On 29 September 2026, the Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC) under India's Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers published Amendment Order S.O. 5343(E) in the Official Gazette, amending the Linear Alkyl Benzene (Quality Control) Order, 2022: from 1 April 2026 to 31 December 2026, linear alkyl benzene (LAB) is temporarily exempted from the application of the corresponding Indian Standards requirements, that is, the mandatory certification obligation under the quality control order (QCO) is suspended.
Details of the Suspension
Exercising the powers conferred by the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 and after consulting the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), the Central Government of India, citing global supply chain tensions and the need to ensure an uninterrupted supply of LAB, determined that the temporary suspension of the QCO is indeed necessary in the public interest. The amendment order replaces the original proviso under paragraph 2 of the 2022 Order with the above suspension provision, leaving the remaining contents of the QCO unchanged. After the suspension period ends, if there are no further adjustments, the mandatory certification requirement will apply again from 1 January 2027.
Background
The 2022 LAB QCO was issued on 5 April 2022 under Section 16 of the Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 2016 and has since undergone several amendments. Among them, the amendment orders of 30 March 2026 (S.O. 1655(E)) and 25 June 2026 (S.O. 3456(E)) successively provided that the Indian Standards requirements would not apply from 1 April to 1 July 2026 and from 1 July to 30 September 2026, respectively; this amendment order now sets the suspension period in one go as 1 April to 31 December 2026. Under the QCO regime, products within the regulated scope must conform to the corresponding Indian Standards and obtain BIS certification before they may be manufactured, imported and sold in India, and this requirement also applies to overseas enterprises exporting such products to India.
ChemRadar Insights
During the suspension period, enterprises exporting LAB to India may export and sell the relevant products to India without obtaining BIS certification, and enterprises currently pursuing certification can use this window to adjust their pace. As the mandatory certification requirement will apply again from 1 January 2027, LAB manufacturers with plans to export to India are advised to arrange conformity testing and certification applications in advance to avoid supply disruptions once the requirement resumes.
Further information
