Foreign Manufacturer
Every product line you export to India requires a separate COS-1 filed through the SUGAM portal. Your Indian Authorised Agent holds the license—not you.
Your compliance journey
Appoint an Authorised Agent
You must designate an Indian entity as your Authorised Agent; this entity signs the SUGAM application and holds the COS-1 in its name under Rule 13.
Execute and Notarise the LOA
Your Letter of Authorization must be notarised in your country of origin and apostilled; un-apostilled LOAs are rejected at CDSCO intake.
Compile Second Schedule Documents
Prepare the complete Second Schedule per Annex A of Cosmetics Rules 2020, including GMP certificate, product formula, and manufacturing site details.
File via SUGAM Portal
Your Authorised Agent submits the application electronically through the SUGAM portal; paper submissions are not accepted for COS-1.
Respond to CDSCO Queries
CDSCO may raise a stop-clock notice for missing documents; your agent responds within the prescribed window or the 60-day clock restarts.
Receive COS-1 and Import
Once issued, the COS-1 authorises import of that specific product line; each additional product requires a separate application.
Appoint an Authorised Agent
You must designate an Indian entity as your Authorised Agent; this entity signs the SUGAM application and holds the COS-1 in its name under Rule 13.
Execute and Notarise the LOA
Your Letter of Authorization must be notarised in your country of origin and apostilled; un-apostilled LOAs are rejected at CDSCO intake.
Compile Second Schedule Documents
Prepare the complete Second Schedule per Annex A of Cosmetics Rules 2020, including GMP certificate, product formula, and manufacturing site details.
File via SUGAM Portal
Your Authorised Agent submits the application electronically through the SUGAM portal; paper submissions are not accepted for COS-1.
Respond to CDSCO Queries
CDSCO may raise a stop-clock notice for missing documents; your agent responds within the prescribed window or the 60-day clock restarts.
Receive COS-1 and Import
Once issued, the COS-1 authorises import of that specific product line; each additional product requires a separate application.
What you need
Avoid these pitfalls
Designating a signatory on the LOA whose name does not match the registered manufacturer representative on file with CDSCO, triggering outright rejection under Rule 13 intake requirements.
Submitting a notarised but un-apostilled LOA for non-Hague Convention countries, which invalidates the document at CDSCO review.
Filing an incomplete Second Schedule that omits manufacturing site address or GMP certificate details, causing a stop-clock notice and restarting the 60-day processing period.
Using a brand name or product name on the SUGAM application that diverges from the name on the outer label, creating a mismatch that fails label verification under Cosmetics Rules 2020 Second Schedule.
Omitting the MRP declaration on the product label prior to import, violating Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011 Rule 6(1).
Got questions?
Also on this site
Free resource
India Cosmetics Import Checklist 2025 — free download