BIS Certification for Smart Watch – A Complete Analysis

In this modern world, smart watches are a fashion statement. And the demand for smart watches is very high because of their advanced features, which are helpful for almost every daily activity we do. The smart watch technology has most of the features that help in keeping a check on the daily lifestyle everybody follows. From 23^rd May 2018, the BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) has required Smart Watches to be registered as per IS 13252 (Part-1):2010 under CRS (Compulsory Registration Scheme) from BIS. So, it is mandatory for all the manufacturers of Smart Watches to obtain BIS Certification for Smart Watch. Without this certification, no domestic (Indian) or Foreign Manufacturers can sell a smart watch in Indian Market. In this write-up, we will discuss how to get BIS Certification for Smart Watch.

An Overview of Smart Watch

A Smart Watch is a wearable computer in the form of a watch. It’s a watch with additional functionality & connection in addition to the characteristics found in traditional timepieces. Modern smart watches provide a touchscreen interface for daily use, while an associated smartphone application provides for management & telemetry like long-term biomonitoring. While early models could perform basic tasks only, such as translations, calculations, game-playing & digital time showing, smart watches released since 2015 have more known functionality closer to smartphones, including mobile applications, WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity and a mobile operating system. Some smart watches work as portable media players, and some have mobile cellular functionality like making calls.

What is Compulsory Registration Scheme?

CRS, or Compulsory Registration Scheme, was introduced by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology in 2012 for electronic & IT goods. Under CRS, it is compulsory for all the manufacturers of electronic & IT goods to get their products registered before introducing them in the Indian market. BIS CRS Certification is crucial for all the electronic & IT products which are listed in CRS. All Indian or Foreign Manufacturers must apply for this Registration to import the product or item in India or for doing sales in the Indian market. Currently, the Electronics & Information Technology Departments need the Certificate for 77 electronic products and Smart Watches are one of them.

Important Factors for BIS Certification for Smart Watch

Following are some vital factors that the manufacturers should follow to get BIS Certification for Smart Watch:

1. Manufacturing Address: The BIS License or Certificate is issued to the Manufacturer for a specific manufacturing site address. If the Manufacturer address changes, a new license is to be applied for. Or, if the Manufacturer has more than one manufacturing address for the manufacturing of Smart Watches, then separate Licenses are applied with BIS.
2. Product: In case the manufacturer is manufacturing more than one product or item, then he or she has to apply a separate license application for each product.
3. Manufacturer: The BIS Certification for Smart Watch is only issued to the Manufacturer of the applied product. The trader, retailer, or importer is not eligible for the BIS Certification or License. However, they can act as their representative in India, if the Manufacturer does not have their liasioning office or a branch office in India. However, the License is issued in the Manufacturer’s name only.
4. Brand: A product manufacturer who is manufacturing the same product or item for more than one brand must apply for a separate BIS License.

Important Instructions Followed by the Manufacturer

Following are some basic instructions that should be followed by the Manufacturer:

• For Foreign Manufacturer: All the Foreign Manufacturers having no branch office/liaison office in India have to appoint Authorised Indian Representative (AIR). The nomination of an Authorised Indian Representative shall vary as per the following:

1. In case the Manufacturer of the said product doesn’t have a liaison office/a branch office in India, but the proprietor or registered user of the brand appearing on the product is located in India, then the owner of the Brand or Trademark will become AIR;
2. In case the Manufacturer has a branch office or a liaison office in India, then they will become the Authorised Indian Representative;
3. If the Manufacturer doesn’t have a branch office or liaison office located in India & there is no proprietor or registered user of the brand appearing on the product located in India, then the other entity or company will become the AIR.

• For Domestic Manufacturer: The domestic or Indian Manufacturer can directly apply to BIS without nominating AIR.

Important Points to Know Before Applying for BIS Certification for Smart Watch

Following are some points to know before applying for BIS Certification for Smart Watch:

1. All vital documents shall be prepared before testing of the product sample;
2. Select BIS certified testing organisation & a highly-experienced compliance partner until you have the expertise or office in India that can help you;
3. All the crucial documents should be signed by the brand owner, Indian Representative & Manufacturer and additional documents should be stamped & notarised by the Indian Representative & Brand owner;
4. When choosing the lab for product testing, the License of the lab should be valid & not suspended or cancelled and at that time laboratory shall not be in the middle of or about to get audited;
5. Before shipment of product samples, ensure complete arrangements have been made for the entire shipment from your particular location to the testing labs door;
6. The test report is valid for 3 months; before its expiry test report should be submitted to the Bureau of Indian Standards, and then you have to submit the new product sample again for testing.

Essential Documents Required for BIS Certification for Smart Watch

Following are some vital documents required for BIS Certification for Smart Watch:

1. Duly filled application form for BIS Certification;
2. Completely filled CDF or CCL Form;
3. ISO Certificate of Manufacturer;
4. Trademark Registration Certificate;
5. Photo ID of the Authorised Signatory or Authorised Indian Representative;
6. If the Trademark is owned by other than the Manufacturer, then Trademark Authorisation Letter is required;
7. Details of marking on the product or marking label;
8. Business License of manufacturing unit;
9. Scope of Business License;
10. Technical specification sheet of product or user manual;
11. In the case of Foreign Manufacturer, AIR Company Registration proof in India is required;
12. If the signatory person is other than the manufacturing head, Authorisation Letter is required.

Procedure for BIS Certification for Smart Watch

Following are the steps to be followed by the Manufacturer to obtain a BIS Certification for Smart Watch:

1. In the case of a Foreign Manufacturer, an Authorised Indian Representative is appointed for the application process;
2. Then the application form must be submitted to BIS along with the required documents and required fees;
3. The sample has to be submitted for testing in a BIS-certified lab;
4. Then the test report is collected from the BIS-certified lab and has to be submitted to the BIS office, along with the application form copy online or hardcopy in case of offline submission;
5. Then the application and test report are verified by the BIS Officials^[1];
6. Once all the steps are successfully completed, BIS will issue the BIS Certification to the Manufacturer or their Authorised Indian Representative.

Conclusion

Smart Watches allow you to avail all the advanced features to enjoy while using them. It offers various features like health, entertainment, etc., identical to the smartphone features. The Department of Electronics & Information Technology Goods has notified the Smart Watches to be registered mandatorily under the BIS CRS.

Read our Article:BIS CRS Certification for Optical Disc Players – An Overview