Conformity Assessment in India has developed in a fairly structured manner over the past 20 years following the setting up of national accreditation boards having MLA / MRA partnerships with the international forums. While product certification and quality management systems certification continue to be the two most popular streams of conformity assessment, others such as laboratory accreditation and third party inspections have seen very significant growth catering to wide and diverse segments of industrial activity. Other forms of certification such as food safety, environmental, energy, social streams have also gained wide acceptance and are contributing to competitiveness of Indian businesses. Personnel certification is the latest stream that is being promoted by public as well as private sectors.
This portal hosts relevant information on the accreditation boards, product certification schemes by public institutions, and a full list of confomity assessment services being provided by organizations registered as legal entities in India with formal accreditation or statutory authority.
Accreditation
The following national accreditation boards run accreditation programmes for conformity assessment bodies
National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB). This Board provides accreditaton servcies to product certification bodies, inspection bodies and management systems certification bodies. NABCB is IAF MLA signatory for QMS, EMS, FSMS, ISMS, Product Certification and Global GAP, and ILAC MRA signatory for Inspections. It is also signatory to the corresponding MLAs of PAC and APLAC. The Board also offers accreditation for OHSMS, EnMs, ITSMS, Medical Devices QMS, and Personnel Certification Bodies
National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) . This Board provides accreditation services to testing laboratories, including clinical laboratories, calibration laboratories, proficiency testing providers and reference material producers. NABL is to ILAC as well as APLAC MRAs for accreditation of Testing including Medical and Calibration laboratories.
India does not prohibit accreditation of conformity assessment bodies operating in India by other IAF/ILAC members. Hence several overseas accreditations also offer accreditation services in India.
Regulatory mechanism for conformity assessment
Government and Regulatory bodies use different enabling Acts for mandating compliances or certification of products and services depending on sector or purpose. The most widely used Act is the BIS Act 2016 (earlier BIS Act 1986) that empowers Central Government to notify compulsory BIS Certification or Registration of any product that is covered by the First Schedule of Industries (development and Regulation) Act, 1951 . Government also uses other Acts to notify products for compulsory BIS certification or Registration. A list of products notified for compulsory BIS certification or Registration under various Acts is given on the BIS website . In addition all technical regulations notifications provide for the corresponding conformity assessment provisions.
Information on the Regulated sectors on this portal gives information on the relevant Acts, Rules, Regulations, notifications, the scopes of the related technical regulations, the conformity assessment methods specified and the authorities for enforcement, approval and conformity assessment.
Product Certification
BIS operates the most well-known product certification scheme (ISI Mark) and Hallmark for gold jewellery. The certification marks of both these schemes are very popular and widely recognized in India and other South Asian countries. BIS has also notified a relatively less prescriptive form of product certification called ‘Registration Scheme’. This Scheme has been adopted as Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS) by Ministries such as Meity and MNRE for mandating product conformance to Indian Standards.
The Regular product certification scheme (ISI Mark) is a Type 4 Scheme (ISO 17067), but is regulated by BIS Act and Regulations and entails licensing for use of certification mark as well as penal actions for violations.
The Registration Scheme is a Type 2 Scheme (ISO 17067), that relies on type test reports submitted by Applicants and confirms conformance through open market surveillance. Currently the Registration Scheme is being operated only for Compulsory Registration of Electronic products and Solar Photovoltaic Systems and devices.
The Hallmarking scheme is based on 100 % testing of jewellery batches submitted by licensed jewellery by BIS approved Assaying and Hallmarking Centres.
The STQC Directorate under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology operates a voluntary Safety Certification ‘S’ Mark Scheme for electronic products : Type 4 Scheme (ISO 17067). This Scheme permits IECEE –CB Certificates as one of the basis for initial product qualification
The Bureau of Energy Efficiency operates an Energy Efficiency Star Labeling scheme for electrical and other appliances. It is a Type 2 (ISO 17067) certification scheme, which is operated both as compulsory for 8 types of products and as voluntary for all other products.
In addition NABCB has accredited several product certification bodies with defined scopes.
Certification for imported products
In order to facilitate BIS certifcation of product being imported into India, especially in respect of products under compulsory BIS certification, BIS operates a Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS). This is a marginally modified variation of the regular certification scheme. In case of compulsory certification, Customs clearance would be permitted only after the products have been certified and bear the BIS certification mark. For Compulsory Registration, the applicant has to get his prototype sample tested in a laboratory approved by BIS in India, before Registration.
Further details of the BIS Schemes can be seen on the BIS section on this Portal
Certification of Exported products
Government of India has notified several commodities under the ambit of the Export (Quality control and Inspection) Act, 1963 for mandatory inspection and certification by Export Inspection Council. The notifications specify the standards to which the notified commodity shall conform. Where importing countries standards are mandated, these are incorporated in the certification criteria. The types of conformity assessments carried out by the Export Inspection Agencies, under the EIC, includes approval of units and establishments, consignment inspections and issue of Health Certificates and Certificates of Origin.
Voluntary Certification programmes
All other types of conformity assessment, especially the management systems certification, third party inspections are operated on voluntary basis. Several purchase criteria both, from public and private sectors require accredited certification or third-party inspection.
This portal hosts information on the conformity assessment bodies and the certification schemes they operate, together with accreditation status and scopes.