A Fast-Moving Expansion of India’s Mandatory Certification Net
Between February and September 2026, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) have pushed through one of the most sweeping expansions of mandatory product certification in recent years. Electrical appliances, aluminium products, and a fresh batch of CRS Scheme-II lighting categories have all been brought under compulsory BIS certification — and the biggest deadline of them all, covering more than 90 electrical appliance categories, arrives on 1 October 2026, just weeks away. If your business manufactures, imports, or sells any of these products, this is not a notification to file away for later.
Electrical Appliances QCO 2026: The Big One
What changed and when
The Safety of Household, Commercial and Similar Electrical Appliances (Quality Control) Order, 2026 is a gazette notification (S.O. 1739(E)) issued by DPIIT on 6 April 2026, superseding the 2025 version and establishing revised mandatory BIS certification deadlines for 90 categories of electrical appliances under IS 302 (Part 1): 2024. The key difference from the earlier order is the revised implementation timeline — general manufacturers now have until 1 October 2026, previously 19 March 2026.
The order is issued under Section 16 of the BIS Act, 2016. It covers 90 product categories, including commonly used devices such as laptops, mobile phones, televisions, CCTV cameras, power banks, and speakers. It applies to appliances intended for household, commercial, or similar applications with a rated voltage not exceeding 250V for single-phase appliances and not exceeding 480V for other appliances — including DC-supplied and battery-operated appliances.
The phased compliance calendar
The phased implementation timeline begins from 1 October 2026 for large and medium enterprises, followed by 1 January 2027 for small enterprises, and 1 April 2027 for micro enterprises, giving MSMEs a transition window to secure certification. Importantly, the order will not apply to products already covered under any other QCO and notified for mandatory BIS certification under other law — so businesses need to check whether their SKU already falls under an existing category before assuming duplicate compliance is required.
For stock already in the pipeline, products manufactured or imported before the implementation date can be sold for up to six months, subject to declaration conditions, providing a limited transition window for businesses to align with the new requirements.
Aluminium Products: 17 Categories Now Covered
Issued on 11 March 2026 under Section 16 of the BIS Act, 2016, and enforced from 13 March, the Aluminium and Aluminium Alloy Products (Quality Control) Order, 2026 replaces the 2025 regulatory version. Contained mainly under Section 2, the Order mandates compulsory use of the BIS Standard Mark across 17 diverse categories of aluminium and alloy products, each mapped to a distinct Indian Standard. This affects everything from construction-grade profiles to industrial alloy stock, and importers should assume customs scrutiny at the point of entry unless a valid licence is on file.
CRS Scheme-II Lighting Products: Transition Window Just Closed
Separately from QCO product additions, BIS has also refreshed the Indian Standards underlying existing CRS Scheme-II categories — effectively forcing re-certification even for products already on the market. The revised standards, including IS 10322 (all parts), IS 16102, and IS 16614, officially came into effect on 2 February 2026, with manufacturers granted a transition period until 2 August 2026, after which the older standards were withdrawn.
Beyond this deadline, only products compliant with the updated 2026 standards are eligible for certification and market access under BIS CRS, impacting a broad range of lighting products including fixed general-purpose luminaires, recessed lights, street lighting systems, floodlights, hand lamps, lighting chains, rope lights, and emergency lighting products. Any manufacturer still holding a CRS registration against the old standard should treat this as an immediate compliance gap, since that transition window has already lapsed as of this writing.
This lighting update sits alongside a broader standards shift already underway for IT and audio-video equipment. IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 replaces the older safety standards for audio-video and ICT products, though certificates registered under the old standards remain valid until November 2028, with renewals or new registrations expected to align with the 2023 standard.
Furniture: A Reminder That Import Relief Windows Have Closed
Businesses tracking the electrical appliances and aluminium additions should also note that the furniture QCO saga — which added six categories (chairs, tables, desks, storage units, beds, and bunk beds) — has now moved past its exemption windows. Both import relief provisos under the Second Amendment Order expired on 13 August 2026, being 180 days from the QCO implementation date of 14 February 2026, meaning Bills of Entry had to be filed by that date to claim exemption. After 13 August 2026, all furniture imports in the covered categories require valid BIS certification, without exception. Any importer still relying on pre-implementation purchase orders is now non-compliant.
Licensing Process Update: Longer Validity for Scheme-II
On the administrative side, BIS has made one welcome change for CRS applicants: the Bureau of Indian Standards has revised the licence validity under Scheme-II, with both Grant of Licence and Renewal now valid for up to 5 years, reducing the renewal burden for electronics and IT manufacturers who previously faced shorter cycles.
What Businesses Must Do Now
- Map your product portfolio against IS 302 (Part 1):2024, the 17 aluminium categories under the March 2026 QCO, and revised CRS lighting standards (IS 10322, IS 16102, IS 16614) to identify newly covered SKUs.
- File applications early. BIS licensing for new products commonly takes several weeks to a few months depending on product complexity and lab scheduling — waiting until September will not leave enough runway before 1 October.
- Document existing stock. Where transition or stock-clearance provisions apply, self-declarations to BIS are typically required within defined windows — missing the paperwork can void the exemption entirely.
- Foreign manufacturers should appoint an Authorised Indian Representative (AIR) without delay, since factory audits and foreign manufacturer certification (FMCS) timelines add to the overall process length.
- Re-verify CRS lighting registrations issued under superseded standards — the August 2026 transition deadline has already passed, so any product still certified under the old IS versions is technically non-compliant for fresh market entry.
- Track customs and enforcement risk. Non-compliant consignments face seizure, denial of customs clearance, and penalties under the BIS Act, 2016, alongside potential marketplace delisting.
The pace of BIS’s product-list expansion in 2026 shows no sign of slowing, and each new QCO or CRS standard revision typically arrives with its own set of exemptions, MSME timelines, and documentation triggers that are easy to miss. Businesses that treat certification as a rolling compliance exercise — rather than a one-time project — will be best placed to avoid last-minute disruption.
ACPL’s regulatory experts can help you navigate new products added to BIS mandatory certification or CRS scheme. Contact us at info@acplgroupindia.co.in or call +91-9266665201 for a consultation.