Yes: each 13.56 MHz HF or NFC reader model needs a WPC Equipment Type Approval (ETA), and BIS registration depends on the model’s product category; the user of an indoor reader with a built-in antenna needs no licence under G.S.R. 884(E) of 4 November 2010 (DoT/WPC compilation, pp. 99–101). That notification covers RFID devices in 13.553–13.567 MHz used indoors, up to 42 dBµA/m at 10 m.
Short answer: the reader model needs an ETA, the user of an indoor reader with a built-in antenna needs no licence, BIS turns on product category rather than frequency, and passive cards and labels need nothing.
The pattern holds across all three bands, with a different rule behind each.
| Band | WPC rule and limit | User licence | BIS CRS position | Document to ask for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LF 125 kHz (proximity cards, fobs) | G.S.R. 90(E) of 10 Feb 2009 (50–200 kHz; pp. 83–84) and G.S.R. 870(E) of 21 Dec 2021: 66 dBµA/m at 10 m in 119–135 kHz | None | By product category, not frequency. CRS lists “Smart Card Reader” (IS 13252 (Part 1):2010) and power adaptors separately | ETA for the model citing 90(E) or 870(E); BIS registration number or written position |
| HF / NFC 13.56 MHz (library pads, card and door readers) | G.S.R. 884(E) of 4 Nov 2010: 13.553–13.567 MHz, indoor, built-in antenna, 42 dBµA/m at 10 m | None indoors with a built-in antenna; outdoor or external antenna: see below | By product category, not frequency | ETA for the model citing 884(E); BIS registration number or written position |
| UHF 865–868 MHz (passive UHF readers) | G.S.R. 853(E) of 10 Dec 2021: 2 W e.r.p. on four channels | None | By product category, not frequency | ETA citing 853(E) or the grandfathered 2005 rules; BIS registration number or written position |
Identium is a BIS and WPC approved RFID manufacturer in New Delhi; this guide covers the paperwork, while RFID frequencies in India and UHF vs HF vs NFC cover the engineering if you are still choosing a band.
Which WPC notification covers a 13.56 MHz reader?
The rule is G.S.R. 884(E) of 4 November 2010, WPC’s licence-exemption rules for very low power indoor devices in 13.553–13.567 MHz. It covers devices “including Short Range Devices or Radio Frequency Identification Devices”, and its gazette text is reproduced in DoT’s compilation of WPC rules (pp. 99–101).
Four provisions matter to a buyer:
- No licence (rule 3). Nobody needs a licence to own, sell or use such equipment, but it gets no protection from interference.
- The limit (table). 42 dBµA/m at 10 metres, or 93.5 dBµV/m at 10 metres, with a built-in antenna.
- Interference (rule 4). If a licensed service suffers harmful interference, the user can be required to relocate, reduce power or stop.
- Type approval (rule 5). The device must be “of Equipment type approved” design. That is the ETA.
G.S.R. 870(E) of 21 December 2021, the inductive applications rules, also exempts inductive applications from licensing; its Note names RFID access control, NFC applications and EAS anti-theft systems among them. Its table has no separate 13.56 MHz entry: 13.553–13.567 MHz falls in the general 5,000–30,000 kHz row, at −20 dBµA/m at 10 m, far below 884(E)‘s 42 dBµA/m.
DoT’s compilation of WPC rules (uploaded November 2024) lists 884(E) among the licence-exempt rules (pp. 74–75), and the published ETAs for 13.56 MHz devices we have seen, issued in 2023 and 2024, cite it.
What does an ETA for an HF reader look like?
A published 2023 self-declaration ETA for a 13.56 MHz RFID reader is a useful template. It gives the equipment category (“RFID reader 13.56MHz”), the frequency, the magnetic field strength at 10 m (18.9 dBµA/m on that unit), the applicable gazette notification as 884(E) of 04-11-2010, and an RF test report from an accredited laboratory. It is “issued for a single model”.
The certificate is invalid if the parameters change or stop conforming to the notification, and WPC field units may sample-check.
The applicant, the Indian manufacturer or a foreign maker’s authorised Indian representative, is liable for prosecution for a wrong declaration. Once generated for a model, the ETA may be used by others to import or use that model, and it can be verified at saralsanchar.gov.in.
Under DoT’s office memorandum of 9 September 2024, all ETA applications for wireless devices made licence-exempt by gazette notification are granted on a self-declaration basis through the Saral Sanchar portal. The same memorandum says ETA holders must obtain a DGFT NOC or other clearances, where applicable, before importing.
What about readers mounted outdoors or with external antennas?
The 2010 rules are worded for “indoor applications” with a “built-in antenna”. That matters for car-park pillars, outdoor turnstiles, EV chargers and HF systems with separate antenna panels, such as library security gates.
G.S.R. 870(E) has no indoor or built-in-antenna condition, but its 13.56 MHz limit is the −20 dBµA/m noted above. We give no verdict either way: ask the vendor, in writing, which notification and which field-strength figure the model’s ETA states for that installation.
Is tapping an NFC phone licence-free?
Yes. The 2021 inductive rules name NFC applications among the inductive uses they exempt within their field-strength limits, and 884(E) covers indoor 13.56 MHz devices up to 42 dBµA/m at 10 m, so the user of a type-approved phone needs no licence. NFC operates at 13.56 MHz over a typical range of up to 2 cm (NFC Forum). The handset’s own approvals, including BIS CRS registration under the “mobile phones” category, are the maker’s or importer’s job, not the user’s.
Is a 125 kHz access-control reader covered by WPC rules?
Yes, by two notifications. G.S.R. 90(E) of 10 February 2009 (DoT/WPC compilation, pp. 83–84) exempts very low power devices in 50–200 kHz “including Radio Frequency Identification Devices”.
Its limit in 119–135 kHz is 66 dBµA/m, or 117.5 dBµV/m, at 10 metres. An external antenna must be a loop coil.
G.S.R. 870(E) of 2021 sets the same 66 dBµA/m at 10 m for 119–135 kHz, with reference to ETSI EN 300 330. Both require type approval, so a 125 kHz door reader needs an ETA for its model, just as an HF reader does. For the system side, see RFID access control.
What about readers with more than one radio?
A dual-frequency desktop reader works at 125 kHz and 13.56 MHz. A Bluetooth HF reader adds a 2.4 GHz radio, licence-exempt under G.S.R. 45(E) of 28 January 2005 (2.4–2.4835 GHz; DoT list, pp. 74–75). One certificate can cover several radios: a published 2024 ETA for a device with both radios lists 2400–2483.5 MHz under 45(E) and 13.553–13.567 MHz under 884(E). Check that the ETA for a multi-radio model lists every range it transmits on, with the notification for each.
Does BIS CRS apply to HF card readers and library pads?
CRS works by product category, not frequency. Under MeitY’s Electronics and IT Goods (Requirement for Compulsory Registration) Order 2012, which BIS operates under Scheme II of Schedule II of the BIS (Conformity Assessment) Regulations 2018, goods in a notified category may not be manufactured, stored for sale, imported, sold or distributed unless they conform to the standard and carry the Standard Mark with a unique registration number. BIS grants the registration to the manufacturer on the basis of a self-declaration of conformity.
The official CRS product list names “Smart Card Reader” under IS 13252 (Part 1):2010, implemented from 13 May 2015. It also lists point of sale terminals, mobile phones, USB-driven barcode readers and power adaptors for IT equipment, all under IS 13252 (Part 1):2010. RFID readers are not named as such, and we found no BIS ruling on whether a contactless HF reader or library pad falls in the smart card reader entry.
So do not assume either way. Ask for the model’s BIS registration number, or a written statement of why it sits outside CRS, and check the external power adaptor separately, since adaptors are a listed category. Our BIS and WPC buyer’s checklist covers the UHF side of the same question.
What approval do passive cards, tags and library labels need?
None. Passive cards, tags, labels, inlays and wristbands have no transmitter, so they need no WPC approval and no BIS registration. That covers MIFARE and DESFire cards, NTAG stickers, 125 kHz TK4100 and EM4200 cards, and ICODE library labels. A tender clause asking for “WPC-approved cards” is a drafting error; the approval belongs to the reader.
Our RFID cards page lists the LF, HF and UHF cards we make in New Delhi, and the library management system page covers the 13.56 MHz HF labels that libraries run on.
What should you ask an HF reader vendor for?
- The ETA for the exact model. Check the model name, every frequency range, the field strength at 10 m and the notification cited (884(E) for 13.56 MHz; 90(E) or 870(E) for 125 kHz). Verify it on saralsanchar.gov.in.
- The BIS CRS position for the model and its power adaptor, in writing. A registration number, or a reasoned statement that it is outside the scheme.
- Every radio and the installation conditions. Each of 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz and Bluetooth that the model has should appear on the ETA. State whether the unit goes indoors or outdoors, with a built-in or separate antenna.
- No approval paperwork for cards or labels. Do not ask for it, and do not score bids on it.
Where the reader is imported, ask the importer to confirm any DGFT NOC or other clearance that applies.
What should a library tender ask for, reader by reader?
Apply the four checks above to each reader model in the bid, looking for:
- Staff circulation pad: the ETA for the pad’s model and the notification it cites.
- Self-check kiosk: the ETA for the reader model built into the kiosk.
- Security gate: the ETA, plus a written statement of which notification and field-strength figure cover its separate antenna panels.
- Handheld: an ETA that lists every radio the unit has, such as Bluetooth alongside 13.56 MHz.
- Labels: nothing. They are passive 13.56 MHz HF (ISO/IEC 15693) and carry no approval.
For HF versus barcode in libraries, see RFID vs barcode for libraries.
Where the same bid includes UHF lines, the UHF reader ETA cites G.S.R. 853(E), or the grandfathered 2005 rules, instead. Identium One’s WPC ETA and BIS guide for RFID readers and the store’s WPC ETA and BIS checklist cover that side. If a bidder offers a US 902–928 MHz reader, settle the band question first.
Which HF readers does Identium make?
Our HF range has five units, all reading 13.56 MHz:
- IDTS-HRD20: desktop reader on USB.
- IDTS-HRP60: portable, on USB to a PC or OTG to an Android phone or tablet.
- IDTS-HMR65: battery-less, powered over micro USB.
- IDTS-HBWR: watch-type Bluetooth reader for ISO/IEC 14443 A (MIFARE 1K, DESFire), ISO/IEC 15693 ICODE SLIX and NTAG21x.
- IDTS-DLH20: dual-frequency, 13.56 MHz plus 125 kHz (TK4100, EM4200), read-only.
Details are on the HF RFID readers page. To check a unit against your tender, send the installation and your document list to our team.