BIS Certification for Lithium-Ion Cells & Batteries (CRS)

Every lithium-ion cell and battery made for or sold into India - the 18650 and 21700 cells, the pouch and prismatic cells, the packs built from them for phones, laptops, power banks, wearables, toys, medical devices and portable equipment - sits under compulsory BIS registration. The reason is written in fire-department statistics: lithium batteries that are badly made or falsely rated do not just fail, they enter thermal runaway. India responded by putting the entire product family under MeitY's Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS), against IS 16046 (Part 2):2018, the Indian adoption of IEC 62133-2:2017.

The battery entry is one of the oldest in CRS - first notified back on 7 November 2014 - so this is not a new obligation anyone can plead ignorance of. What IS new is the February 2026 tightening: after widespread mAh misdeclaration in the market, MeitY has bolted a measured performance test onto the safety standard. We cover it in full below, because most of the industry has not caught up with it yet.

IS 16046 (Part 2):2018 is the Indian Standard for Secondary Cells and Batteries Containing Alkaline or Other Non-Acid Electrolytes - Safety Requirements for Portable Sealed Secondary Cells, and for Batteries Made from Them, for Use in Portable Applications - Part 2: Lithium Systems. It is technically identical to IEC 62133-2:2017, which is why international test data often maps cleanly onto Indian compliance. The practical scope:

Here is the update most websites have not caught up with. Indian authorities kept finding batteries whose printed mAh had little to do with reality - a 10,000 mAh label on a 6,000 mAh cell. Safety testing under IS 16046 never checked capacity, because it is a safety standard, not a performance one. So by order dated 3 February 2026, MeitY closed the gap:

• What is now required: rated capacity must be measured and verified - not just declared - per Clause 7.3.1 of IS 16047 (Part 3):2018 / IEC 61960-3:2017 (discharge performance at 20°C), at a BIS-recognised laboratory, and reported in the modified Unified Test Report format with reference to the IS 16046 (Part 2) safety testing.
• Existing registrations valid up to 30 April 2027: comply by 30 April 2027.
• Registrations valid beyond 30 April 2027: comply by the licence validity date.
• New applications: after 30 April 2027, no registration will be granted without rated-capacity testing in the test report; applications in process must give an undertaking.
• How it is filed: test request via the LIMS portal, then the report submitted through the Standard Revision/Amendment module on the BIS portal.

The practical consequences: every lead model needs a fresh lab cycle, and if your measured capacity does not match the label, your packaging and declarations must change before you sell. Brands that fix this early avoid the 2027 lab queue - the same crunch we watched play out before every major CRS deadline.

The buyer universe is effectively the whole electronics economy:

IS 16046 (Part 2) testing is abuse testing - the lab tries to make the battery fail the way the real world does - and since February 2026, performance measurement joins it:

One CRS detail that surprises people: the registration is granted per factory location, per Indian Standard, per brand/model series. A brand sourcing cells from two Chinese factories needs two registrations; a factory making both cells and packs may need the models covered appropriately. And traders or importers cannot hold the registration - it always belongs to the actual manufacturer, with the AIR carrying legal responsibility in India for foreign makers.

Documentation falls into three broad groups. Getting the format right is the single biggest cause of delay for first-time applicants, which is exactly the part we take off your plate:

• Administrative: company registration, factory licence/proof, trademark or brand proof, and - for foreign makers - the Authorized Indian Representative appointment and AIR company documents.
• Technical: product specification/datasheet, model list with series-family logic, critical component details (cells, protection circuit), and the BIS-recognised lab test report.
• Quality control: factory quality controls, test setup and marking/labelling artwork including the Standard Mark with registration number.

The CRS route in one paragraph: identify the lead model and series family, ship samples to a BIS-recognised laboratory (lithium samples need IATA dangerous-goods handling - we guide this), the lab tests to IS 16046 (Part 2) and now measures rated capacity per IS 16047 (Part 3), the report goes into your online application, BIS scrutinises, and the R-number is granted - typically 4 to 6 weeks end to end when documents and lab slots line up. Indian factories apply directly; foreign factories through an AIR. Step-by-step detail lives on our Indian manufacturers and foreign manufacturers guides.

Once registered, the product and packaging must carry the BIS Standard Mark with the unique R-number in the prescribed format - on the battery itself where size permits, and on packaging and e-commerce listings. Since the 2026 order, the declared rated capacity on your label must be the capacity your Unified Test Report actually supports. Marketplace platforms now verify R-numbers against the BIS database before listing.

BIS is the certifying and enforcing authority, and non-compliance is dealt with under the BIS Act, 2016:

• Seizure of stock from the factory, warehouse or marketplace - including e-commerce delistings.
• Customs detention of imported consignments without valid registration and marking.
• Fines and imprisonment - for a first offence, imprisonment up to two years or a fine of at least two lakh rupees, rising steeply for repeat offences.
• Loss of buyers - device brands, EV/electronics OEMs and institutional buyers verify the registration number before the price.

Batteries are the one product family where two different BIS routes meet - MeitY's CRS registration for lithium and nickel systems, and the classic ISI Mark for dry batteries - plus a fast-moving layer of fresh rules like the February 2026 rated-capacity mandate. We work across the entire map as specialists, prepare every document to exact BIS format, and coordinate lab testing so your file keeps moving - whether your plant is in India or overseas.