Team Siliconindia

• Steel Ministry exempts 202 BIS licenses of foreign producers from SIMS compliance to ease steel imports for India’s Integrated Steel Plants (ISPs).
• Exemptions cover suppliers from 16 countries notably Japan (80+ licenses) and South Korea (50+) providing high-grade input steel for automotive, engineering, and specialized industries.
• The move is temporary and selective, aimed at ensuring uninterrupted raw material supply while balancing regulatory oversight with operational ease.

The Steel Ministry has made a major move to streamline steel imports by exempting 202 foreign producers' Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) licenses from compulsory compliance on the Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) portal. The decision was made on August 8 and is aimed at easing procedural clogs and facilitating smoother supply chains for India's Integrated Steel Plants (ISPs).

The exceptions pertain to BIS licenses of foreign steel suppliers whose products are input steel to ISPs, as per the ministry's notification (S-20011/15/2024-TECH dated July 11, 2025). The exception is granted to producers from 16 nations, including prominent steel-exporting countries like Japan, South Korea, Germany, Italy, France, Russia, and the United States.

Japan has more than 80 of the exempted licenses, followed by South Korea with over 50. This has been done to enable the continued supply of high-grade steel required by industries like automotive, engineering, and specialized industry usage. Eliminating the certification prerequisite for these particular licenses enables ISPs to concentrate on manufacturing and supply without the delay associated with compliance processes.

Also Read: India, UAE Explore Partnership for Green Steel Production

Significantly, this step is only for the listed licences and is temporary in nature, as opposed to an all-encompassing exemption. The Ministry of Steel has said further licences can be exempted in the future on receiving proper requests. Industry experts acknowledge this as a realistic relief to strike a balance between the need for quality checks and regulatory requirements and operating flexibility and ease of business.

Through extending regulatory relief in specific areas, the Ministry is working towards facilitating domestic ISPs with uninterrupted access to key raw materials so they can fulfill India's increasing manufacturing and infrastructure needs better.