Government Notifies Screen Protectors for Smartphones under Compulsory Registration Order; ICEA Welcomes Move to Secure Quality and Build a Domestic Industry

New Delhi, 22^nd September 2026 – The India Cellular & Electronics Association (ICEA), the apex industry body representing the electronics and mobile manufacturing sector, today welcomed the Government’s notification bringing screen protectors for smartphones under the Compulsory Registration Order (CRO). The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), vide S.O. 5190(E) dated 21^st September 2026, has amended the Electronics and Information Technology Goods (Requirement of Compulsory Registration) Order, 2021 to include screen protectors for smartphones against IS 19348:2025 ‘Glass Screen Protector – Specification’, with effect from 1^st April 2027.

Up until now, without the mandatory quality control, the screen protector market had become systematically distorted:

ADVERTISEMENT

• Sub-standard items are misrepresented as “tempered glass” despite lacking proper tempering.
• Prices range from ₹50 to ₹2,500 with no correlation to actual quality.
• Unfair trade practices such as under-invoicing and misdeclaration are rampant.
• Huge loss to exchequer in terms of GST revenue and lost job opportunities

From 1^st April 2027, every screen protector sold in India – whether imported or made in India – will require BIS registration. For the first time, consumers will have the assurance that the product they buy meets a defined Indian Standard and is not a low-quality substitute sold on marketing alone.

The notification also creates a significant impetus for domestic manufacturing. ICEA estimates that India consumes approximately 500 million screen protectors a year, of which more than 90% is currently imported. Much of this supply enters through unorganised channels, resulting in a substantial and recurring loss of revenue to the exchequer. A mandatory quality regime brings this trade into the formal economy and creates a level playing field for compliant manufacturers.

By mandating this standard, India will:

• Build a ₹12,000–16,000 crore quality manufacturing industry for domestic sales and exports.
• Generate an estimated ₹2,000 crore in GST revenue.
• Create approximately 60,000 direct and indirect jobs.
• Position India as a global manufacturing hub for quality screen protectors.
• Demonstrate India’s commitment to quality standards and fair trade

The six months to 1^st April 2027 give domestic manufacturers time to set up lines, qualify their processes against the standard and secure BIS registration before enforcement begins. ICEA will work with its members and with prospective manufacturers to support them through this transition.

ICEA worked closely with MeitY, BIS and its member companies through this process, contributing market assessment, import data and technical inputs to the development of the standard.