Introduction
BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) is the National Standards Body of India that functions as per the rules mentioned by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Government of India. BIS was introduced through Bureau of Indian Standards Act on 23 December, 1986.
It is a national body that that prepares and implements standards, organizes certification schemes and helps in the creation of consumer awareness by maintaining good relations with the international standard bodies.
In order to receive a BIS Certificate, the applicant needs to follow the essential steps in the BIS Registration Process.
The certificate is valid for a time period of two years and can be renewed after the completion of 2 years. The test reports that are more than 90 days old are not acceptable for BIS registration process.
BIS Certification is a means of providing third party guarantee of quality, safety and reliability of products to the customers. BIS Certification has been made compulsory for certain products taking into consideration the health of consumers.
It is provided by BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) under the guidance of the Government of India.
After receiving the BIS Certificate, the certificate holders can include an ISI Mark on their products which will ensure “Quality” of the products that contains the mark.
In the normal process, a BIS certification application form is submitted along with important documents and appropriate fees. After submitting the application, a BIS officer will conduct a verification of the factory where the product manufacturing takes place. Samples of the products will be taken and will be tested both in the factory &outside the factory. If the samples meet the mentioned criteria and are approved, BIS certification will be provided to the applicant. The process might take 4 months to complete.
In the simplified registration procedure, a test report is submitted by the applicant that includes product samples from a laboratory that is BIS-approved with the required documents. A BIS officer conducts verification of the factory location sconce the test reports are approved. The applicant is granted BIS certificate within 30 days if the officer is satisfied with both the reports and factory locations.
This scheme is meant for the manufacturers of products. In order to carry out manufacturing of the products which requires BIS certification. Applications filed under this scheme are processed on the basis of priority. A BIS certification under this scheme is granted within the duration of 30 days.
The manufacturers of eco-friendly products can obtain a BIS license under this category of BIS certification scheme. All eco-friendly products must fulfil certain additional requirements mentioned as per the Indian Standards to receive an Eco Mark. The process for acquiring an Eco Mark is similar to the Domestic Manufacturer Scheme.
If the manufacturing is conducted in a foreign country, a license can be obtained that consists of an ISI mark as per the aspects mentioned under the Foreign
Manufacturers Certification Scheme within a period of six months.
- Standards formulation
- International activities
- Product Certification
- Hallmarking
- Laboratory services
- Training services
- Consumer Affairs and Publicity
It generally takes between 20 - 30 days to receive the BIS certification after the completion of all the required steps.
BIS has proved to be beneficial in many aspects. Some reasons why it is considered as a mandatory step to be taken by the concerned individuals is because of the following advantages that it provides:
- Protects consumers from products that are harmful.
- Promotes and builds trust in the minds of the consumers.
- Preserves and protects public health.
- Helps in boosting the quality of the products.
The BIS registration process is divided into 2 major categories:
- Licensing Process
- Surveillance Process
- Application submission
- Initial inspection by the BIS Officer
- Testing of samples
- Receiving BIS Certificate
This process takes place after the inspection process that occurs at the license process.
The factories where the products are manufactured are inspected through a survey.
- Inspecting authority arrives at the factory and carry out necessary tests
- After the tests, samples of the products are collected
- The samples are then sent to the laboratories for a detailed test process
- The test reports are then scrutinized by the authority
- A Performance review report is made
- After all the reports are satisfactory, the license is granted
- Technical descriptions of the product:
- The sketch of the product,
- Details mentioning components and raw materials used in the making of the product,
- User Manual,
- Critical Component Lists.
- Documents with regards to the Factory:
- Company registration certificate
- Trade Mark Registration
- Detailed flow chart of the manufacturing process
- Detailed list of manufacturing machines including important details like name, purpose of the machines, capacity etc.
- If some techniques are outsourced, details and quality control documents must be submitted
- Details of internal testing facilities that specify the calibration status, the least count etc. Calibration certificates of the testing equipment should not be more than 3 months
- A Plant layout
- Packing and storage details
- Organization chart of the factory
- Location map
- Details of the Quality control team and their qualification certificates
- Test report copies for every raw material
- Authorization from the CEO. If the manufacturers are based from a foreign country, details of Indian Representatives
- Original Test report from BIS Approved Laboratory
- Household Electrical Goods
- Food related products
- Cement
- Oil Pressure Stove
- Diesel Engines
- Batteries
- Automobile Accessories
- Valves, Cylinders, and Regulators
- Steel Products
- Medical Equipment
- Fertilizers and Chemicals
- Electrical Transformers