Humanoid robot prices in India, delivered

Marks and registrations

• BIS Registration under CRS (electronics, IS/IEC 62368-1:2023)Electrical safetyThe Compulsory Registration Scheme run by the Bureau of Indian Standards under MeitY covers roughly 80 notified IT and electronics categories. A humanoid's controllers, power supply, and IT electronics typically fall here and must be tested at a BIS-recognised lab against the relevant Indian Standard. As of the MeitY notification dated 29 October 2025, the unified safety standard for IT, AV, and ICT equipment is IS/IEC 62368-1:2023, which replaced the older IS 13252 (Part 1):2010 family, with a concurrent running period ending 1 November 2028. Registration is held by the manufacturer via an Authorized Indian Representative and is typically valid two years. Without it, customs can block the goods.
• BIS Registration under CRS for the lithium pack (IS 16046 Part 2)BatteryThe lithium-ion cells and pack need separate BIS CRS registration under IS 16046 (Part 2):2018, aligned to IEC 62133-2. Sealed secondary lithium cells and batteries for portable applications are separately notified, and BIS has published guidance requiring measurement and verification of rated capacity. A large humanoid pack (roughly 400 to 2000 Wh) cannot be legally sold in India without this registration on the cells/battery.
• WPC/DoT Equipment Type Approval (ETA)Radio / EMCThe WiFi and Bluetooth radios operate in de-licensed 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, so each RF module needs an ETA from the Wireless Planning and Coordination wing of the Department of Telecommunications. Finished products operating only in de-licensed bands qualify for the online ETA Self-Declaration route on the Saral Sanchar portal, backed by an accredited RF test report. ETA is required for import, sale, and use.
• CPCB Battery EPR registration (Battery Waste Management Rules, 2022)BatteryAnyone importing equipment containing a battery is treated as a producer and must obtain Extended Producer Responsibility registration on the CPCB EPR Battery portal and meet collection and recycling targets. This is an environmental import obligation separate from BIS product safety, applies to the importer, and is validity-limited (renewable). It bites commercial importers who plan to sell or deploy at scale.
• Machinery safety (Omnibus Technical Regulation / BIS Scheme X) rescindedMachinery / robot safetyThe Machinery and Electrical Equipment Safety (Omnibus Technical Regulation) Order, which would have brought machinery under compulsory BIS Scheme X certification, was RESCINDED with immediate effect from 14 January 2026, before its 1 September 2026 enforcement date. So there is currently no compulsory Scheme X machinery certification for a complete humanoid. Caveat: BIS Schemes I and II remain in force for certain notified components and spares, and machinery certification policy in India has shifted repeatedly, so confirm the current position and the correct CTH with BIS before ordering rather than assuming nothing applies.
• IGST plus BCD plus Social Welfare Surcharge (customs)Customs / dutyOn clearance the unit attracts 18% IGST. Basic Customs Duty for a robot classified under HS 8479 is generally in the 7.5% to 12.5% band (industrial robots under 84795000 are commonly around 7.5%), so verify the exact line for the specific unit rather than assuming a flat figure. A Social Welfare Surcharge of 10% is levied on the aggregate customs duty (charged on the duty, not the goods value). IGST is recoverable by a GST-registered business as input tax credit; BCD and SWS are a true sunk cost. A licensed customs broker files the Bill of Entry via CBIC's ICEGATE.

Who imports it

The importer of record must be an India-based entity holding a valid Importer-Exporter Code (IEC) from DGFT; commercial import is impossible without one and customs will not clear the Bill of Entry. Separately, for BIS certification the responsible party is not the buyer at all: the foreign manufacturer holds the BIS registration and must appoint an Authorized Indian Representative (AIR), an Indian citizen or company with an established office in India, who is legally accountable to BIS. A foreign buyer with no local entity therefore cannot self-import cleanly: in practice they either buy through an Indian distributor whose manufacturer already holds BIS plus AIR plus ETA, or they engage an Indian import agent to act as IoR, secure the IEC, appoint a customs broker, and handle CPCB EPR. There is no route where an overseas individual simply ships a humanoid to themselves and is fully compliant.

How long it takes

Realistically 3 to 8 months for a fully compliant commercial deployment, dominated by certification rather than shipping. WPC ETA (self-declaration) typically completes in a few days to about 6 weeks including RF testing. BIS CRS registration (electronics and the IS 16046 battery) commonly runs several weeks to a few months each, including lab testing, and takes longer if the manufacturer does not already hold it, since AIR appointment and factory documentation add time. With the Scheme X machinery regime rescinded (14 January 2026), the machinery-certification uncertainty that previously dominated this timeline is largely removed, though machinery policy has moved repeatedly and could change again. If you buy from an Indian distributor whose product is already BIS-registered and ETA-approved, an individual unit can land and clear in 2 to 6 weeks. If you are the first to certify a given model, plan for the multi-month path.

Private buyer or business

A registered company is the practical path: it can hold an IEC, reclaim the 18% IGST as input tax credit, register for CPCB battery EPR, and either appoint an AIR or buy from a distributor whose manufacturer already carries BIS and ETA. For a private individual, goods imported strictly for personal use and not connected with trade are exempt from the IEC requirement, which is the one simplification, but the individual still cannot obtain BIS certification (that belongs to the manufacturer via an AIR) and cannot reclaim IGST, so the full landed cost is a sunk expense. A private buyer's cleanest route is to purchase an already-BIS-registered, already-ETA-approved unit through an Indian distributor so all product-level compliance is pre-satisfied; attempting a personal direct import of an uncertified model risks the shipment being held or seized at customs.