India-specific, 3 link-checked.

🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

The official CRS portal itself, the place to check if your specific electronic product SKU is on the mandatory list before you place a manufacturing or import order.

Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS)

From crsbis.in by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

  • Official portal for checking CRS-covered product categories
  • Where registration under Form I is actually filed
  • Confirms current registration status by R-number lookup
Open crsbis.in
🛠️ Tool
✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

BIS's own explanation of the Scheme II registration route, useful to cross-check against a consultant's summary since the exact product list and process details change.

BIS CRS (Scheme II)

From bis.gov.in by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)

  • Official BIS explanation of the CRS/Scheme II registration route
  • Lists which product categories fall under compulsory certification
  • Confirms current validity period and renewal process
Open bis.gov.in
📄 Article
✓ Link checked India Free Intermediate

A founder-readable breakdown of the CRS process, lab testing, Form I, brand authorisation, without the dense regulatory language of the official BIS pages.

BIS CRS Certification for IT and Electronic Products in India

From LegalRaasta

  • Explains the lab-testing-to-registration sequence step by step
  • Covers what a 'brand authorisation letter' means for private-label sellers
  • Notes penalties for selling non-CRS-registered covered products
Open legalraasta.com

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