Industrial goods in India carry ISI certification, to affirm safety and quality standards. Although the certification is voluntary in nature, a certain class of products requires the ISI certification mandatorily.
ISI Mark Certification ensures that industrial goods in India meet safety and quality standards. While voluntary for many products, certain categories mandate this certification. It involves specific documents, a defined application procedure, and has stipulated validity, with grounds for possible rejection.
What is the ISI Mark?
ISI or the Indian Standard Institute is a certification scheme under the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) issued for products to notify that the respective goods maintain high safety standards for human utilization. The ISI was established in 1947 under the department of Industries and Supplies. The objective of ISI Mark was to lay down norms for Indian industries. In the mid-80s, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) , a stronger body, took over ISI.
The BIS certificate scheme aims to provide a guarantee for the reliability, quality, and safety of products to the customer. The BIS Act, 1986 elevated ISI to a statutory position. Ever since the products that bear the ISI mark are considered to be in conformity with the BIS standards. Several classes of products such as medical equipment, batteries, steel products, cement, chemicals, etc are required to get a mandatory ISI Mark certification.
The ISI was thereafter renamed BIS. There are more than 350 products under this list that require a BIS certification mandatorily. Manufacturers and importers intending to get their products registered under BIS must strictly adhere to the procedures laid down by BIS like product testing, filing, and submitting applications, etc.
Product Certification Under BIS:
The certification under BIS can be obtained voluntarily by businesses, yet there are certain products that need to obtain the certificate mandatorily, due to concerns pertaining to public health and safety. Under BIS, there are close to 26500 licensees and covers about 900 products. The government mandates about 90 products to acquire the BIS certification mandatorily. Foreign and overseas manufacturers are also eligible to make an application for certification under BIS.
Mandatory Documents that are Required to be Furnished:
As with any registration, there are a set of mandatory documents that have to be produced to obtain the ISI mark registration as enlisted below:
- Address proof of the factory or the manufacturing unit
- A copy of the registration certificate of the company or the factory
- A duly certified copy of the test report issued by a BIS-certified lab
- Details pertaining to the equipment employed for testing
- Details about the packaging of the product, storage facilities etc
- Blueprint of the factory
- Copy of the certificate issued by the regulatory authority
- Financial statements of the company issued by an authorised bank
- The manufacturing process elucidated by flowcharts or other modes of visual representation
- The applicant’s proof of residency in India
- Information pertaining to the raw materials used for manufacturing
- Recent utility bills such as gas bills, telephone bills, etc
- Diagrammatic representation of the products and their respective components
Procedure for Applying for ISI Mark Certification:
The applicant that intends to procure a BIS certification should furnish the application, the required documents, and the fee to the BIS. On receiving the application, the BIS authorities visit the premises of the applicant to conduct an inspection of the factory. They also gather samples of products and test the same and thereafter produce an independent testing report. The certificate is provided subject to the condition that the product meets the stipulated standards set by the BIS.
The following procedure has to be carried out for obtaining an ISI Mark certification in India:
- Step 1: The applicant has to log in to the official BIS website and create the user credentials.
- Step 2: The first and foremost step that the applicant has to take is to select the product code.
- Step 3: The applicant has to fill in the required details and file the application. Along with the application, the applicant has to pay the audit fees and registration fees.
- Step 4: Once the stipulated fee is remitted, the inspection team from the BIS office will visit the factory premises of the applicant to examine the method of manufacturing the product that seeks ISI Mark Certification. The samples of the said product will be collected and would be sent to BIS-certified labs for analysis.
- Step 5: Once the application is submitted, and the inspection is completed, the ISI mark registration certificate is awarded by the BIS, provided the product is in line with the standards set by the BIS. The process of registration generally takes about 30 days from the date of making the application.
Validity of ISI Mark Registration:
The ISI Mark certificate obtained by following the above procedure is valid for a period of one year from the date of registration. Thereafter the applicant is required to renew the same by paying the stipulated renewal fee. The renewal application must be scrutinized carefully, preferably by a Chartered Accountant.
Circumstances Under Which an Application for ISI Registration Can Be Rejected:
The ISI Mark Certification is awarded to a given product only if it falls in line with standards set by the BIS. There are certain mandatory conditions that are to be complied with, failing which the certification will be denied to the specific product. The application will also be rejected during certain other circumstances as elucidated below:
- When the applicant fails to furnish samples for testing after submitting the application
- If the company or personnel of the company are indulging in malpractices
- If the applicant fails to cooperate with the officials visiting from BIS to survey the premises of the factory
- If the company has failed to furnish the required documents or furnished the same with incomplete details
- If there is a vast discrepancy between the details enclosed on the paper as compared to the actual manufacturing facility
- If there is insufficient manpower with the applicant to carry on the production of the products
- If the samples fail to adhere to the testing standards
- If the applicant does not have adequate facilities to carry out the testing of the products.
Obtaining the ISI mark certification can be a wee bit challenging due to the cumbersome procedures involved. But with the right guidance, it shouldn’t be as exhausting as it seems. At Vakilsearch, our team is well-experienced and can guide one to get the ISI certification without much difficulty. Vakilsearch is committed to helping budding entrepreneurs by enabling them to obtain the basic licenses and registrations required to carry on their businesses.
