New BIS Risk-Based Compliance Framework Aims to Simplify Quality Certification for Manufacturers in India

July 02, 2026

In June 2026, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) introduced the Transition Facilitation (Quality Control) Order, 2026, establishing a risk-based BIS compliance framework that allows eligible manufacturers to follow simplified conformity assessment procedures for selected products.

The change allows qualified manufacturers to use BIS Scheme II, a self-declaration of conformity route, instead of the traditional Scheme I, which requires factory inspections and continuous surveillance.

This is the most consequential update to India's QCO compliance framework since the expansion of mandatory BIS certification across hundreds of product categories began in earnest. It is also the clearest signal yet that India is trying to balance higher quality standards with lower compliance friction for manufacturers who can demonstrate a reliable track record.

What the New BIS Compliance Framework Changes and What It Doesn't

India's BIS certification in India has traditionally centred on Scheme I, the ISI mark. Under this route, manufacturers must pass a factory inspection, submit product samples for testing at BIS-approved laboratories, and maintain ongoing surveillance. The ISI mark is highly recognised and commercially valuable. But the process is also time intensive.

Certification timelines range from 3 to 6 months for well-prepared facilities and can extend to 9 to 18 months where documentation gaps or quality system weaknesses cause delays. Under the Transition Facilitation (Quality Control) Order, qualified manufacturers can now choose Scheme II instead. Scheme II requires self-declaration of conformity, the manufacturer tests its products against the relevant Indian Standard and declares compliance without mandatory factory inspection. The manufacturer remains responsible for demonstrating compliance and may still be subject to regulatory verification where applicable.

This route can significantly reduce certification timelines, documentation requirements, and administrative effort for eligible manufacturers.

Two things are worth noting. First, Scheme II is not available to all manufacturers, eligibility requires a proven quality and compliance track record. Companies with a history of non-conformance or without robust quality systems will not qualify. Second, the core quality requirement does not change.

Products must still meet the applicable Indian Standard. What changes is the mechanism for demonstrating and certifying that compliance. This is an important distinction: the reform reduces administrative burden, but it does not reduce quality obligations.

The Broader BIS Regulatory Context: Expansion Alongside Simplification

The risk-based framework reform is happening alongside a major expansion of product categories requiring mandatory BIS certification. India's QCO programme now covers hundreds of product categories, with new orders issued across electronics, chemicals, consumer goods, automotive components, and furniture throughout 2025 and 2026.

Electronics and IT products are transitioning to the IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 standard, replacing older frameworks for laptops, monitors, audio equipment, and IT accessories. Over 100 chemicals, including methanol and polycarbonate, now require mandatory BIS certification, with implementation dates staggered through 2026.

The Furniture (Quality Control) Order, 2025, brought work chairs, tables, desks, and beds under mandatory BIS certification, catching many domestic furniture manufacturers by surprise. Automotive components continue to expand under BIS regulations, covering safety-critical parts and materials used in electric vehicles.

This expansion is deliberate. The QCO programme aims to raise product quality across India's domestic market and reduce the influx of substandard imports. For manufacturers, the message is clear: BIS compliance is not a temporary requirement for a narrow set of products. It is becoming the baseline standard for operating in India's market across an ever-wider range of categories.

Updated GoL Guidelines Complement the BIS Compliance Framework

Alongside the risk-based framework reform, BIS also updated its Grant of Licence (GoL) guidelines on February 25, 2026, its most significant procedural update under Conformity Assessment Scheme I. These new guidelines affect how manufacturers apply for the ISI mark under the traditional route.

The updated BIS regulations introduce stricter compliance timelines, improved digital tracking of applications, and clearer procedural controls for each stage of the certification process. Manufacturers applying for the ISI mark must now align more carefully with requirements on long-duration product tests, sample dispatch tracking, and documentation.

The GoL guidelines explicitly aim for faster processing for compliant manufacturers and tighter scrutiny for those with documentation gaps. In practice, this means that manufacturers who invest in quality systems and documentation are rewarded with predictable, faster certification. Those who arrive at the BIS factory inspection with gaps will face a harder process than before.

What Manufacturers Must Do Now

The combination of the risk-based compliance reform and the GoL updates creates a differentiated landscape. For manufacturers with a proven compliance record and robust quality management systems, the Scheme II self-declaration route offers a meaningful reduction in time, cost, and administrative effort. Beginning to plan for the eligibility assessment, and documenting the track record that supports Scheme II qualification, should be a near-term priority for companies that believe they qualify.

For manufacturers without that track record, or those entering new product categories covered by recent QCOs, the Scheme I ISI mark route remains the pathway. The GoL guidelines make clear that the inspection and documentation requirements are being strengthened, not relaxed.

Companies targeting QCO deadlines should initiate the BIS certification process 6 to 9 months in advance to avoid commercial disruption. Customs seizures, fines, and market bans are the stated consequences of non-compliance, consequences that have been enforced consistently since the QCO expansion began.

For foreign manufacturers exporting to India, the Scheme II route is also available through the FMCS framework, which already allowed self-declaration post laboratory testing without mandatory factory audits. The new risk-based mechanism reinforces this pathway while also creating clearer eligibility standards.

Foreign manufacturers must still appoint an Authorised Indian Representative and submit testing documentation, but the compliance burden for qualifying manufacturers is now more proportionate to actual product risk.

India is expanding QCO coverage to 679 categories and simplifying compliance for those who have earned it. The manufacturers who treat BIS certification as a quality investment — not a regulatory burden — will find themselves ahead of competitors in every market where quality signals matter.

IMARC Engineering's Perspective

The Transition Facilitation Order reflects exactly the direction IMARC Engineering has been advising clients to plan for: BIS compliance is becoming more structured, more differentiated by risk, and ultimately less burdensome for manufacturers who have built the right quality systems.

At IMARC Engineering, we integrate BIS compliance planning into every greenfield plant design and brownfield expansion project we support. The quality documentation that BIS inspectors will review, materials inspection records, process control systems, test protocols, and corrective action procedures, should be designed into the facility from Day 1, not assembled after commissioning.

Manufacturers aligned with ISO 9001:2015 are consistently better positioned in BIS factory audits. Certification timelines of 3 to 6 months for well-prepared facilities versus 9 to 18 months for those that are not a direct commercial difference.

As QCOs continue to expand across chemicals, electronics, automotive components, and consumer goods, BIS compliance is becoming a market access prerequisite that manufacturing investors must plan for at the feasibility and DPR stage. IMARC Engineering supports that planning, so compliance does not become the bottleneck that delays your production launch.