Quality control order
Also called: QCO · Topic: International Trade Policy, WTO and Intellectual Property · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A quality control order (QCO) is an Indian government order under the BIS Act 2016. It makes BIS certification compulsory before a product can be sold or imported in India. BIS is the Bureau of Indian Standards, the national standards body. Supporters say QCOs keep poor-quality and unsafe goods out. Critics say they can work as a disguised non-tariff barrier, meaning a trade restriction that is not a tax. They also raise input costs for MSMEs (small and medium firms). Several QCOs on inputs were withdrawn or deferred in 2025.
Example
Under the toys QCO (2021), a toy cannot be sold in India, whether it is made here or imported, unless it carries BIS certification. This sharply cut the entry of cheap uncertified imported toys. QCOs have also covered footwear, chemicals, polyester and steel.
Don't confuse with
- Tariff: a tariff is a tax that makes imports costlier. A QCO does not tax imports. It blocks goods that do not have certification.
Related concepts
- Non-tariff barriers
- Import quota
- Quantitative restrictions
- Import licensing
- Voluntary export restraint
- Sanitary and phytosanitary measures
- Technical barriers to trade
- Trade facilitation
- Authorised economic operator