QCOs Issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

A Quality Control Order is a notification by a central ministry, under Section 16 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016, that makes BIS certification compulsory for the products it lists. Once it is in force, those products cannot be manufactured, imported, sold or distributed in India without a valid BIS licence or registration.

The ministry or department responsible for the product issues the QCO, for example the Ministry of Commerce & Industry (DPIIT), the Ministry of Electronics & IT for electronics under CRS, or the Ministry of Chemicals & Fertilizers for chemicals. BIS then certifies products against the Indian Standard the order names. Filter this list by ministry to see each one's orders.

The notification date is when the order is published in the Gazette of India. The implementation date is when compliance becomes mandatory; it is usually months later, to give manufacturers and importers time to get certified, and small enterprises are sometimes given extra time.

Open the order to see the products it covers, or search the product directory: every product page lists the Quality Control Orders that apply to it and the Indian Standard it must meet.

Manufacturing, importing, selling or distributing a covered product without a valid BIS licence or registration contravenes the BIS Act, 2016, and can lead to penalties including fines, imprisonment and seizure of the goods. Imports are also checked at customs.