STQC/BIS-Approved CCTV Cameras in India: The 2026 List, Explained

Last verified: checked 16 Oct 2026. This is a fast-moving compliance topic — always confirm the model you want on the live BIS list.

There is one public list: BIS publishes "List of Registrations and models of CCTVs complying with ER for Security" on crsbis.in (the "ER Certified CCTV" tile). Approval is granted per camera model, not per brand: each model sits under a BIS CRS registration (R-number, safety to IS 13252) and must appear in that list's security-ER column. From 1 April 2026, network CCTV models without both can't legally be sold, imported, or manufactured in India; analogue cameras are exempt from the security ER (BIS circular, 1 Apr 2025). You can search the whole list by brand in the Certified CCTV Finder or check one model in the CCTV Certificate Checker.

Key takeaways

• One public BIS list exists — and approval is granted model by model, not brand by brand.
• The real gate is the chipset: certified lines run non-Chinese SoCs, which is why Chinese-silicon cameras can't clear the security test. See which models made it in the Certified CCTV Finder.
• Deadline is 1 April 2026 — non-conforming cameras can't be sold, imported, or manufactured.
• Verify the exact model in the BIS ER column — the CCTV Certificate Checker does it in one search — before you sign.
• Cameras already installed keep running; replacements and new sites must be certified.
• "Approved" means safe and secure — not that it shoots usable footage of your floor.

If a supplier hands you a "STQC-approved brand list" and says pick anything, that's a sales sheet, not proof. Approval attaches to a model number — so make them prove the model. What follows is what the two stamps actually certify, the component gate almost nobody explains, how to check any model in a few minutes, and what the 2026 shock is doing to prices and lead times.

What the two stamps actually certify

Two separate government requirements now stack on every CCTV camera sold in India, and buyers collapse both into the word "approved":

1. BIS registration (safety). Under the Compulsory Registration Scheme (CRS), cameras and recorders are tested to IS 13252 (Part 1) — the Indian safety standard for information-technology equipment — and registered with the Bureau of Indian Standards, which issues an R-number. This is the older, baseline requirement.
2. STQC / Essential Requirements (security). MeitY notified Essential Requirements (ER) for CCTV cybersecurity — a set of six requirements tested by STQC labs under the IoT System Certification Scheme (IoTSCS). Among them: no hard-coded default passwords, encrypted video streams, and secure boot with signed firmware.

Read the ER list as a threat model, not a spec sheet. A default-password camera is the classic Mirai-style hijack vector — the exact hole that turned cheap recorders into botnets. An unencrypted stream can be sniffed straight off your own VLAN. Unsigned firmware is a backdoor you can't detect. The non-obvious part for a factory: an uncertified camera bridged onto your plant network isn't a paperwork gap — it's a live foothold sitting next to your PLCs and ERP.

The deadline: MeitY withdrew the relaxation that had let older non-conforming stock keep selling, and from 1 April 2026 no CCTV that fails the ER can be sold, manufactured, or imported. We cover the full timeline in our companion piece on BIS/STQC 2026 factory camera compliance.

The real gate is the chipset, not the badge

Here is what every "approved list" repeats and none explains: certification effectively turns on the camera's main processor — its SoC. The ER disclosure regime requires declaring the country of origin of core components, and the models that clear it run non-Chinese silicon — in practice chips like Ambarella (US), Novatek (Taiwan), or Innofusion (Taiwan). That is the mechanical reason Chinese-SoC product lines — however cheap, or however "rebadged Indian" they look — struggle to pass, and why two cameras that look identical on the outside can land on opposite sides of the line.

So the owner's action isn't to argue about brand lineage. It's one datasheet question: what SoC is inside this exact model, and what country of origin sits on its certificate? It's concrete, verifiable, durable, and it's the check no sales sheet volunteers. Then confirm the model itself is on the list in the Certified CCTV Finder.

So is there a "list"? Yes — and here is what's on it

Yes. The live list is the BIS one, and the numbers are countable (checked 16 Oct 2026):

Two practical consequences. First, the STQC count stopped moving, so the number to track is the BIS ER column — that is where new network-camera approvals now appear. Second, totals are the wrong question anyway: the list grows as models pass, and the only thing that matters is whether your exact model is in the ER column today. Search by brand in the Certified CCTV Finder, or paste one model number into the CCTV Certificate Checker.

Why your April quote jumped — the certification shock

The rule didn't just change what you can buy; it repriced the market — and this is the part no buyer guide tells you. Certifying a single model runs on the order of Rs 5 lakh (plus smaller fees per sibling SKU), and only around 14 empanelled labs are working through a 3-6 month test cycle — a bottleneck that alone explains slipped deliveries. Prices are up roughly 15-20% since the deadline firmed, with only a small share of market demand actually certified so far. Trade body FAIITA has warned that the squeeze exposes roughly 1,000 CCTV MSMEs and about 400,000 channel jobs, as the handful of approved OEMs tighten the credit terms smaller integrators used to rely on.

Owner takeaway: your April quote spiked and your delivery slipped because the market is structurally short of certified stock — not because your vendor is gouging. Budget the premium, lock certified stock early, and treat any "same price as last year" offer as a flag that you're being shown pre-deadline inventory.

How do I verify a specific CCTV model is BIS/STQC approved?

Don't buy on a brand claim — verify the SKU. Two primary sources:

• BIS ER list — crsbis.in (the "ER Certified CCTV" tile). Find the vendor's R-number and check the exact model sits in the "Models Complying with Security ER" column — not just under the R-number, and not only in the analogue column. No model in the ER column, no security approval for a network camera — full stop. The CCTV Certificate Checker runs this lookup for you.
• STQC / IoTSCS — stqc.gov.in. Older STQC ER certificates are still useful paperwork, but STQC says its network-camera list is no longer being updated and is kept for historical reference only; check each certificate's validity date. Newer approvals show up only in the BIS ER column.

A buyer's checklist before you release a purchase order:

1. Exact model number in writing — the full SKU, not "Prama 4MP dome."
2. Its BIS CRS R-number, confirmed by you on crsbis.in.
3. The model listed in the BIS security-ER column (or, for older approvals, an STQC/ER certificate) — a brand-level claim is not enough. Analogue cameras are the exception: ER does not apply to them.
4. Recorders (DVR/NVR) covered too, not just the cameras.
5. The SoC / country of origin on the certificate (see the gate above).
6. Written confirmation it's current compliant stock, not pre-deadline inventory being cleared cheaply.

On the leading name. Prama traces back to Prama Hikvision India — originally a joint venture with China's Hikvision (the controlling partner), since repositioned toward an indigenous "Prama India." For legal compliance the lineage is irrelevant: its certified models pass precisely because they run non-Chinese SoCs. It can still matter for government-tender optics or critical-infrastructure classification — so judge it by the SoC and certificate holder on paper, not by brand ancestry. See our note on Hikvision/Dahua alternatives for Indian factories.

What to do with cameras you already own — or were just quoted

First, two regimes — don't confuse them. The 1 April 2026 rule is a blanket ban on selling, importing, or manufacturing non-conforming cameras: it binds everyone. The Public Procurement Order layers on top and additionally binds any deployment funded by public money — government, defence, railways, smart-city, PSU, critical infrastructure.

• Already installed and working? The ban targets sale, import, and manufacture, not your running system — your existing cameras keep working. But any replacement, expansion, or new site must use certified models. Confirm the current MeitY/BIS wording before assuming installed stock is permanently grandfathered.
• Holding a quote for uncertified models? Don't sign. After the deadline those units are illegal to sell, warranty and spares get murky, and for audited private-sector verticals — pharma (GMP), food/FMCG (FSSAI), auto-components (IATF) — uncertified surveillance hardware is an audit finding waiting to happen. That private-sector exposure, not just "government tenders," is what most owners underestimate.
• Mid-project and unsure? Have the integrator reissue the BOM with R-numbers, STQC certificates, and SoC origin per line item. A serious vendor will have these ready.

Does STQC/BIS approval mean the camera is good quality?

This is the most expensive misunderstanding on the topic. Certification tests whether the device is safe (won't catch fire) and secure (won't be hijacked on your network). It says nothing about whether the camera does the job on your shop floor.

A fully certified camera aimed at a blank wall, or mounted too far to resolve a hazard, is compliant and useless. Two floor-level decisions still sit entirely with you: which certified model fits the scene (resolution, lens, low-light, mounting), and where and how many cameras to place. Certification narrows what you may legally buy; it says nothing about where a camera actually does work.

Where Mama fits

Compliance sets your buying list. The harder question — how many cameras, ceiling or wall, which zones and hazards — is where Mama helps. You leave an email or phone in the form below, and Mama comes back with a placement plan plus a plain-language read of the space, so your certified-camera budget lands where it counts. See what factory-floor video analytics is for how that works. Buy certified — then hang it where it earns its keep.

FAQ

Is there one official "STQC approved CCTV list" I can download? Yes — the live one is BIS's "List of Registrations and models of CCTVs complying with ER for Security" on crsbis.in (the "ER Certified CCTV" tile). STQC says its older network-camera list is no longer being updated and is kept for historical reference only. Approval is per model, so search your brand in the Certified CCTV Finder or check one model in the CCTV Certificate Checker.

How many CCTV models are actually certified? Checked 16 Oct 2026: the BIS ER list carries 83 R-numbers (74 Registered), with 927 security-ER model entries (925 unique) on 57 Registered R-numbers, plus 1,092 analogue entries — 2,019 BIS entries in all. The frozen STQC list holds 196 unique models on 53 certificates from 7 brands. The BIS figure grows as models pass, so check your exact model rather than the total.

Why did certified CCTV get more expensive in 2026? Certifying each model costs around Rs 5 lakh, and only about 14 labs run a 3-6 month test cycle, so certified supply is throttled while demand isn't. Prices are up roughly 15-20%. Budget for it and lock stock early.

Do my already-installed cameras become illegal on 1 April 2026? No. The rule targets sale, import, and manufacture — not removal of installed cameras. Replacements and new sites must be certified, and public-money-funded deployments also fall under the Public Procurement Order. Confirm the latest official wording before relying on this.

Does approval mean the camera is good quality? No. Certification covers safety and cybersecurity — not image quality, lens coverage, low-light performance, or where to place the camera. Pick the model to fit the scene separately.

Is Prama the same as Hikvision? Prama traces back to Prama Hikvision India, a JV with Hikvision (the controlling partner), now repositioned toward an indigenous "Prama India." Its certified models pass because they run non-Chinese SoCs, so lineage doesn't affect legal compliance — but it can matter for government-tender optics. Check the SoC and certificate holder.