BIS. FSSAI. WPC. Legal Metrology. Four regulators, four different triggers, and a growing list of product categories that need one or more of them before your goods can legally clear customs.
Compliance is the part of importing that punishes you for not knowing what you didn't know. A toy manufacturer who's never heard of BIS registration, a supplements brand unaware FSSAI licensing applies to their category, an electronics importer who didn't know their product needs WPC approval before it can legally be sold — all three tend to find out the same way: at the port, with a container accruing demurrage while they scramble to fix it retroactively. Every one of the checks below takes minutes to run against your specific product. Do it before you place the purchase order.
BIS registration or certification applies to a growing list of product categories under Quality Control Orders (QCOs) — a mechanism the government uses to mandate quality standards for specific products, and one that gets new categories added periodically. Electronics, toys, and certain steel products are long-standing examples, but the list expands over time, which is exactly why a category that was unregulated last year can require registration this year. There is no substitute for checking the current QCO list against your specific product before committing to an order.
FSSAI licensing applies to any food product, but also — and this is where first-time importers most often get caught out — to food-contact materials and certain packaging, even when the product itself isn't edible. Nutraceuticals and supplements fall under FSSAI's scope as well. If your product touches food anywhere in its use case, check FSSAI applicability specifically; don't assume it only applies to obviously edible goods.
Wireless Planning & Coordination (WPC) equipment type approval applies to any device that transmits on radio frequency — Bluetooth earbuds and speakers, Wi-Fi-enabled devices, remote controls, and similar products. This is one of the most commonly missed requirements among electronics importers, many of whom assume it only applies to obviously "radio" equipment like walkie-talkies, when in practice it covers a much broader category of everyday consumer electronics.
Legal Metrology governs pre-packaged commodity labelling — net quantity, MRP, manufacturer and importer details, and country-of-origin declarations, among other requirements. Unlike BIS, FSSAI, or WPC, this isn't about the product itself but about what's printed on its packaging, and it must be correct before the goods clear customs. It cannot be fixed with a sticker applied after the fact in most cases — the compliant labelling needs to exist on arrival.
None of these regulators care what you didn't know. Applicability is set by the product's actual characteristics — what it is, what it does, what it touches — not by what category you think it falls into. Check the specific item, every time, even for a product similar to one you've imported before.
Start with a plain description of exactly what the product is, what it does, and what it's made of — not a category label. Does it plug in or use a battery? Check WPC if it transmits any signal, and general electrical safety standards regardless. Does it touch food, or is it a food-adjacent item like a container or utensil? Check FSSAI. Is it a toy, textile, or another QCO-covered category? Check the current BIS Quality Control Order list. Whatever the answer, confirm your packaging meets Legal Metrology labelling requirements before the shipment leaves China — it's the easiest of the four to get right in advance and among the most disruptive to fix after the fact.
Most certification processes — BIS registration especially — take real time, often several weeks, longer still for first-time applicants or genuinely new product categories. The importers who get hurt are the ones who discover the requirement after production is already finished, turning a parallel process into a sequential delay. Flag applicable certifications during sourcing and planning, and start the registration process alongside production — not after the goods are already on the water.
BIS applicability is set product-by-product under Quality Control Orders, which are updated periodically — the only reliable way to know is to check the current requirement for your exact product, not rely on what was true for a similar item last year.
Outcomes range from a delay while you attempt to obtain it retroactively (not always possible), to the shipment being held, re-exported, or in serious cases destroyed — with demurrage and penalty costs accruing the entire time.
Yes — any device that transmits on radio frequency, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi devices, generally falls under WPC equipment type approval requirements, which is one of the most commonly missed certifications by first-time electronics importers.
Both — we scope exactly what applies to your specific product and can manage the documentation and process end-to-end, or hand you a clear roadmap to run in-house if you prefer to handle it yourself.
Send us the exact product — not just the category — and we'll tell you which regulators actually apply, before you place the order.
