/BIS Registrations mandatory for Chemical Products before 13th Dec, 2020
In June 2020, the Indian government announced mandatory BIS registrations and certification for the manufacture and import of 14 chemical products. If, as a foreign manufacturer, you have not completed this certification before December 13, 2020, you are no longer allowed to export your products to India. In this article, our expert Dhrub Thakur describes how you can receive the BIS certificate as quickly as possible.
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
The “BIS” in the BIS certification stands for Bureau of Indian Standards. This is the national certification body of India, which is subordinate to the Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Public Distribution. The agency was founded in 1986 with the aim of setting quality standards for various products such as building materials, food, consumer electronics and raw materials.
“The list of products that have to be approved by BIS is constantly being expanded,” explains Dhrub Thakur, head of the legal department at Maier + Vidorno. “Last June, 14 chemical products were added, so that the manufacturers must be certified by the BIS from this point on. With the announcement, manufacturers were given six months to receive their certificate. This is a very tight deadline when you consider that the process itself can take up to six months.”
Chemical manufacturers are subject to a factory inspection to obtain the mandatory BIS certification
There are 3 different types of BIS certification:
- Compulsory BIS certification including factory inspection
- The mandatory BIS certification without factory inspection
- The voluntary BIS certification
“The chemical products that have just been added fall under the first type of certification,” says Mr Thakur. “This means that both domestic and foreign producers need licenses to manufacture, sell and supply chemicals in India. A factory inspection is mandatory for both. It is therefore an incredibly time-consuming process that producers need to start with as soon as possible.”
These are the 14 chemical products that require the new, mandatory BIS registrations and certification
| Name of the chemical product | Applicable Indian standards |
| Pyridine | IS 8058: 2018 |
| Gamma picoline | IS 16113: 2013 |
| Beta picoline | IS 16112: 2013 |
| Morpholine | IS 12084: 2018 |
| Sodium sulfide | ID 297: 2001 |
| Potassium carbonate | IS 7129: 1992 |
| acetone | IS 170: 200 |
| Phosphorus trichloride | IS 4581: 1978 |
| Phosphorus pentachloride | IS 11744: 1986 |
| Phosphorus oxychloride | IS 11657: 1986 |
| Hydrogen peroxide | IS 2080: 1980 |
| Precipitated barium carbonate | IS 3205: 1984 |
| Sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate | IS 4505: 2015 |
| Sodium tripolyphosphate | IS 6100: 1984 |
Without a local expert, there will be delays or worse with BIS registrations and certification
“The process starts with a lot of paperwork that has to be submitted to the BIS,” says Mr Thakur. “According to the documentation requirements of the BIS, the manufacturer submits documents from purchasing the raw materials through the production process to the test process.” Mr Thakur, therefore, urgently recommends involving a local expert who has particular experience in dealing with international companies when applying for BIS certification. “As a company, you really need someone who has worked with the BIS before and understands how everything has to be documented, submitted and coordinated with the BIS. Don’t just accept an offer from your importer or agent in India who assures you they can do the job. Should the certification process stall due to the aforementioned lack of experience in handling the BIS, your business in India will come to a standstill from December 2020 onwards.”
START HERE WITH BIS CERTIFICATION FOR YOUR PRODUCT IN INDIA
Once the submitted documents are approved, a visit to the factory will be approved by the BIS and an inspector will be appointed to visit the factory to review the documents and the manufacturer’s procedure. Foreign manufacturers are required to appoint a local Indian authorized representative who can represent the foreign applicant and also certify the documents. “This can, of course, be the importer or agent,” says Mr Thakur. “The inspector then visits the factory to inspect the processes and takes samples that are tested in an independent laboratory in India before certification can be granted.”
“Completing the application and the associated documentation, organizing the inspector’s visit and checking the samples in the laboratory takes a lot of time. That is why, I cannot stress enough that you, as a foreign producer, should start the certification process immediately and with appropriate local help”, said Mr Thakur.
This is how Maier + Vidorno can help you with BIS registration and certification
- We verify product certification requirements according to Indian standards
- We take over the preparation of the documentation for the submission of the application to the BIS
- We assist in performing tests of chemical products in authorised laboratories in India
- We will arrange for your application to be submitted to the BIS authority
- If you have any questions from the BIS authorities, M+V is the point of contact
- We help with the inspection of the manufacturing site by the BIS representative
- We coordinate with the BIS about granting your license