BIS X Certification for Machines in India: Deadline suspended – what now?

12. December 2025

If you are planning your India compliance for machinery and equipment, you should take a close look: The Indian government has  suspended BIS certification according to Scheme X for numerous products from HS 84/85 (machines/systems including components/assemblies) until further notice. Currently, there is no binding deadline for when a Scheme X license must be available.

Timeline:

1. Mandatory start originally: 28.08.2025
2. Postponed in summer 2025: to 01.09.2026
3. Now: Deadline cancelled/suspended – no implementation deadline.

Important: The registration requirement has not been abolished. It is a temporary suspension of the deadline, not a political retreat.

Why this is no surprise

It was foreseeable that it would jerk again – for three very practical reasons:

1. Regulatory framework not yet final: For many product categories, product-specific requirements and supplementary documents are still missing. Without this, BIS cannot process applications properly.
2. Standards puzzle still in progress: Scheme X refers to Indian safety standards – but many machine-specific Type C standards have not yet been finally harmonized.
3. Machine safety is new territory for BIS: know-how and test structures are only just being established; Training programs for BIS officers are underway. That takes time.

In short, BIS needs more lead time to implement Scheme X in a practical way. That’s exactly why first postponement, now suspension.

What does this mean for manufacturers now?

✅ No immediate import/sales stop as long as there is no new deadline.

✅ Certification is still possible – and strategically smart. Applications are accepted, the first procedures are underway (especially Indian manufacturers).

⚠️ Duty is coming back. As soon as the open points have been resolved, a new deadline will be announced  – many expect it to be concretized in 2026 and implemented in the direction of 2027.

⏳ If you wait, you lose time. Document preparation often takes months, processing times can  be >12 months – and experience has shown that BIS will process the applications that have already been submitted first.

Our clear recommendation

Even without a deadline, the following applies: Prepare smartly now instead of reacting frantically later.

1. Check scope: HS codes, product lists, components.
2. Prepare technology and standards: gap analysis, documents, audit trails.
3. Start your strategy early: Finish your application – or submit it directly.

This way, you are able to act immediately when the BIS flips the switch again and do not risk any delivery failure.

If you are interested in understanding what requirements are needed for your product to be imported into India, please do not hesitate to contact us by email or phone (Europe: +49-69-271 37 69 261, US: +1 773 654-2673). If a certification need is discovered we can provide a quotation to make sure that all your certification needs are covered.

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For more information about BIS certification, please refer to our free brochure “BIS Certification Made Easy“.