Awarded by the Bureau of Indian Standards, ISI is a product certification scheme that attests the quality, safety and reliability of a product for the target customers. ISI certification on a product assures the conformity of the concerned product with the specifications. ISI certification is granted by a third party organization through a process of surprise inspections and sample tests performed both in the market and the factory.
ISI certification is voluntary in nature. It is not made mandatory in India. However in some class of goods the government has mandated ISI certification in connection with safety, security, mass usage and social and environmental hazard concerns. Therefore, businesses have definite advantages in getting ISI certification. In addition, ISI certification is an invaluable way to enhance the marketability of your product.
Application for ISI certification must be submitted in duplicate duly stamped and signed. The product variety to be covered must be indicated clearly with type, grade, and the declared parameters. BIS must be informed in case of shifting the manufacturing plant. The complete address of the office and factory must be mentioned clearly. Details of the previous applications and the status need to be mentioned with reasons for rejection. The details of the license held earlier, the details of cancellation or expiry as applicable and the details of legal cases filed by the BIS if any must be clearly mentioned. The application will be rejected if the details entered by you are found incorrect. All visits and inspection by the authorities are chargeable. While drawing the samples, testing charges must also be paid.
There are two different kinds of procedures to get ISI certification namely the normal procedure and the simple procedure. Under the normal procedure, the applicant needs to submit the application form attached with the necessary documents and the specified fee at any one of the BIS branch offices. Following this, BIS will carry out a factory evaluation to decide whether the applicant is capable of manufacture the said goods in compliance with the regulations laid down by the organization. This visit will also verify whether there are complete testing facility and the right technical personnel available to test the product. The food samples are tested in the factory and also under independent conditions. If the results of the testing are satisfactory, then BIS grants the license provided the applicant is willing to abide by the scheme of testing and inspection defined by the organization.
Under the simple procedure, the applicant will approach a BIS approved laboratory and get the product tested. This test report along with the application has to be submitted at the BIS. The organization will then scrutinize the test reports and the other documents to ascertain whether they are satisfactory. The BIS personnel will also visit the facility to study the manufacturing conditions. Once the outcome of the entire procedure is satisfactory to the organization, BIS issues the license to use the ISI mark. Getting ISI license for your product can bestow a competitive worth on your product so that it can stand out well with the class of products available in the market.
