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Other

Fresh or chilled flat fish, other species

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0302 39 00 (Other flat fish, fresh or chilled) 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. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies as a concurrent overlay, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is
HSN code
0302 39 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 both 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 Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) before consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to secure the AQCS NOC for CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of 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 exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Confirm labelling compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime under CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus before out-of-charge.
    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 frequent error on this residual flat-fish tariff line is assuming the FSSAI Import Licence alone secures out-of-charge. The AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1) is an independent animal-origin clearance — its e-Sanchit IRN must be quoted on the bill of entry, not merely uploaded. Consignments with a current FSSAI licence but a missing or un-quoted AQCS IRN are detained at the designated port, accruing demurrage and ground rent until the AQCS NOC is regularised.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0302 39 00 require BIS certification?
No, fresh or chilled flat fish outside specific named species falls 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 a concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit and the 79-designated-port restriction effective from 1 March 2023.
Which four e-Sanchit document codes are mandatory at the bill of entry for this tariff line?
The four mandatory document codes are: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Sanitary Import Permit from AQCS (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS) — all must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge.
Does the rectifiable-labelling regime excuse a consignment with incomplete labels from detention?
Only partially — per FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus, rectifiable labelling defects may be corrected post-arrival, but missing PGA clearances (FSSAI licence or AQCS Sanitary Import Permit) are not rectifiable defects and will result in continued detention until the underlying clearance is obtained.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
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