BIS Certification
Bureau of Indian Standards

BIS Licence means a licence granted under Section 13 of BIS Act 2016 to use a specified Standard Mark on any goods or article which conforms to a standard.

A standard that is established and published by BIS (the National Standards Body) for any good, process, system or service is an Indian Standard.

A manufacturer must apply for a licence to use the standard marks on the products under compulsory certification in BIS Act, 2016 or other Acts. Search for the list of products covered under the compulsory certification at the link – https://www.services.bis.gov.in/php/BIS_2.0/bisconnect/knowyourstandards/indian_standards/isdetails.

Generally, the Indian standards are formulated and revised by BIS through consensus in technical committees. BIS licensees can participate in this process by becoming technical committee members. They may send comments to the concerned technical department through mail/BIS website. But, only some other dedicated standards bodies and Ministries/Departments and Regulators in India also develop Standards in their specific domains.

There are a few other dedicated standards bodies and Ministries/Departments and Regulators in India that also develop Standards in their specific domains, such as:

• Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) in the telecommunications sector
• Indian Road Congress (IRC) in the area of roads and bridges
• Directorate of Standardization, Ministry of Defence for defence standards
• Research Design and Standards Organization (RDSO) for standardization of railway equipment & applications
• Automobile Research Association of India (ARAI) for automotive industry standards
• Telecommunications Standards Development Society, India (TSDSI) for telecom/ICT products & services standards.
• Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for standards on food safety
• Indian Road Congress (IRC) in the area of roads and bridges
• Central Pollution Control Board [CPCB] for standards on the emission or discharge of environmental pollution
• Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for safety requirements & guidance for utilities and users of atomic energy
• Directorate of Marketing Inspection (DMI) for grading standards of agricultural commodities
• Central Drugs Standards Control Organization [CDSCO] the standards for drugs and medical devices

To check whether the BIS licence number is genuine, you take the IS No and the licence number marked on the product or the packaging. You can verify the licence number marked on the product from the following link https://www.bis.gov.in/index.php/product-certification/online-information/

The scope of the licence provides the details of the product and its varieties on which the standard mark can be used. No, BIS grants one licence for one product/one Indian Standard; however, the licence may cover more than one grade/size/variety specified/covered in the standard. The products and their varieties on which Standard Mark can be used are mentioned in the “Scope of licence” granted to you. Manufacturers can only use it for other product varieties covered in the scope.

A manufacturer can change the scope of the licence by including or deleting varieties in the product regarding the standard against which the licence has been granted and as per applicable relevant guidelines.

BIS licence holder is required to inform BIS of its intentions of shifting the factory to a new address with relevant documents for the new premises similar to the documents submitted at the time of application to BIS for grant of licence. The licensee, on its own, shall suspend the use of the Standard Mark under intimation to the Bureau on the relocation of the manufacturing unit to new premises. The Bureau may request the revocation of suspension after verification of the old premises and the production process at the new premises.

BIS carries out surveillance on the licence granted regularly. BIS carries out surprise factory surveillance inspections through a visit to the factory by certification officers of BIS or by personnel of the Agents appointed by BIS and verifies that the conditions of the licence are being complied with by the manufacturer. The samples of ISI-marked products are also drawn from the factory to verify their conformity to relevant ISS through third-party laboratory testing.

BIS also carries out market surveillance by purchasing samples of ISI-marked products to verify the product’s conformity to relevant ISS through third-party laboratory testing.