Footwear QCO Deadline Pushed to July 2027 After RAI Push; R&D Imports Get Carve-Out

DPIIT and BIS extended the Leather Footwear Quality Control Order transition by a year to 31 July 2027, giving retailers runway to liquidate non-compliant inventory. R&D imports up to 4,500 pairs annually are now exempt under conditions, easing sourcing for design and sampling cycles.

— Filed Tue, 16 Jun, 2026, 10:30 IST · Source Retailers Association of India (HTML list) · Updated

DPIIT and BIS extended the Leather Footwear QCO transition deadline by one year to 31 July 2027 after RAI representations, helping retailers liquidate non-compliant stock. R&D imports up to 4,500 pairs/year now exempt under conditions.