Of rabbits or hares

Fresh, chilled or frozen rabbit and hare meat

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0208 10 00 (Of rabbits or hares) 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, classifying this product as a high-risk meat category. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit and Veterinary Health Certificate clearances apply concurrently, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0208 10 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-and-meat-products regime. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed.
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 (document code 853AQ1) and the Laboratory Report or Certificate of Analysis (document code 001AQ1) in e-Sanchit. Additionally, 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, and upload the Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ).
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No. Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
3
Route the consignment exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus Annexure. Ensure compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 for food import entry points; consignments arriving at non-designated ports are liable to detention and re-export.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is conflating the FSSAI Import Licence with the full documentation set and overlooking the AQCS document stack — Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1), Laboratory Report or Certificate of Analysis (001AQ1), and the Sanitary Import Permit IRN (911DF1) — each of which is independently verified at the port before out-of-charge. A consignment cleared by FSSAI but missing any single AQCS document code in e-Sanchit will be detained at the designated port; the rectifiable-labelling regime under CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs covers labelling defects only and does not cure a missing PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0208 10 00 require BIS certification?

No, fresh, chilled or frozen rabbit and hare meat is not within 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 clearances and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this tariff line?

Five document codes are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Health Certificate (6360AQ), Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1), and Laboratory Report or Certificate of Analysis (001AQ1); the Sanitary Import Permit IRN (911DF1) must additionally be quoted on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for small or occasional shipments?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, registration of the foreign manufacturing facility is mandatory for all meat and meat product imports regardless of shipment size, and imports from unregistered facilities are not permitted at any designated port.

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