Carcasses and half-carcasses

Fresh, chilled or frozen lamb and mutton carcasses

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0204 21 00 (Carcasses and half-carcasses of lamb) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and mandatory foreign-manufacturer registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, as a high-risk meat product. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit and Veterinary Health Certificate clearance apply concurrently, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0204 21 00

Chapter

02 · Meat and edible meat offal

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk meat regime)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Sanitary Import Permit from AQCS
Veterinary Health Certificate from AQCS

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

AQCSAQCS·Animal Quarantine and Certification Services

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk meat-product regime before dispatch. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry.
CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
2
Upload the Veterinary Health Certificate issued by the exporting country's competent authority (document code 853AQ1) and the Laboratory Report or Certificate of Analysis (document code 001AQ1) in e-Sanchit. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the AQCS-issued Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC; the Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) must also be uploaded.
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
3
Route the consignment exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus Annexure. Verify rectifiable-labelling compliance under FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 before out-of-charge; labelling defects do not excuse a missing PGA clearance.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No. Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance requirement and neglecting the three distinct AQCS document obligations: the Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1), the Laboratory Report/Certificate of Analysis (001AQ1), and the Sanitary Import Permit IRN (911DF1). All four e-Sanchit uploads — including 911001 and 0110FS — must be complete before the customs proper officer can grant out-of-charge; a consignment arriving at a non-designated port with even a full document set will be detained, as the port restriction is an absolute condition under General Note 4(D).

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0204 21 00 require BIS certification?

No, meat carcasses and half-carcasses fall entirely outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services clearance and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

What are the mandatory e-Sanchit document codes at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

Four uploads are required: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1); additionally, the Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1) and Laboratory Report/COA (001AQ1) must be uploaded per CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory before the first shipment?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the facility exporting meat and meat products to India must be registered with FSSAI before any import is permitted; shipments from unregistered facilities cannot obtain FSSAI Import Licence clearance.

Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.