BIS Certification for Electrical Appliances in India: ISI Mark, QCO 2026 & IS 302 (Part 1):2024

BIS Certification for Electrical Appliances is the mandatory safety approval granted by the Bureau of Indian Standards for 90 categories of household, commercial and similar electrical appliances notified under the Safety of Household, Commercial and Similar Electrical Appliances (Quality Control) Order, 2026. It confirms that an appliance - whether manufactured in India or imported - conforms to IS 302 (Part 1):2024 and that the factory operates the required quality-control systems.

Certification is granted under Scheme-I (ISI Mark Scheme) of Schedule-II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations, 2018. This is the licence-plus-factory-inspection route - stricter than CRS registration - and once certified, every unit must carry the ISI Mark with the CM/L number before it can be legally sold in India.

• Appliance tested at a BIS-recognized laboratory per IS 302 (Part 1):2024 / IEC 60335-1:2020
• Manufacturing facility inspected by a BIS officer before licence grant
• Applies to domestic and foreign manufacturers (foreign factories via FMCS with an AIR)
• A legal requirement under the BIS Act, 2016 - customs will not clear notified appliances without a valid licence after the deadline

This QCO has been issued three times - which is why so much information online is outdated. If a website still quotes the 19 March 2026 deadline, it is describing the superseded 2025 order. Here is the accurate progression:

The QCO 2026 applies to all electrical appliances intended for household, commercial or similar applications within these limits:

• Rated voltage not exceeding 250V for single-phase appliances
• Rated voltage not exceeding 480V for other appliances
• DC-supplied and battery-operated appliances included - cordless and rechargeable products are not outside the net

Who must comply: Indian manufacturers of any of the 90 categories; importers (the foreign factory needs certification); foreign manufacturers selling into India; and brand owners sourcing from third-party factories - the licence sits with the manufacturing location, so every factory in your supply chain needs its own licence.

"BIS certification for electrical products" actually spans two different schemes, and choosing wrong wastes months. The QCO 2026 itself exempts appliances already covered under other QCOs or mandatory certifications - so this is legally the first question:

The 90 notified categories group naturally into these clusters. The complete official list - with the gazette PDF and per-appliance guides - is maintained on our QCO 2026 reference page:

IS 302 (Part 1):2024 - "Household and Similar Electrical Appliances - Safety - Part 1: General Requirements" - is the 2024 revision aligned with IEC 60335-1:2020, replacing the older 2008 edition. Testing at a BIS-recognized laboratory covers:

Note: the QCO applies IS 302 (Part 1) - the general requirements. Product-specific IS 302 Part 2 standards exist in the series and inform test configurations for particular appliance types; your test plan should be built per your exact product.

Certification runs under Scheme-I (ISI Mark) via the ManakOnline portal: confirm scope and scheme → prepare documentation → apply → testing per IS 302 (Part 1):2024 at a BIS-recognized lab → BIS factory inspection → licence grant (CM/L) → marking, surveillance and renewal.

Indian manufacturers follow the domestic ISI route - typically ~30 days after testing, about 3 months end-to-end. Complete step-by-step process, documents and fees: BIS Certification for Indian Manufacturers (ISI Mark - Scheme I).

Foreign manufacturers certify via FMCS with a mandatory Authorized Indian Representative (AIR), testing per IS 302 (Part 1):2024 and an overseas factory inspection - typically up to ~180 days. Full route: BIS FMCS for Foreign Manufacturers.

Standphill India is one of India's most experienced BIS consultancies - across ISI, CRS, FMCS and Scheme X. For an omnibus QCO covering 90 categories with a hard 1 October 2026 deadline, a specialist BIS consultant for electrical appliances is the difference between certifying in time and watching your products get stuck at customs.

• 20+ years of BIS certification experience; 10,000+ successful certifications
• Scheme-first advisory - we confirm QCO 2026 vs CRS vs other QCOs before a rupee goes to testing
• IS 302 (Part 1):2024 test planning with BIS-recognized labs - critical while lab queues build toward October
• End-to-end execution - documentation → ManakOnline → testing → factory-audit preparation → licence
• FMCS + AIR services for foreign appliance factories; stock-declaration and MSME timeline advisory

Every fact on this page is verified against the primary source - the official gazette notification - and reviewed by Standphill India's BIS compliance team (20+ years of BIS consulting; 10,000+ certifications):

• Primary source: Safety of Household, Commercial and Similar Electrical Appliances (Quality Control) Order, 2026 - S.O. 1739(E), 6 April 2026, Gazette of India - read the full official PDF
• Complete 90-appliance list: QCO 2026 reference page (maintained and updated by Standphill India)
• Applicable standard: IS 302 (Part 1):2024 / IEC 60335-1:2020, Bureau of Indian Standards

Page last reviewed and updated: 10 July 2026. This page is updated within 48 hours of any amendment, extension or clarification to the QCO 2026. If you spot a discrepancy, call us - accuracy is our product.