Smart Card Certification

Who Needs This Service

Smart card manufacturers, chip and OS vendors and card personalisation vendors serving Indian government projects need this.

Vendors for DL and RC cards use it.

E-passport and MNIC vendors benefit.

If you only sell readers, it does not apply.

Key Benefits

• SCOSTA compliance verified
• Samples and documents prepared
• Joint testing coordinated
• Listing for government projects
• Interoperability confidence

Next Steps & Related Services

After certification, supply to government programmes. Related services: NCMC certification, Common Criteria and STQC certification.

Common Mistakes

• Wrong specification version.
• Incomplete samples.
• Assuming readers are covered.
• Weak OS details.
• Ignoring scheme updates.

Timeline, Costs & Practical Tips

Testing depends on card type.

Practical tip: obtain the scheme document first.

Additional Information

SCOSTA provides a common standard for Indian smart cards.

Practical Scenarios

Scenario 1:

A vendor certifies DL cards.

Scenario 2:

A chip vendor tests an OS.

Scenario 3:

A personalisation vendor checks scope.

Process & Planning

For smart card certification, obtain the SCOSTA scheme document and test scripts, ready samples of cards, modules or inlays and OS details, and apply to STQC and NIC with fees. The cards are tested jointly for ISO 7816 command set compliance and interoperability. After results are reviewed, certified products are listed for government programmes. Planning checklist: test your OS against the scripts first, keep samples consistent with production, remember that readers and applications are outside the scope and plan re-testing after OS changes.