Of whales, dolphins and porpoises (mammals of the order Cetacea); of manatees and dugongs (mammals of the order Sirenia); of seals, sea lions and walruses (mammals of the sub-order Pinnipedia)

Fresh, chilled or frozen meat of cetaceans, sirenians and pinnipeds

FSSAI CLEARANCE · WCCB CLEARANCE

HSN 0208 40 00 covers meat and edible offal of whales, dolphins, porpoises, manatees, dugongs, seals, sea lions and walruses, and is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and foreign-manufacturer registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) CITES Certificate clearance applies as a concurrent overlay, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports effective 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0208 40 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
CITES Certificate from WCCB
Health Certificate from AQCS

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

WCCBWCCB·Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

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-food regime for meat and meat products. 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 CITES Certificate (document code 626000) and the Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) in e-Sanchit prior to out-of-charge. Cetaceans, sirenians and pinnipeds are protected under CITES Appendices; the WCCB CITES Certificate is a mandatory pre-clearance document and its absence triggers consignment detention.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · CCR document code 626000
3
Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, in force from 1 March 2023. Confirm compliance with Policy Condition 2 of Chapter 2 of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) Import Policy before filing.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · General Note 4(D) of ITC (HS) 2022 · Policy Condition 2, Chapter 2, Schedule I

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance document and failing to obtain the WCCB CITES Certificate before shipment. All species covered by HSN 0208 40 00 fall within CITES-regulated families; a consignment arriving without the CITES Certificate (document code 626000) is detained at the designated port and cannot be released through a rectifiable-labelling cure — it requires independent WCCB authorisation, which cannot be obtained retrospectively at port.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0208 40 00 require BIS certification?

No, meat and edible offal of cetaceans, sirenians and pinnipeds 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 a concurrent Wildlife Crime Control Bureau CITES Certificate requirement and the 79-designated-port restriction.

Which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry for HSN 0208 40 00?

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), CITES Certificate (document code 626000), and Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ), per the CCR requirements enforced under CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even though the import policy status is Free?

Yes. The import being Free under Policy Condition 2 of Chapter 2 of Schedule I means no DGFT licence is required, but the FSSAI foreign-manufacturer registration and Import Licence remain mandatory for all high-risk meat categories per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022.

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