What is a Quality Control Order?
A Quality Control Order (QCO) is a notification issued by a central ministry or department — under the BIS Act or other applicable law — mandating that a specific product category must meet an Indian Standard and carry BIS certification before it can be manufactured, imported, sold, or distributed in India. QCOs have been notified for an increasingly wide range of products, from steel and chemicals to consumer goods.
How a QCO changes the compliance picture
Before a QCO is notified for a product category, that category may not require BIS certification at all. Once notified, certification becomes mandatory, usually with a transition period during which existing stock and ongoing production must come into compliance. Missing that window can mean being unable to legally sell or import the product.
Which certification route applies under a QCO?
A QCO specifies the Indian Standard a product must meet, but the certification route — ISI licensing or CRS registration — depends on the product category itself, the same way it would outside a QCO context. Some QCOs are structured around ISI licensing (factory-based), others around registration-based routes.
What manufacturers and importers should do when a QCO is notified
Confirm whether your specific product falls within the QCO's scope — QCOs are often written with precise technical definitions, and adjacent products may or may not be covered.
Identify the transition timeline and work backward from the compliance deadline, since testing and certification take real time.
Start the certification process early rather than waiting — lab testing slots and documentation review both take longer during periods when many manufacturers are rushing to comply with the same deadline.
Staying ahead of new QCOs
Because QCOs are notified on a rolling basis across sectors, it's worth periodically checking whether your product categories are affected by newly proposed or notified orders, rather than finding out only when enforcement starts. This is exactly the kind of tracking we do for clients on an ongoing basis.
FAQs
What happens if I keep selling a product after a QCO deadline without certification?
Selling, manufacturing, or importing a product that falls under a notified QCO without the required certification is a compliance violation and can result in enforcement action — getting ahead of the transition deadline is much less costly than responding after the fact.
Do QCOs apply to both domestic manufacturers and importers?
Yes — a QCO's requirements apply regardless of whether the product is manufactured domestically or imported, though the certification pathway for importers typically involves an Authorised Indian Representative.
This article is general information about BIS/NABL compliance, not legal or regulatory advice. Requirements change — confirm current applicability for your specific product before acting.
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Quality Control Orders (QCO)
Support for compliance under various QCO notified products.