Indian Standards Institute (ISI)
ISI mark, or the Indian Standards Institute is a very important industry standard in India. This mark confirms that the certified products conforms to the government acknowledged Indian Standards and is developed as per the standards of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Many of our everyday electrical appliances and kitchen accessories and appliances are ISI certified and is considered a mandate in India. Though one can find many unauthorized and illegal usage of this certification mark in the market, it is considered a punishable offense and has severe penalties if found guilty. The ISI mark is mandatory for certain products to be sold in India, like many of the electrical appliances like switches, electric motors, wiring cables, heaters, kitchen appliances etc., and other products like Portland cement, LPG valves, LPG cylinders, automotive tiresetc. In the case of most other products it is voluntary.
The steps of getting ISI Certificate are as below -:
1. Identify the appropriate IS Standard of the product from the list given on BIS website.
2. Apply to BIS Office for ISI Registration with the following documents:
•Document authenticating establishment of the Branch / Office of the Applicant / of the Agent Appointed by the Applicant in India.
•Process flow chart showing complete manufacturing process (from procurement of raw material / components to the storage of finished products.)
•Quality assurance system testing followed in factory (e.g. copy of Quality Manual, Quality Plan, Test Formats, etc.)
•Details of pre-certification, if any, for the components / raw materials used in manufacturing of the product.
•List of Manufacturing Machinery
&nbs•List of Test Equipment (for complete testing)
•Drawing of the Product and / or Components (Where applicable)
•Appointment Letter, Qualification Certificate and details of Lab In-charge /Technical/Quality Control Personnel permanently employed (Not Consultants).
•Layout Plan of the factory premises, clearly showing location of major manufacturing machinery, laboratory, etc.
•Location Plan of the factory from the nearest Airport / Railway Station / Landmark and guidance as how to reach from India.
3. BIS Officer will visit the factory for Physical Audit.
4. BIS Officer will pick the random sample for Lab Testing in India.
5. Lab Test Report will be submitted to BIS Office.
6. BIS Officer will review all the documents and issue the ISI Certificate.
Total Procedure will take the duration of 4-6 months.
Expenses and Timeline for getting ISI (BIS) Certificate
1. Official Fee for Application, Registration, Testing etc.It varies product to product and normally it may lie around USD 1500 to USD 2500 for foreign manufacturer.
2. Audit Expense
One BIS Officer will visit to factory (irrespective to any country) for audit purpose and all cost of To & Fro, lodging & boarding and audit fee will be born by applicant (Factory). Normally it may lie around USD 1500 to USD 2500 depending on the countries.
3. Consultancy & Liaison Expense
It varies company to company and it may lie around USD 1000 to USD 2000.
Timeline
Standard Official Timeline is 6 months. It can be reduced by working & liaison fastly.