India BIS Series Guidelines for IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 (XR)

India Issues BIS Series Guidelines for IS/IEC 62368-1:2023: Grouping Rules for XR Models

Regulatory background

India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has notified IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 — Audio/Video, Information and Communication Technology Equipment, Part 1: Safety Requirements under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021 (the "CRO"). The standard supersedes the two legacy frameworks that previously governed these products: IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 and IS 616:2017.

As part of this modernisation, MeitY added Extended Reality (XR) Products Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed Reality (MR) devices as a distinct category (Serial No. 65) under the CRO through notification S.O. 4997(E) dated 29 October 2025. XR devices must be certified under IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 through the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS).

The Bureau subsequently issued implementation guidelines establishing the migration pathway and a concurrent-running period. Those guidelines require licensees to provide an undertaking that the new safety requirements have been implemented across all series models within the scope of a licence, "with reference to the series guidelines issued by MeitY." The MeitY series guidelines are the document that defines exactly how individual models may be grouped together and that is the subject of this update.

What the BIS series guidelines for IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 require

The series guidelines set out the conditions under which multiple XR models may be grouped into a single series and certified together. In practice, a series is evaluated through a single representative ("lead") model, so the grouping rules directly determine how much testing a manufacturer must commission.

The core rules are:

• Separate series by technology. AR, VR and MR products must each form their own series. No overlap between AR, VR and MR products is permitted within a single series.

• Maximum of 10 models per series. Up to ten models may be accommodated in one series, provided every model in that series satisfies all of the sameness conditions below.

• Same energy source and safeguard system. All models in the series must share the same energy source type (external power adapter, mains-operated, or battery-operated) and safeguard system:

  • External energy source (power adapter / power bank / input device): alternate adapter models may be included as part of the main product's evaluation, but the main product must share the same power requirement; any registered adapter or power bank provided must have a rated capacity at least equal to that of the product.

  • Mains-operated with internal power supply: the mains layout or SMPS board layout must be identical, and any power transformer must share the same design and insulation system.

  • Battery (internal) operated: models with different battery capacities may be grouped provided the lead model is tested with the highest battery capacity. The battery is treated as a component, so alternate battery sources may be evaluated as part of the main product.

• Same class of construction.

• Same enclosure. The same enclosure material must be used; only purely decorative differences (colour, minor styling) are permitted.

• Same PCB layout design.

• Same display type (LED / LCD / AMOLED, etc.).

• Same IP rating.

  
  

Finally, where an external energy source is not supplied with the product, the specifications and ratings of that external source (power adapter, power bank, etc.) must be clearly stated on the product or in the catalogue.

In short: the "lead model" must represent the worst case for its series, and for battery products that explicitly means testing the variant with the highest battery capacity.

What this means for manufacturers

For XR manufacturers and importers, the series guidelines are the difference between a manageable certification project and a costly one. The headline implications:

• Test scope is now defined, not assumed. Until these guidelines, the testing ratio for series models was an open question. Manufacturers can now map their portfolios against concrete grouping criteria and forecast how many lead-model tests they actually need, rather than budgeting for worst-case testing of every SKU.

• Portfolio segmentation is mandatory. Because AR, VR and MR cannot be mixed, a manufacturer with products across all three categories must build at least three separate series — and additional series wherever energy source, construction, enclosure, PCB layout, display type or IP rating diverge.

• The 10-model cap is a hard ceiling. A product family larger than ten qualifying variants must be split across multiple series, each with its own lead-model test report.

• Battery variants drive the lead-model choice. For battery-operated devices, the highest-battery-capacity model sets the test obligation for the series; identifying it correctly is essential to a defensible grouping.

• Documentation discipline matters. Where adapters or power banks are not boxed with the product, their specifications must appear on the product or catalogue — a labelling and content-management task as much as an engineering one.

• Timelines are tight for XR. XR sits under the shortest transition window of the whole 62368-1 migration, so grouping decisions feed directly into a near-term compliance deadline (see timeline below).

  
  

Certification impact summary

Aspect	Impact under the series guidelines
Applicable standard	IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 (supersedes IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 and IS 616:2017)
Scheme	BIS Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS)
Product scope	Extended Reality products — AR, VR, MR (CRO Serial No. 65)
Series structure	Separate series required for AR, VR and MR; no cross-category grouping
Models per series	Maximum 10, subject to all sameness conditions being met
Representative testing	One lead model per series; must reflect the worst case
Battery products	Lead model tested at the highest battery capacity; battery treated as a component
Adapters / power banks	Alternate sources may be evaluated as components; capacity ≥ product rating
Mandatory sameness criteria	Energy source & safeguard, class of construction, enclosure, PCB layout, display type, IP rating
Catalogue obligation	External energy source specs/ratings must be stated where not supplied
Testing venue	BIS-recognised laboratory

Timeline and required actions

Date	Milestone	Required action for manufacturers / importers
29 Oct 2025	S.O. 4997(E) — XR added as CRO Serial No. 65; IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 notified	Confirm whether your products fall within the XR category and the new standard
Early 2026 (to be confirmed)	MeitY series guidelines for XR published	Map your portfolio into compliant AR/VR/MR series; verify ≤10 models per series and all sameness conditions
Concurrent-running period	Legacy standards (IS 13252 / IS 616) may run alongside IS/IEC 62368-1:2023 for XR	Identify each series' lead model (highest configuration / highest battery capacity) and book lead-model testing at a BIS-recognised lab
01 May 2026	End of concurrent running for XR products	Existing R-number holders: file the Standard Revision via the licensee portal and submit the undertaking that all series models comply; new applicants: register under IS/IEC 62368-1:2023
After 01 May 2026	Legacy standards withdrawn for XR	Non-migrated licences may be cancelled or models deleted from scope; ensure catalogue states external energy-source specs where applicable

Conclusion

MeitY's series guidelines convert an open question, how many XR models must be physically tested, into a defined, auditable framework. The trade-off is clear: manufacturers gain the ability to group up to ten variants under a single lead-model test report, but only where those variants are genuinely equivalent in energy source, construction, enclosure, PCB layout, display and IP rating, and only within a single AR, VR or MR series. With XR products facing the earliest migration deadline in the 62368-1 transition, getting series definitions right now is the most direct way to control both testing cost and time-to-market in India.