The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has notified that smartphone screen protectors are now covered under compulsory BIS registration, effective April 1, 2027 under the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021, with screen protectors becoming the 66th product category under this mandate, joining smartphones, laptops and LED TVs. Until now, screen protectors sat outside any formal quality framework, which means anyone could import or manufacture them and sell them freely.
What is BIS certification, exactly?
BIS certification is the Bureau of Indian Standards' compulsory conformity mark confirming a product meets a defined Indian Standard. It works in three parts: standardisation (writing the technical spec), conformity assessment (testing against that spec), and compulsory certification, which only becomes legally binding once the Central Government formally notifies a product under the framework, which is exactly what happened here.
The standard itself: IS 19348:2025
The newly applicable standard, "Glass Screen Protector — Specification," sets out testing and quality parameters covering glass size, strength and surface quality, along with optical requirements such as light transmission and visible defects. It also extends to add-on features like adhesive backing, anti-shatter film, oleophobic coating, anti-glare treatment, blue-light filtering and privacy films. Manufacturers will need to test products before sale, and packaging must disclose the manufacturer's name, batch number, protector thickness, and traceability details that are largely absent from the market today.
It's worth flagging one nuance: reporting so far treats this specifically as a smartphone-protector rule. The IS 19348:2025 standard itself covers glass screen protectors broadly, but the September 21 notification specifically adds "screen protectors for smartphones" to the mandatory schedule — so protectors for tablets or laptops aren't automatically covered under this same order.
Why now?
The trigger is scale and quality control. India's screen-protector market processes roughly 500 million units a year, dominated by cheap, unbranded tempered glass and PET films with no quality baseline. The government's stated aim is consumer protection - weeding out protectors that shatter, distort colour, or misrepresent their specs - while nudging manufacturing onshore. The market is estimated to reach a retail value of Rs. 20,000 crore by 2025, and industry body ICEA reportedly projects a rs. 12,000–16,000 crore quality-led opportunity once certified, organised players take share from unregulated ones.
What happens to the market
Expect consolidation. Compliance requires testing infrastructure, documentation and batch traceability — costs that small, unbranded importers and assemblers typically can't absorb. Organised domestic players are already positioning for this: Optiemus Infracom is reportedly planning about 2 crore units of additional capacity, building on its existing Noida facility that uses Corning glass technology. The likely trajectory is fewer, larger, certified suppliers replacing today's fragmented mix of no-name tempered glass sold on e-commerce marketplaces and roadside kiosks.
Enforcement will also need to catch up. Testing lab capacity, certification turnaround times and customs/marketplace checks on imports are all things regulators will need to scale before April 2027, and detailed implementation guidance (marking rules, exemptions, licensing procedure) is still pending.
Will screen protectors get more expensive?
Almost certainly, at least at the bottom of the market. Certification isn't free. It involves lab testing fees, compliance documentation, and potentially retooling for manufacturers who can't currently meet the spec. Those costs typically get passed on to buyers. The Rs. 100–200 unbranded tempered glass that dominates online marketplaces today is the segment most likely to see either price hikes or disappear entirely, replaced by certified alternatives at a higher price point. Established brands already investing in quality glass (Corning-based products, for instance) may see comparatively smaller price shifts since they're closer to compliance already.
