EPR registration is the gate every Producer, Importer, and Brand owner must walk through before a single rupee of liability gets quantified. In India, registration lives across three separate CPCB portals, each with its own login, its own document checklist, and its own audit cadence. This guide is the step-by-step flow we run every EPRHQ customer through during onboarding.
Three portals, not one
CPCB does not host a unified EPR portal. You will register separately for each rule set that applies to you:
Identical legal entity. Three separate accounts. Three separate registrations. Plan for it.
Documents you'll need
The portals ask for the same core document set, with minor variations:
- PAN of the entity
- GSTIN (or proof of GST exemption)
- Certificate of Incorporation (CIN) or proprietorship proof
- Authorised signatory ID proof (Aadhaar / passport)
- Manufacturing licence or IEC code for importers
- Annual turnover declaration
- Product category mapping (Cat I–IV plastics; EWMR Schedule I categories; BWMR battery chemistries)
- Projected weights for the upcoming FY per category
Scan PDFs, no images. CPCB rejects illegible scans with no error detail — you find out 5 business days later that you have to start over.
Plastic packaging registration: the flow
- Create a login at eprcpcb.in with a working business email. Activation link arrives within minutes.
- Entity details. Legal name (matches PAN exactly), CIN, GSTIN, address. Mismatches trigger automatic rejection.
- Plastic packaging categories. Tick every category that applies — Cat I (rigid), Cat II (flexible), Cat III (MLP), Cat IV (compostable). Be honest; under-declaring triggers an audit query within 90 days.
- Weight projections. Annual kilograms per category for the upcoming FY. Use your last 12 months of packaging weight as the baseline, scale by your growth forecast.
- Upload documents. PAN, CIN, GSTIN, IEC, signatory ID. File names should match the requested field (
pan.pdf, cin.pdf, etc.); some reviewers reject anything else.
- Submit. Status goes to "Pending verification." Median turnaround: 7-14 business days.
- Registration certificate issues as a PDF with an EPR registration ID. Keep this in your compliance folder; it goes on every return.
E-waste registration: what differs
- EEE category mapping under Schedule I is granular — nine categories. Map your SKUs carefully. Mismatch between registered categories and quarterly-return data triggers an automatic flag.
- Recycler agreements. Some reviewers ask for letters of intent from CPCB-registered recyclers covering your projected weight. Reach out early.
- Turnaround. Often longer — 14–28 business days. Plan accordingly if you have inventory inbound.
Battery registration: the trap
The battery portal has a structurally similar flow but two recurring rejection reasons:
- Chemistry not declared. You must specify Li-ion / lead-acid / Ni-Cd / Ni-MH etc. per product family. Declaring only "lithium" without the specific chemistry triggers rejection.
- Volume mismatch with customs. CPCB cross-references your declared annual battery weight against your bills of entry. A 20%+ discrepancy in either direction is an automatic query. Be precise.
Common rejection reasons
After running ~50 first-time registrations, the patterns are clear:
- Name mismatch. "Acme Pvt Ltd" on PAN, "Acme Private Limited" on GST. Pick the PAN spelling everywhere.
- Address inconsistency. Registered office on CIN must match the EPR application. Use the CIN address.
- Illegible scans. Use a flat scanner or a good phone scan app (e.g. CamScanner, Microsoft Lens). Avoid photos at angles.
- Missing IEC for importers. If you import, your IEC is mandatory even if you also manufacture domestically.
- Wrong category coverage. If you sell across plastic + e-waste + batteries, register for all three. Half-registrations create gaps that surface at audit.
Annual renewal
EPR registration is annual in India. Renewal opens ~60 days before expiry. Three failure modes:
- Forgetting. Suspension triggers automatic suspension on the CPCB portal. You cannot file returns or buy certificates while suspended.
- Updating without re-uploading documents. Some reviewers require fresh document uploads on renewal. Have them ready.
- Changing turnover bracket. If you cross a turnover threshold, your fee structure changes. Plan cash flow.
EPRHQ Pro emails you 60 days, 30 days, and 14 days before registration renewal so you don't get caught.
Timing: when to start
Trying to register a new entity 30 days before quarterly returns are due is a known mistake. The realistic timeline:
- Day 0: Decide you need to register.
- Day 1–5: Gather documents.
- Day 6–10: Submit applications across the three portals.
- Day 11–28: Verification + queries + resubmissions.
- Day 29–35: Registration certificates issue.
- Day 36+: Procure certificates, file returns.
Six weeks end-to-end is normal. If your first quarterly return is 4 weeks out and you haven't started, plan for an Environmental Compensation hit on that quarter and budget accordingly. The penalty is cheaper than rushing a mistake-laden registration that triggers six months of follow-on queries.
How EPRHQ helps
The free calculator tells you your liability in 30 seconds — before you commit to a PRO consultant quote. EPRHQ Pro at ₹9,999/year:
- Records your registration IDs across plastic / e-waste / battery so they auto-populate on every return draft.
- Emails renewal reminders 60/30/14 days before expiry.
- Surfaces CPCB rule changes the moment we approve them, so your categories never silently lag the gazette.
If you'd rather we run the registration for you, drop a line to founder@eprhq.in — we onboard the first 25 brands as concierge clients at the same ₹9,999/year price.
