01BIS: Quality Control Orders and CRS
The government issues Quality Control Orders (QCOs) that make a BIS standard compulsory for a product, whether made in India or imported. Many electronics and IT goods fall under BIS’s Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS). For these goods the foreign manufacturer must hold a BIS licence or registration for that exact model, and the product must carry the mark before it is shipped. Customs will hold goods that lack it. Check the current list of QCOs and CRS products on bis.gov.in.
02Food: FSSAI import clearance
A food importer needs an FSSAI import licence (applied for on FoSCoS) in addition to the IEC. Each food consignment is cleared through FSSAI’s Food Import Clearance System (FICS), which works with Customs’ single window. FSSAI officers check the documents and labels and may take samples for testing. Labels must meet FSSAI labelling rules — a sticker with the required Indian details is allowed in many cases, but check the current rule.
03Plants, seeds, wood and grains: plant quarantine
Plant products, seeds, fresh produce, grains, and wooden packaging are regulated by the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Import into India) Order. Some items need an import permit before shipment, and all need a phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country. Apply and track inspection on the Plant Quarantine Management System. Wooden pallets and crates must be treated and marked to the international standard (ISPM-15).
04Packaged goods: legal metrology labelling
Pre-packaged goods sold to consumers must carry the declarations required by the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011: name and address of the importer, country of origin, net quantity, maximum retail price, month and year of manufacture or import, and consumer-care details. Importers of packaged commodities must register with the Legal Metrology authority under these rules. Weighing and measuring instruments need separate approval.
05Plastic packaging and electronics: EPR
Under Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), importers count as producers. If you import goods in plastic packaging, register on CPCB’s EPR portal for plastic packaging. If you import electrical and electronic equipment covered by the E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2022, register on CPCB’s e-waste EPR portal. Both carry yearly collection or recycling targets.