The Bureau of Indian Standards, which is short for BIS, authorises the certification of products that fall under the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme, also known as FMCS. The Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme is a scheme that falls under the BIS, which grants the licenses to foreign producers for utilisation of Standard Mark on products that qualify in accordance with the set Indian Standards. The FMCS is applicable for licensing on all products except for the Electronics and other products related to IT in accordance with the notification issued by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, also known as DeitY.
Brief on Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme
The Foreign Manufacturers Certification Department, also known as the FMCD, issues the licensing for the required product that qualifies under the set Indian Standards, which is located in New Delhi at the Official Headquarters of BIS. The Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme License is granted to the particular location where the product is produced and tested in accordance with the set Indian Standards. After the FMCS License is granted, the manufacturer can utilise the Standard Mark on their product.
Grant of FMCS License Procedure
The following are the necessary procedure needed to be followed for issuance of the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS) License –
- The Foreign Producing Company in need of an FMCS License needs to submit the required Application provided that all the necessary categories mentioned below are met –
- The Products are categorised in accordance with the specifications stated in the set Indian Standards.
- All necessary production facilities should be available within the factory premises.
- The testing of the products needs to be conducted in accordance with the set Indian Standards for which the necessary resources should be available within the factory premise.
- An authorised person also needs to be appointed for the Lab Testing to be conducted in accordance with the set Indian Standards[1].
- The fees applicable for product testing and parking have to be borne by the producer.
- All the set Terms and Conditions set by the FMCS need to be accepted by the producer.
- After the submission of the Application, The Authorities of BIS conduct an evaluation and verification of the Application.
- In case of any queries raised by the FMCS, it is communicated to the Applicant immediately.
- After clarification of the queries raised, the Application will then be approved by BIS for further processing, and an Acknowledgement Number is to be provided by BIS to the Applicant for future reference.
- An inspection visit is then conducted by BIS with the consultation of the Applicant.
- The Authorised Personnel by BIS is needed to verify the factory manufacturing process along with the testing of samples to be conducted in an Independent Factory.
- The Applicant then needs to pay the applicable fees for the testing conducted and visiting expenditure of the BIS employee for further processing of the Application.
- Upon receiving a satisfactory report from the BIS Personnel and the test report conducted in an independent factory, the FMCS License will be granted.
- For the issuance of the FMCS License, the Applicant needs to pay the required amount of fees for the license and parking fee in accordance with set Indian Standards, along with signing a legally binding agreement between the Applicant and BIS agreeing to the Terms and Conditions of the FMCS License.
- The Terms and Conditions include the Rights and Responsibilities of the Licensee, Termination Clause, Indemnity Clause, Performance Bank Guarantee, Terms for Cancellation of License, etc.
Conclusion
The Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme License, also known as the FMCS License, is granted after the payment of fees and approval of the Application by the BIS that is set in accordance with the set Indian Standards. The initial validity of the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme License is of one year, which towards the end of validity, can later be applied for renewal for either one or two years.
