A procurement team may identify an Indian Standard for a chemical and immediately assume that BIS certification is compulsory. Another business may rely on a compliance list prepared two years ago and reach exactly the opposite conclusion. Both approaches can create problems because having an Indian Standard and being subject to mandatory BIS certification are not the same thing.
For chemicals and industrial raw materials in India, businesses should first identify the precise product and applicable Indian Standard and then determine whether a currently effective Quality Control Order makes certification compulsory. BIS states that its product-certification system is generally voluntary, but the Central Government can mandate compliance and use of the Standard Mark through a QCO.
For Indian manufacturers, applicable chemical products commonly enter the BIS Product Certification framework. A foreign manufacturer supplying a regulated product to India may instead need the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS). The correct route should be established before production planning, an import order or shipment.
BIS certification for chemicals is a product-conformity process through which a manufacturer demonstrates that a covered chemical or material complies with the requirements of the applicable Indian Standard.
The important point is that there is no single “BIS chemical certificate” covering every chemical or raw material.
Each assessment can depend on:
BIS maintains product-specific certification information, Indian Standards, product manuals and testing guidance that must be checked for the relevant product.
No.
An Indian Standard may exist for a product without certification necessarily being compulsory. Mandatory status generally arises when the Central Government issues a relevant QCO requiring conformity to the specified Indian Standard and use of the Standard Mark under the applicable BIS conformity-assessment scheme.
This distinction is particularly important for chemicals because the regulatory position changes over time.
For example, Gazette notifications dated 23 July 2025 withdrew QCOs relating to Acetic Acid, Methanol and Aniline. Separate orders in November 2025 rescinded QCOs relating to several petrochemical materials, including PVC Homopolymers and Polypropylene Materials for Moulding and Extrusion.
The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals’ current notification records also contain 2026 entries involving amendments and temporary suspensions affecting particular chemical QCOs.
Practical lesson: never decide BIS applicability from an old chemical list, an old consultant report or the existence of an IS number alone.
Use the following sequence before applying:
Step 1 — Identify the exact product
Confirm its commercial name, technical name, composition, grade, specification, intended application and manufacturing process.
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Step 2 — Identify the relevant Indian Standard
Do not select a standard merely because its title appears similar to the product.
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Step 3 — Check the current QCO
Confirm the principal notification together with subsequent amendments, extensions, exemptions, suspensions or rescission orders.
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Step 4 — Confirm the effective date
A notified QCO and an already-enforceable QCO are not always the same thing.
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Step 5 — Check the applicant and manufacturing location
Indian and foreign manufacturing facilities follow different administrative pathways.
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Step 6 — Review product-specific BIS requirements
Check the product manual, testing requirements, grouping provisions where applicable and Scheme of Inspection and Testing.
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Step 7 — Prepare the factory and testing system
Only after these checks should the certification application be prepared.
This sequence is particularly useful for importers because regulatory responsibility cannot safely be assessed using a product name alone.
Many industrial products covered by mandatory BIS product certification follow Scheme-I of Schedule II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018, commonly associated with the BIS Standard Mark or ISI Mark.
BIS’s current Scheme-I grant guidelines provide for application through Form-V and assessment of manufacturing infrastructure, production processes, quality control and testing capability. Product conformity can involve third-party testing, factory testing or an applicable combination depending on the BIS requirements for the product.
A manufacturer located outside India that needs a BIS product licence generally applies through the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS) for applicable products other than notified Electronics and IT products covered under the Registration Scheme.
The foreign manufacturer—not simply the Indian importer—must be the applicant under FMCS. BIS also requires nomination of an Authorized Indian Representative (AIR) who fulfils the applicable requirements.
As of June 1, 2026, BIS states that FMCS applications are accepted through the online route rather than the earlier hard-copy process.
Businesses sometimes use “BIS registration” and “CRS” interchangeably. That can lead to incorrect applications.
CRS is primarily associated with specified Electronics and IT goods notified under the relevant framework. BIS itself distinguishes CRS from FMCS and its conventional product-certification system.
For a chemical or conventional industrial raw material, businesses should therefore verify the applicable QCO and scheme instead of assuming CRS applies.
Chemical certification can be testing-intensive because conformity may depend on purity, composition, physical properties, chemical properties and other parameters specified in the relevant Indian Standard.
The exact tests must come from the applicable standard and BIS product-specific requirements rather than from a generic “chemical testing” checklist.
BIS’s current Scheme-I guidelines provide for assessment of the manufacturer’s quality-control and testing capability and, depending on the product and certification option, third-party laboratory testing, factory testing or a combination of the two.
Before filing, the manufacturer should therefore confirm:
A test report by itself should not be treated as the entire BIS certification process where the applicable scheme also requires factory and quality-system assessment.
For Scheme-I certification, BIS assesses the manufacturing infrastructure, manufacturing process, quality control and testing capabilities of the applicant manufacturer.
A chemical manufacturer should therefore prepare more than company-registration documents.
A useful pre-application factory file normally covers:
| Area | Readiness evidence |
| Manufacturing | Process flow and manufacturing equipment |
| Raw materials | Specifications, supplier controls and incoming checks |
| Quality control | Inspection/testing plan and responsibility matrix |
| Laboratory | Equipment list, calibration and testing capability |
| Finished product | Batch specifications and test records |
| Traceability | Batch identification and production records |
| Non-conformity | Control and corrective-action procedure |
| Marking | Proposed BIS Standard Mark and mandatory product information |
| Personnel | Technical and quality-control responsibilities |
The precise requirements still depend on the applicable Indian Standard, product manual and certification scheme.
An indicative Scheme-I/FMCS readiness file can include:
In addition to the applicable manufacturing and product information, an FMCS applicant needs the required AIR nomination and foreign-manufacturer documentation prescribed by BIS.
Green Permits’ own BIS service framework similarly focuses on Indian Standard mapping, factory profile, manufacturing process, quality-control records, testing coordination, AIR coordination and inspection readiness.
Start with the exact chemical identity, grade and intended use.
Identify the standard that actually corresponds to the product.
Review the original QCO plus every later amendment, enforcement-date change, exemption, suspension or rescission.
This is essential because official chemical QCO records continued changing during 2025 and 2026.
Determine whether the case falls under Scheme-I for an Indian manufacturing facility, FMCS for an overseas manufacturer or another officially notified conformity-assessment route.
Map tests, laboratory requirements, factory testing facilities and quality-control requirements against the applicable BIS documents.
Close gaps in equipment, calibration, records, manufacturing controls and testing capability before inspection.
For Scheme-I, BIS’s current grant guidelines refer to application under Form-V in accordance with the BIS Conformity Assessment Regulations.
Foreign manufacturers follow the FMCS process and must complete the prescribed application and AIR requirements.
BIS reviews the application and verifies conformity through the applicable assessment and testing mechanism. Any observations or document gaps should be answered using consistent supporting evidence.
Once a licence is granted, the manufacturer must follow the approved scope and applicable Standard Mark requirements.
There is no responsible single price that can be quoted for all chemical BIS certifications.
The total compliance budget can vary depending on:
Businesses should separate:
Government/BIS charges + laboratory/testing expenses + inspection-related expenses + professional consultancy costs.
Before budgeting, obtain the current BIS fee structure and product-specific testing requirements rather than relying on an old online estimate.
A universal processing period should not be promised.
Time depends on factors such as:
For this reason, Green Permits should present a project-specific implementation plan after examining the product and factory rather than advertising a guaranteed approval date.
Products with similar names can have different grades, specifications and intended uses. Standard mapping should be based on the actual product rather than keyword similarity.
This is a particularly important risk in the chemical sector because several QCOs were withdrawn, amended or temporarily suspended during 2025–26.
Scheme-I assessment looks beyond paperwork and includes manufacturing, quality-control and testing capability.
A factory may manufacture a conforming product but still be unprepared for certification if required testing arrangements or records are missing.
The chemical grade, manufacturing address, product scope, test information and application data should form one consistent evidence set.
Under FMCS, the foreign manufacturer is the certification applicant and an appropriate AIR is required. An Indian importer cannot simply obtain the manufacturer’s FMCS licence in its own name.
Before filing, answer these questions:
If several answers are “No”, completing a pre-application review can reduce avoidable rework.
| Activity | Manufacturer | Importer | Consultant/Compliance Team |
| Product technical details | Primary | Support | Review |
| Manufacturing process | Primary | — | Review |
| Indian Standard mapping | Confirm | Confirm | Research/support |
| QCO verification | Confirm | Confirm | Research/support |
| Testing readiness | Primary | Coordinate | Support |
| Factory documentation | Primary | — | Review/support |
| AIR appointment under FMCS | Foreign manufacturer | May coordinate | Support |
| Application preparation | Approve | Coordinate where relevant | Support |
| BIS decision | — | — | BIS only |
| Ongoing compliance | Primary | Commercial verification | Support |
This distinction is important: a consultant can prepare, review, coordinate and support an application, but the certification decision remains with BIS.
Consider an Indian company planning to import a chemical raw material from an overseas factory.
The buyer finds an Indian Standard for the material and an older webpage stating that BIS is mandatory.
The correct response is not to immediately ask the importer to apply for a certificate.
The compliance team should first:
This example is illustrative, but the regulatory logic is important because official chemical QCO records show that mandatory status can change.
Under current BIS Scheme-I guidance, an initial licence may be granted for a period of not less than one year and up to two years. Renewal is then handled under the applicable BIS renewal provisions and can extend the licence subject to continuing compliance and required fees/documents.
Obtaining the licence therefore should not be treated as the final compliance activity.
Manufacturers should maintain:
An importer should ideally complete the applicability assessment before finalizing the purchase order and shipment plan.
The review should answer:
Is the product currently regulated? → Which standard applies? → Which factory is manufacturing it? → Does that factory hold the required licence? → Does the licence scope cover the material being purchased?
For a foreign manufacturer requiring FMCS, BIS states that the foreign manufacturer itself applies for the licence and nominates an AIR.
No. BIS product certification is generally voluntary unless the Government makes compliance compulsory for a product through an applicable regulatory instrument such as a QCO. Always check the current notification status.
Not necessarily. An Indian Standard establishes technical requirements, while mandatory certification depends on the applicable regulatory position, including any effective QCO.
Many conventional regulated products are handled through BIS Scheme-I product certification. Foreign manufacturers generally use FMCS for applicable products. The final route must be checked against the particular product and notification.
The FMCS applicant is the foreign manufacturer. BIS’s FMCS FAQ specifically states that an importer cannot apply for the licence on behalf of the manufacturer.
Yes. BIS requires the foreign manufacturer to nominate an AIR meeting the prescribed requirements.
No. Where Scheme-I applies, the certification process can also involve assessment of the manufacturing process, quality-control system and testing capability in addition to conformity testing.
Yes. Government notifications can amend, extend, suspend or rescind QCO requirements. Official chemical-sector records include several such changes during 2025 and 2026.
For chemicals and industrial raw materials, the most important work often happens before the BIS application is filed.
Green Permits can support businesses with:
These activities align with Green Permits’ documented BIS support scope covering standard identification, factory documentation, testing coordination, application assistance, AIR coordination and audit/renewal support.
Before proceeding with certification, Green Permits recommends reviewing the exact product, grade, manufacturing location, Indian Standard and current QCO position rather than relying on a generic product list.
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