BIS ISI Mark Certification Service

1. Specific Requirements for Foreign Manufacturers

There are some specific additional requirements for foreign manufacturers with their factory locations outside India:

• AIR: The applicant must designate an Authorized Indian Representative (AIR) for BIS license operations. When nominating an AIR, the applicant must ensure the following:
  • The AIR should be an Indian resident.
  • The nominated AIR exclusively represents one manufacturing firm and does not serve as an AIR for another foreign manufacturer(s) under BIS Conformity Assessment schemes. However, this restriction doesn't apply to foreign manufacturers belonging to the same group of companies and importers nominated as AIR.
  • The AIR should have no conflicts of interest related to its role as AIR and the testing of samples in third-party laboratories.
  • The AIR should hold at least a graduate qualification and understand the BIS Act 2016 provisions and the rules and regulations framed therein, along with their implications.
  • The AIR must declare consent to be responsible for compliance with the BIS Act, Rules, Regulations, and Terms & Conditions specified in the BIS License, Undertaking, Agreement, etc., executed by or on behalf of the foreign manufacturer in connection with the grant and operation of the license.
  • The name of the AIR is endorsed in the license document.
• Inspection ready: The applicant should confirm their readiness for inspection and make all necessary arrangements, including the availability of a translator, air tickets, issuance of a visa, insurance, transport arrangements in the foreign country, etc., for the visiting officer(s) to ensure a timely visit.
• Payment of fees and charges: Foreign Applicants must make all payments in equivalent USD.
• Agreement Forms: Execution of an Agreement ( View / Download ) and Indemnity Bond ( View / Download ) is required.
• PBG to be provided: After the license is granted, the manufacturer must provide a Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) of USD 10,000 from any bank with an RBI-approved branch in India. The PBG should be valid for six months longer than the license's validity ( View  / Download ).

Note: 
Separate applications must be submitted for every individual product category and for every individual factory location.

Laboratory Test Report Criteria

BIS can only accept test reports from the following categories of laboratories:

• Laboratories officially recognized by BIS for the specific product.
• Government laboratories that have been empanelled by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Note: 
The manufacturer's in-house laboratory will not be considered as an independent laboratory for these purposes.

2. Validity of BIS ISI License

The validity of a BIS ISI certification is one year. It can be extended subsequently through the renewal process.

3. Renewal of BIS ISI License

You need to apply for renewal through the submission of required documents and fees within 90 days before the completion of the 1-year validity period. No factory audit will be required for the renewal process. 

4. Factory Audit for BIS ISI Certification

The BIS auditor will validate the following elements through the factory inspection:

• Details regarding the credentials and experience of the quality control personnel.
• Certification of Testing Equipment Validation.
• Copies of the test certificates of the raw materials should be requested wherever possible to make sure they reflect appropriate product standards.
• Product and/or parts testing, as applicable.
• Assessing the overall hygiene.
• Going through the layout of the plant, where the area of manufacture is located, the raw material storage, final product storage, and the testing laboratory have been noted.
• Reinvestigation of the location plan of the factory.
• Verification of arrangements for subcontracted tests, including copies of agreements or consent letters with external laboratories.
• An inspection and Test plan is proposed for adherence.
• Assessment of subjective criteria such as workmanship, visual characteristics, surface defects, description, taste, flavour, etc., is directly within the factory.
• In cases of bulkier products, dimensional measurements and other tests that cannot be conducted in a third-party testing facility, like steel plates, sheets, or steel pipes, will be performed during factory testing.
• If any non-conformities are observed during factory testing, no samples will be sent to a third-party laboratory for testing. The applicant will be advised to make necessary improvements, which will be verified through another inspection and factory testing.

Preconditions for BIS ISI Certification

• BIS ISI Mark Assessment: The BIS grants the ISI Mark after a successful evaluation of a manufacturing infrastructure, production processes, quality control, and in-house testing capabilities.
• Visit to Manufacturing Facilities: In order to determine whether the manufacturer complies with the standards or not, this evaluation entails a visit to their manufacturing facilities.
• Independent Laboratory Testing: Independent laboratory testing is carried out to ensure that trained personnel will ensure conformance with the relevant Indian Standard or Standards.
• In-House Testing: An alternative approach to testing is to carry out the tests on the manufacturer's premises in order to prove adherence to the requirements.
• Combined Evaluation: In some cases, a combination of independent laboratory testing and in-house testing may be employed to verify product conformity. 

5. Policy for Sample Return After Testing 

• The samples submitted for testing must be collected by the applicant through a formal request letter, within 1 month of the date of the test report generated.
• The testing lab can dispose of the samples after the prescribed 1-month period, in case it is not collected by the applicant, and the applicant (manufacturer) will have no right to make claims once the sample is discarded.

Note: 
The product (sample for testing) might experience partial or complete deterioration during the testing process. The laboratory or respective consultant will not entertain any claims raised by the applicant in relation to such spoilage.

6. Format of BIS ISI Certification

Specimen copy of BIS ISI Certification Certificate for reference purposes is as follows:

This is an indicative document only to show the contents mentioned on ISI (BIS) Certificate. This is not for any legal presentation.

7. Guideline After Grant of BIS ISI Mark License

After obtaining the BIS ISI License, manufacturers need to submit the following essential documents/requirements within the specified timelines:

• Indemnity Bond - Within 15 days after the grant of the license (For Foreign Manufacturers)
• Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG) - Within 45 days after the grant of the license (For Foreign Manufacturers)
• Agreement for the Grant of BIS License - Within 15 days after the grant of the license (For Foreign Manufacturers)

Additionally, after getting the license, firms are requested to maintain the following requirements in the prescribed format:

• Consignee Details (For In-house Records)
• Production Record (For In-house Records)
• SIT (Scheme of Inspection & Testing) - According to the relevant Indian Standard requirement
• BIS Standard Marking- As per the marking clause of the relevant Indian Standard.

a. Indemnity Bond

Below is the specimen copy of the Indemnity Bond provided for reference purposes:

b. Performance Bank Guarantee (PBG)

Here is a sample of the Performance Bank Guarantee provided for reference purposes:

c. Agreement for the Grant of ISI (BIS) Licence

Here is a specimen document of the Agreement for the Grant of ISI (BIS) Licence (For Use by the Foreign Manufacturer) provided for reference purposes.

d. Consignee details

This detail needs to be uploaded on the BIS portal in advance every time before the export consignment.

e. Production Record

Here is a sample of the Production Record provided for reference purposes:

f. BIS Standard Marking​

You need to follow the guideline as per mensioned marking clause in the applicable indian standard.

Here is a sample of the BIS Standard Marking provided for reference purposes:

g. SIT (Scheme of Inspection & Testing)

According to the relevant Indian Standard requirement.

To get further assistance, please contact Brand Liaison.