Iron, steel, and footwear manufacturers and exporters moaned about difficulties in applying for BIS certification.

For export to India, manufacturers need BIS certification (ISI) under the Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme (FMCS), or BIS registration (CRS) for certain products.

Recently, many Vietnamese iron, steel, and footwear manufacturing and exporting enterprises have reported difficulties in applying for a new license or extension of India's BIS certification. Some businesses have completed submitting required documents, but still have not received certification to continue exporting to this market.

The Office of the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced this yesterday afternoon. BIS Certification India or BIS Registration issued by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) ensures the quality, safety and reliability of products in accordance with Indian Standards (IS). Local and foreign manufacturers must have the mandatory certification to have their products distributed and consumed in this country's market.

After receiving feedbacks from businesses, the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam has sent a note to the Ministry of Industry and Trade of India, requesting to quickly resolve BIS certification for Vietnamese businesses to avoid disruptions in the supply chain of goods, affecting bilateral trade between the two countries.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam has also directed the Vietnam Trade Office in India to work with the Bureau of Indian Standards to solve the problem. On October 16, the Ministry of Industry and Trade discussed with the Indian side the difficulties of Vietnamese enterprises when applying for BIS certification and proposed the Indian side to urgently remove barriers for Vietnamese businesses.

Moreover, representatives of the Asia-Africa Market Department also worked directly with the Commercial Counselor at the Indian Embassy in Vietnam on October 18, requesting the Indian Embassy to discuss with relevant agencies of India to solve difficulties for Vietnamese businesses.

According to the Asia-Africa Market Department, the Indian Trade Counselor in Vietnam replied that it has noticed this matter and will coordinate closely to promote the resolution of problems and difficulties for Vietnamese businesses.

The Indian Trade Counselor in Vietnam said that the list of items required to have BIS certification is increasingly expanding to include many goods such as chemicals, toys, tires, and synthetic fibers which are all items that Vietnam is exporting to India.

Businesses that are having problems with BIS certification should continue to contact the Asia-Africa Market Department so that the Ministry of Industry and Trade can compile a list of requests from the Indian side to handle problems.

Normally, BIS certificates are valid between 1-2 years. The renewal of the license may be considered for a period of less than one year and up to 5 years depending upon whether the annual license fee and advance minimum marking fee have been paid for, the Asia-Africa Market Department informed.

Source:  SGPP