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Southern bluefin tunas (Thunnus maccoyii)

Fresh or chilled southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0302 36 00 (Southern bluefin tunas) 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 fish product. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is
HSN code
0302 36 00
Chapter
03 · Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
Primary regulator
FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk food regime)
Customs documentation
  • Import Licence from FSSAI
  • Sanitary Import Permit from AQCS
  • 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. 1
    Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime before shipment. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit prior to filing the bill of entry.
    CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
  2. 2
    Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) and a Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) before consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC for CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus.
    CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
  3. 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. Confirm compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus; a missing PGA clearance is not a rectifiable defect and will result in consignment detention.
    CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022
A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is conflating the FSSAI Import Licence with the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit — the two clearances are independent, and customs out-of-charge requires both IRNs uploaded in e-Sanchit. A consignment arriving at a non-designated port is liable to detention regardless of the currency of either licence; the designated-port list must be verified against the actual port of discharge before vessel departure, not after.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0302 36 00 require BIS certification?
No, fresh or chilled southern bluefin tuna 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 Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.
Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for this tariff line?
Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the facility exporting fish products to India must be registered with FSSAI; consignments from unregistered facilities are not permitted clearance.
Does the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime cover a missing AQCS Sanitary Import Permit?
No. The rectifiable-labelling regime under CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus and the FSSAI clarification order dated 18 November 2022 applies to labelling deficiencies only; an absent Sanitary Import Permit is a substantive PGA-clearance failure that cannot be rectified post-arrival and will result in detention.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
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