Every other standard in this series has a deadline of August 2, 2026 — three months from the time of writing. IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025 is different. Its transition deadline was January 21, 2026 — over three months ago.
If you hold a BIS CRS licence for LED modules under IS 16103 (Part 1): 2012, and you have not yet transitioned to IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025, your licence is at risk of being cancelled or your models at risk of deletion from scope right now.
This is not a warning about a future deadline. This is a statement about your current compliance status.
---IS 16103 (Part 1) specifies safety requirements for LED modules for general lighting — the LED engines, components, and assemblies that are integrated into luminaires. Unlike self-ballasted LED lamps (which include an integrated driver and connect directly to mains supply), LED modules require a separate external driver (LED control gear) to operate.
Products in scope include:
Confirmed from multiple sources including the official BIS notification and implementation guidelines:
This is one of the most practically significant changes. The 2012 standard treated LED modules as a monolithic category without addressing whether they can be replaced by end users. The 2025 version introduces three distinct module categories:
Replaceable LED module: Can be replaced by a non-specialist user (the lamp owner or general handyman) without special tools. Like a replaceable lamp — when it fails, it can be swapped out. Non-replaceable LED module: Requires a skilled person (electrician or specialist technician) for replacement, or requires special tools. The module can be replaced, but not by a non-specialist. Non-user-replaceable LED module: Cannot be replaced by end users and is designed for manufacturer-level or specialist service centre replacement. The module is essentially permanent from the user's perspective.These categories matter because they determine marking requirements, construction requirements, and what information luminaire designers need. A luminaire incorporating a non-user-replaceable module must clearly indicate this to the specifier and end user.
Marking requirements have been completely restructured with a new overview table that clearly specifies what information must appear on different module types. The 2012 version had marking requirements scattered through the standard — the 2025 version consolidates them into a clear reference table.
Key marking changes:
A new abnormal temperature test has been added — assessing module safety when operated at temperatures above the maximum specified junction temperature. This test addresses scenarios where a module is installed in a luminaire with inadequate thermal management, causing it to run hotter than designed.
The test simulates this condition and verifies that the module does not create hazardous conditions (fire, toxic gas emission, electrical failure creating shock risk) when overtemperature.
This test directly addresses real-world failure modes — LED modules that overheat due to poor thermal interface or inadequate heatsinking in the luminaire.
Photobiological safety testing per IEC 62471 has been added for LED modules. This involves measuring the spectral emission of the module and classifying it by photobiological risk group.
For LED modules, this is particularly relevant because:
New guidance has been added for luminaire designers specifying:
Not necessarily. The Manakonline portal's "valid" status reflects the nominal validity period of your licence — not whether your products comply with the current standard.
BIS may not have taken action to suspend or cancel your licence on January 21 automatically — enforcement and administrative action takes time. However, the BIS guidelines state clearly that after January 21, 2026, licences under IS 16103 (Part 1): 2012 are not operative if compliance with the revised standard has not been ensured.
"Valid until date" on the portal and "compliant with current requirements" are two different things. If you have not transitioned to IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025, your products may be technically non-compliant even if the portal shows "valid."
Act immediately — contact our team to arrange testing under IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025.
Yes — the BIS guidelines permitted processing of applications where samples were already submitted to the laboratory before the transition deadline, even if the test report is issued afterward.
If your samples were submitted to a BIS-recognized laboratory before January 21, 2026, and the test report was subsequently issued, you may be able to proceed with an application or licence amendment under IS 16103 (Part 1): 2012.
However, you should still plan to transition to IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025 before your licence's next renewal date. Discuss your specific situation with our team — the transition rules have nuances that depend on your specific circumstances.
IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025 is published as IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025 / IEC 62031:2018 — indicating that the Indian Standard is harmonised with IEC 62031:2018.
The previous version (IS 16103 Part 1: 2012) was based on an earlier version of IEC 62031. The 2025 revision aligns IS 16103 with the 2018 update to IEC 62031.
This is not a completely different standard — it is an update to the same base standard. The core safety requirements are consistent between versions, but the 2025 version includes the changes enumerated in this article (new definitions, updated marking, new tests).
If your LED modules already comply with IEC 62031:2018 — which is the basis for CE marking LED module certification in Europe — the technical content is substantially equivalent to IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025. You still need testing at a BIS-recognized laboratory for BIS registration, but the likelihood of pass is high.
No — not directly. BIS accepts test reports only from BIS-recognized laboratories.
However, the technical content of a CNAS-accredited test against IEC 62031:2018 (the same standard basis) is potentially useful:
Contact House of Testing to discuss your specific situation. If your module has recent and comprehensive IEC 62031:2018 test data from a reputable laboratory, our engineers will advise on the most efficient path to IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025 compliance.
LED strips fall into a regulatory grey area. The classification depends on:
LED strips sold as raw LED tape (by the metre, requiring an external 12V or 24V driver) are most commonly classified as LED modules and covered under IS 16103. LED strips sold as complete systems with an integrated driver and plug → more likely classified as a lamp or luminaire product.
The BIS classification also depends on how the product is presented in marketing — if you market it as a complete lighting system, BIS may classify it differently from a component sold to luminaire manufacturers.
Contact our team for a specific classification assessment for your LED strip product. This is an area where getting the classification right at the outset avoids costly re-testing under a different standard later.
For luminaire manufacturers and designers specifying LED modules:
If the module is non-user-replaceable: The luminaire's expected life (from the consumer's perspective) is the module's expected life. When the module fails, the consumer either replaces the entire luminaire or has it serviced by a specialist. The luminaire must be clearly marked indicating the module is not user-replaceable. Design implications:The 2025 standard provides luminaire designers with clear, standardised terminology to specify modules and design luminaires appropriately around the module's replaceability category.
Temperature sensors integrated into LED modules are typically thermistors or thermal cutouts that protect the module from overtemperature. They are passive protection components — not active electronic control circuits.
Under IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025, the presence of a temperature sensor affects:
The sensor itself does not require separate certification — it is a component of the LED module and is assessed as part of the complete module testing under IS 16103.
Testing under IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025 is typically conducted on the module as supplied — before potting. The certified product is the un-potted module.
If the module is potted after installation in a luminaire, the potted module-in-luminaire is a different configuration from what was certified. The luminaire (with potted module) would then need to be certified as a complete luminaire under the appropriate IS 10322 standard.
This is an important distinction: IS 16103 certifies the LED module component. IS 10322 certifies the complete luminaire assembly. If your manufacturing process involves potting LED modules into luminaire housings, the final product requires luminaire certification — not just module certification.
Contact our team if you have questions about where the module certification ends and the luminaire certification begins for your specific product and manufacturing process.
IS 16103 (Part 1): 2025 requires specific technical information from the LED module manufacturer that enables luminaire designers to design compliant and safe luminaires. This documentation (sometimes called the "module datasheet for luminaire designers") must include:
This documentation enables luminaire designers to:
If your LED modules don't have complete documentation covering all these parameters, now is the time to compile it — both for IS 16103 compliance and for your downstream customers' benefit.
Common issues with LED module photobiological safety reports that trigger BIS queries:
House of Testing's photobiological safety measurement generates reports in the format expected by BIS — including all required hazard assessments and the clear risk group conclusion. If you have existing photobiological reports with these issues, contact our team for a review.