BIS Certification for Chemical Products in India

BIS Certification for chemicals means that a chemical product — before it can be manufactured for sale or imported into India — must be tested against the relevant Indian Standard (IS code) and the manufacturer must hold a valid BIS licence. Once the licence is granted, the product must carry the ISI Mark on its packaging and labels.

This is not a voluntary quality badge. It is a legal requirement enforced by the Bureau of Indian Standards under the BIS Act, 2016. Products sold without this certification can be seized, and the manufacturers or importers behind them can be prosecuted.

There are two issuing bodies for chemical QCOs in India:

• Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals) — covers polymers, resins, solvents, intermediates, and petrochemicals
• DPIIT (Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade) — covers some chemicals under broader QCO frameworks

The certification itself is always granted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) — which is the certifying and enforcing authority for all chemical QCOs.

For many years, BIS certification for most chemical products was voluntary — manufacturers could apply for the ISI Mark if they wanted, but no one was compelled to. That has changed significantly since 2018, when the Government of India began systematically bringing chemical products under mandatory Quality Control Orders.

The reasons are straightforward. Substandard or adulterated chemicals enter industrial processes — paints, polymers, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, water treatment, food packaging — and their quality directly affects the safety and reliability of the final products that reach Indian consumers. A substandard PVC resin affects the pipes in a building. A contaminated solvent affects the paints on walls. A poorly tested polymer affects the packaging of food.

Since 2018, the government has added over 63 chemicals to the mandatory BIS list across successive QCO notifications. The pace has been accelerating — and more chemicals are expected to be added over the coming years. The message from the government is clear: chemical quality in India will be regulated, verified, and enforced.

• 63+ chemicals brought under mandatory BIS certification since 2018
• QCOs have been issued by the Ministry of Chemicals, Ministry of Petroleum, and DPIIT
• India's Department of Chemicals consulted on adding 58 additional chemicals under the Rotterdam Convention framework
• Each QCO notification gives manufacturers a window — typically 180 days — to become compliant before enforcement begins
• BIS officers and customs authorities are actively enforcing compliance at ports and in the market

In February 2024, the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers issued a series of new Quality Control Orders that brought additional chemical and polymer products under mandatory BIS certification. All three orders came into force 180 days after their publication in the Official Gazette, issued under the BIS Act, 2016:

The following table lists the key chemicals currently notified under mandatory BIS Quality Control Orders, along with the applicable Indian Standard. This is not exhaustive — the list is continuously updated. If your chemical is not listed here, contact Standphill India for a current applicability check.

This list is indicative. The full notified list is continuously updated. Contact Standphill India for a current and complete applicability check for your specific product.

In recent years, BIS has published a series of new Indian Standards specifically for chemical products that were previously not covered or were covered under older standards. These new standards are now the basis for BIS certification — and some of them are tied to active or upcoming QCOs. Here are the most important ones:

The BIS certification process for chemicals is the same Scheme-I process used across all BIS-certified products — but chemical products have their own specific documentation requirements, testing parameters, and sometimes specialised laboratory requirements. Here is how it works in practice:

For Domestic Manufacturers (Scheme-I):

• Certificate of Incorporation, GST Registration, and authorised signatory letter
• Factory licence and manufacturing address proof
• Factory layout plan showing production areas, storage, laboratory, and quality control zones
• Detailed manufacturing process flowchart — raw material intake to finished product dispatch
• Product composition and formulation details — including percentage composition of each component
• Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for the product, compliant with Indian regulations
• Raw material specifications and supplier list
• Quality Control Plan — in-process testing parameters, frequency, and acceptance criteria per IS standard
• List of in-house testing equipment with current calibration certificates
• Product test report from a BIS-recognised, NABL-accredited laboratory
• Packaging details and label artwork — showing proposed ISI Mark placement, IS number, and licence number format
• Undertakings and declarations as required by BIS in prescribed format

Additional Requirements for Foreign Manufacturers (FMCS Route):

• Appointment letter for an Authorized Indian Representative (AIR) — mandatory before application
• AIR's company registration, GST, PAN, and KYC documents
• Foreign manufacturer's notarised and apostilled business registration certificate
• Power of attorney granted to the AIR by the foreign manufacturer
• Overseas factory details and inspection readiness confirmation
• Existing international chemical test reports (for reference — BIS lab testing is still mandatory)
• BIS application fee and overseas inspection charges in foreign currency

Costs for chemical BIS certification vary depending on the product category, number of variants, and whether specialised testing is required. Here is a realistic breakdown:

Indicative total cost:

• Indian Manufacturers: INR 1,50,000 to INR 5,00,000 for one chemical product — depending on complexity and testing scope
• Foreign Manufacturers (FMCS): USD 15,000 to USD 30,000+ per product — including BIS officer overseas travel, AIR services, testing, and government fees

If you manufacture chemicals outside India and supply them to Indian buyers, importers, or distributors — you need to understand a critical point: the BIS licence for a notified chemical must be held by the foreign manufacturer, not by the Indian importer. An Indian importer cannot obtain a BIS licence on behalf of a foreign manufacturer under Scheme-I.

This is where the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS) comes in. Under FMCS, a foreign manufacturer applies directly to BIS, appoints an Authorized Indian Representative (AIR), undergoes product testing in India, and has their overseas facility inspected by BIS officers who travel abroad for the audit.

• The foreign manufacturer must appoint an Authorized Indian Representative (AIR) — an Indian company or individual who acts as the official point of contact with BIS throughout the process
• Product samples must be shipped to a BIS-recognised laboratory in India for testing
• BIS officers travel to the overseas manufacturing facility for a factory inspection — this cost (travel, accommodation, per diem) is borne by the manufacturer
• All documents must be in English; foreign-language documents must be officially translated and, where required, notarised and apostilled
• Government fees for FMCS applications are charged in USD, not INR

Standphill India has been handling BIS certification for chemical manufacturers and importers for over 20 years. Chemical products are technically demanding — the IS codes are specific, the lab testing parameters require expertise, and the factory inspection for a chemical plant is very different from a simple assembly unit. You need a consultant who has done this before.

• 20+ years of BIS certification experience across chemical, polymer, and petrochemical categories
• 10,000+ successful BIS certifications — domestic and international manufacturers
• Chemical sector expertise — we understand IS codes, test parameters, and the specific documentation requirements for chemical products
• BIS-recognised lab network — we coordinate testing at accredited labs for chemical products and ensure correct sample preparation and submission
• Pre-submission document review — every document is reviewed and verified before filing, so BIS queries are minimised
• Factory inspection preparation — we prepare chemical manufacturers for BIS inspections including QC plan review, testing equipment checklist, and process documentation alignment
• FMCS support for foreign manufacturers — complete AIR services, document apostille coordination, overseas inspection scheduling, and BIS liaison for international chemical manufacturers
• Multi-product strategy — if you manufacture multiple notified chemicals, we plan a consolidated certification approach
• Renewal and surveillance management — we track your licence renewal dates and prepare you for surveillance inspections
• Transparent pricing — clear, upfront cost breakdown with no hidden charges

BIS certification for chemical products is not something you can defer indefinitely. The mandatory list is growing, enforcement is active, and the window between a QCO notification and its implementation date — typically just 180 days — is not long enough for a rushed, unprepared certification effort. Chemical manufacturers and importers who plan ahead, understand which standards apply to them, and work with an experienced consultant get through the process smoothly. Those who don't find themselves on the wrong side of a customs seizure or a lost supply contract.

If you know your chemical is on the notified list and you are not yet certified, the right time to start was yesterday. If you are not sure whether your chemical is covered, the right time to find out is today.

Let Standphill India help you figure out exactly where you stand — and get you where you need to be.