Documents required for each BIS scheme — common requirements, plus what is specific to an ISI mark licence, CRS registration, the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme, and jewellery hallmarking registration.
The document set differs sharply between schemes, because they assess different things — CRS assesses a test report, the ISI scheme assesses a factory. Establish which scheme applies before assembling anything.
Common to Every Scheme
- Certificate of incorporation, partnership deed or proprietorship proof.
- PAN of the entity.
- GST registration certificate.
- Address proof of the office and of the manufacturing premises.
- Authorisation letter and identity proof for the authorised signatory.
- Details of the product, including the applicable Indian Standard number.
- Trade mark registration or brand ownership evidence, where the product is branded.
Compulsory Registration Scheme
- Test report from a BIS-recognised laboratory, against the applicable Indian Standard. This is the central document and the one with the longest lead time.
- Technical specifications and product datasheet.
- Product photographs, including the marking and packaging.
- List of models and variants to be covered. Each variant must be identified.
- Manufacturer's factory address and business licence.
- For imported products: Authorised Indian Representative appointment letter, with an undertaking of liability.
- Bill of material and critical component details, where required.
- Import export code, for importers.
Every model needs to be covered. CRS registration attaches to specific models. Selling a variant not covered by the registration is treated the same as selling an unregistered product, and this catches businesses that extend a product line without returning to BIS.
ISI Mark Licence
- Proof of ownership or lease of the factory premises.
- Manufacturing process flow chart, showing each stage.
- List of plant and machinery, with capacity.
- In-house testing facility details — equipment, calibration status and the tests you can perform. The standard specifies which tests must be possible in-house.
- Details of technical personnel, with qualifications.
- Quality control arrangements and the scheme of inspection and testing.
- Raw material sources and incoming inspection procedures.
- Calibration certificates for test equipment.
- Factory licence and pollution control consent, where applicable.
- Consent to factory inspection and to ongoing surveillance.
The in-house laboratory is where ISI applications fail. The relevant Indian Standard specifies tests the manufacturer must be able to perform on site, with calibrated equipment and qualified personnel. Applying before that capability is genuinely in place results in an adverse inspection and a restart. Read the standard's testing requirements first and build to them.
Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme
- Everything required for an ISI licence, for the overseas factory.
- Authorised Indian Representative — appointment, with an undertaking accepting liability in India.
- Documents legalised or apostilled as required, with certified English translations.
- Undertaking to bear the cost of the inspection visit.
- Details of the quality management system operated at the factory.
Hallmarking Registration
- Business registration and GST certificate.
- Proof of premises for each retail outlet to be covered.
- Details of the articles dealt in — gold, silver, and the purities handled.
- Photographs of the premises.
- Turnover details.
- Arrangements with a recognised assaying and hallmarking centre.
- For an assaying and hallmarking centre itself: equipment details, technical personnel, premises and testing capability.
Before You Apply
- Confirm the product is notified, and under which scheme, by checking the current Quality Control Order.
- Identify the exact Indian Standard that applies and obtain a copy.
- Read the testing requirements in that standard, and confirm you can meet them — in a recognised laboratory for CRS, in-house for ISI.
- List every model and variant you intend to sell.
- Appoint an Authorised Indian Representative, if the manufacturer is overseas.
- Allow realistic time. Testing alone commonly takes weeks; an ISI licence with a factory inspection takes months.