QCO Withdrawals 2025: Which BIS Quality Control Orders Were Rolled Back, and What It Means for Sellers

The central government withdrew Quality Control Orders, and the BIS certification requirements that came with them, for 14 products through a notification dated 12 November 2025. The products are plastics raw materials such as PVC, polyethylene and polypropylene, and polyester fibres and yarns, plus a few chemical inputs. They are inputs for manufacturers, not goods that most marketplace sellers list. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm the position for your product with a compliance adviser.

Which QCOs were withdrawn in November 2025?

The law-firm note we opened lists these products and their Indian Standards, all covered by the one notification of 12 November 2025.

The note's introduction also names acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), but its table lists acrylonitrile and no ABS standard, so we cannot confirm ABS from this source. We could not open the gazette notification itself, so the list rests on this one law-firm summary.

What is a QCO, and why does withdrawal matter?

BIS certification is mostly voluntary. The central government can make a standard mandatory for a product through a Quality Control Order, which then requires a BIS licence or a Certificate of Conformity with the Standard Mark. QCOs can be made on grounds such as public interest, health, the environment, unfair trade practices and national security. For the definition in short, see the glossary entry on a QCO.

A withdrawal removes that mandatory requirement for the listed products. They can then be made, imported and sold without the BIS licence or Standard Mark that the QCO demanded. It does not make the Indian Standard disappear, and a buyer can still ask for certified material.

Does this affect me as a marketplace seller?

Probably not, unless you sell raw materials. Every item in the table is a raw material or intermediate: resin granules, chemical feedstocks, polyester fibre and yarn. Marketplace listings are usually finished goods such as toys, electrical items, helmets, footwear, kitchen goods and cables, and nothing in the note covers any of those.

You may still be indirectly affected if you are a brand that buys polyester yarn for garments or plastic granules for products you make yourself. Your supplier's compliance paperwork may change, and the price of inputs may move. Neither effect is something we can quantify from the sources we read.

If you sell finished goods in a category under compulsory certification, nothing here removes your duty. Check the BIS compulsory certification page for your product and the matching standard. Our guides to BIS certificates for marketplace sellers and BIS compliance by category go through that.

Can the government bring the QCOs back?

Yes, on the law firm's reading. The note says the government "reserves the right to reinstate the QCOs at any time, without prior notice", and advises against surrendering existing BIS licences. If you hold a licence for any of the 14 items, the practical advice in that note is to keep it, not cancel it.

Do not read the withdrawal as a general direction of travel. At the same time, BIS lists QCOs that are notified but not yet in force. Its "upcoming QCOs" page, last updated 30 October 2026, shows 29 entries with enforcement dates from 1 October 2026 to 5 June 2027, including glass screen protectors on 1 April 2027 and satellite broadcast digital TV receivers on 26 January 2027. New orders are still coming into force even as some are withdrawn.

Were other QCOs withdrawn in 2025?

We cannot confirm that from sources we opened. Our research lead covers only the 12 November 2025 notification. The BIS compulsory certification page did not mention any withdrawn orders when we read it, and its upcoming-QCOs page lists only orders yet to come into force. There may have been other rollbacks, postponements or extensions during 2025 that are not in this list. If your product depends on it, check the gazette or ask BIS.

A postponement is different from a withdrawal. A postponed QCO still exists and will apply later; a withdrawn one is cancelled until reinstated. Make sure you know which one applies to your product.

Where do I check the current QCO position myself?

The BIS home page links to two pages that matter here: "All Quality Control Orders", which points to the products under compulsory certification, and "Upcoming QCOs - Notified and Due for Implementation". Neither page, when we read it, carried a list of withdrawn orders, so for a withdrawal you need the gazette notification or a compliance adviser's confirmation.

Do this check every time you add a new product category. A category that was free of a QCO last year may have one with an enforcement date next year, and marketplaces often start asking for BIS documents around the enforcement date. A ten-minute check against the BIS lists before listing is cheaper than a delisting after.

What should I check before I drop or skip certification?

1. Find your product on the BIS list. Start at BIS's compulsory certification page and the four schemes it names: ISI Mark, Registration, Certificate of Conformity and Certification.
2. Match the Indian Standard number to the product on your listing, not just the product name.
3. Check the current gazette for the QCO for that product, including any later amendment.
4. Read your marketplace's category rules. A platform can ask for BIS proof even when the law does not, so a withdrawn QCO does not automatically relax a marketplace's document check.
5. Keep paperwork. Retain the licence or certificate until you have confirmed in writing that you no longer need it.
6. Ask a compliance adviser if the stakes are high, such as an import consignment.

Why are QCOs being withdrawn?

The source we read does not give the government's reasons. It describes only the notification and the products. We do not offer a reason, and we do not know which ministry notified each withdrawal beyond "the Central Government" in the law firm's note.

FAQ

Which QCOs were withdrawn in 2025? A notification dated 12 November 2025 withdrew QCOs for 14 products, including PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene, EVA, terephthalic acid, ethylene glycol, several polyester yarns and fibres, acrylonitrile, thermoplastic polyurethane and polycarbonate. We could not confirm other 2025 withdrawals.

Do I still need BIS certification for toys, helmets or electricals? Nothing in the withdrawal list covers them. If your product is under a QCO, certification still applies. Check the BIS compulsory certification page for your item.

Can the government reinstate a withdrawn QCO? According to a law-firm note, yes. The government reserves the right to reinstate the QCOs at any time and without prior notice, which is why it advises against giving up existing licences.

Should I cancel my BIS licence for these products? The note we read advises against surrendering existing licences because of that reinstatement risk. Take advice before cancelling anything.

Is ABS plastic on the list? Not confirmed. The note's introduction names acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, but its table lists only acrylonitrile and gives no Indian Standard for ABS, so check the gazette before you assume it was withdrawn.

Where is the official list of QCOs? BIS publishes products under compulsory certification and upcoming QCOs on bis.gov.in. The notifications are in the Gazette of India.

Next step

Check your product on the BIS compulsory certification list and keep your compliance fields in your catalogue accurate. For help with catalogue data and compliance attributes across marketplaces, Blooprint's catalogue and listing optimisation team is a natural place to start.