New Delhi: In a regulatory overhaul aimed at easing compliance and supporting domestic manufacturing, the government has introduced a self-declaration route for select products under the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) framework, eliminating mandatory pre-licence factory inspections while tightening annual compliance requirements, two government officials aware of the matter said.
This marks a structural shift in India’s quality conformity assessment regime that will result in phasing out mandatory pre-licence factory inspections for products notified under BIS's revised Scheme-II framework, rather than routine inspections across all schemes.
Instead of relying heavily on prior on-site assessment, the revised framework places greater emphasis on documentation scrutiny, third-party laboratory testing and post-market surveillance, to support manufacturing expansion.
The government has amended the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018, restructuring the framework for Scheme-II and Scheme-VII by formalizing a Self-Declaration of Conformity (SDOC) model for eligible notified products.
“Under this system, manufacturers can obtain a licence to use the Standard Mark through registration based on self-declaration, backed by accredited lab reports,” said one of the two officials cited above, both of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Scheme-II refers to the registration-based certification framework under BIS, largely covering notified electronics and IT (information technology) products where conformity is established through third-party testing and documentation, rather than mandatory pre-licence factory inspection.
Under the revised Scheme-II, the application fee and annual licence fee are fixed at ₹1,000 each, with a resource fee of ₹25,000 per application payable in advance. Applications involving multiple test reports will attract an additional ₹20,000 for each extra report, with the fee structure now formally codified under the Self-Declaration of Conformity framework.
Queries sent on Friday to BIS and the ministries of consumer affairs and commerce remained unanswered till press time.
However, easier access to BIS certification—needed to use the Standard Mark on notified products—is paired with stricter ongoing compliance. Annual licence fees must now be paid upfront, and failure to pay them or file production returns will trigger automatic suspension for up to 90 days, failing which the licence will be cancelled. A delayed payment within the suspension period will attract a ₹5,000 late fee.
“It does not mean that these products will not require the ISI mark—they will. However, products covered under Scheme-II will be able to obtain certification without any prior on-site inspection, provided the goods are manufactured in facilities that comply with all the requirements of the relevant Indian Standards,” the official explained.
“The government has been undertaking crucial steps to promote localization and reduce dependency on critical imports to prevent supply chain bottlenecks and enable faster adoption of alternative fuel technology,” said Saket Mehra, partner and automotive industry leader, Grant Thornton Bharat.
“The move to withdraw outdated standards and align them with global standards will further help Indian manufacturers meet global requirements,” he said.
“The move reflects the government’s business-oriented approach and sensitivity to industry concerns. While BIS norms play an important role in setting quality standards for Indian consumers and supporting the growth of domestic industry, they need to be implemented in a manner that does not impede economic expansion. This reform seeks to strike a balance between maintaining standards and sustaining growth,” said Ravi Saxena, chief executive officer (CEO) and founder of Wonderchef, a kitchenware manufacturer.
The second official said that the changes aim to simplify how licences and conformity certificates are issued and renewed, while introducing stricter financial and procedural checks alongside a trust-based entry system.
Though the relief has come for a select few products, the products under Scheme-I, Scheme-IV, Scheme-V, Scheme-IX and Scheme-X will continue to be subject to on-site assessment and certification issuance. The key products covered under these schemes include, cement, steel bars, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) cylinders, pressure cookers among others.
Currently, around 23,700 Indian standards are in force, with about 94% aligned with global norms set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). As of November 2025, manufacturers had obtained 26,793 certifications for notified products and 24,330 certifications on a voluntary basis, indicating growing acceptance of BIS standards, especially among micro, small, and medium enterprises.