Online retailers get time till July 2027 to roll out country-of-origin filter

New Delhi: The government has extended the timeline for implementing the mandatory country-of-origin filter on all e-commerce platforms by a year to 1 July 2027.

As per a notification issued by the department of consumer affairs, the government has amended the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, mandating that every e-commerce entity ensure product listings of imported goods carry a “searchable and sortable filter” specifying the country of origin.

The move is aimed at empowering consumers with clearer information about product origins while supporting domestic manufacturers through greater visibility for India-made products.

“The timeline has been extended at the request of e-commerce players, who raised concerns about rolling out the mandatory country-of-origin filter in the next few months, citing their large seller base and extensive product listings, and sought more time to implement the changes,” a senior government official said.

Since most e-commerce platforms operate as marketplaces and sellers have to classify their products based on the country of origin, sellers raised concerns over manpower constraints and disruptions linked to the ongoing crisis in West Asia, an executive at a leading e-commerce company said, requesting anonymity.

“Given the scale of operations, we are training sellers to adapt to the changes. We are also providing tools, including AI-based solutions, to standardise data and ensure compliance,” this executive said.

Queries emailed to the department of consumer affairs were not immediately answered.

Non-compliance with the rules can attract penalties ranging from about ₹2,000 to ₹25,000 for the first offence, with higher fines for subsequent violations, along with seizure of goods and other enforcement actions.

In addition, if the violation is found to mislead consumers or amount to an unfair trade practice, action can also be taken under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, where penalties can go up to ₹10 lakh, and ₹50 lakh for repeat offences.

The amended norms are different from the earlier disclosure rules, which focused on displaying origin details. The new norms make it mandatory for all such portals to integrate origin as a functional search parameter, which means filter products by country (e.g., show only India-made or exclude certain countries), sort results based on origin, and search using origin as a parameter.

The e-commerce market is projected to grow from around $140 billion at present to up to $300 billion by 2030, BCG said in its report published in February.