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Fresh or chilled fish, other species not separately specified

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0302 49 00 (fresh or chilled fish, residual species) 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 concurrently, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports operative since 1 March 2023.

What this is
HSN code
0302 49 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) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit; consignments from unregistered facilities will not receive out-of-charge.
    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) prior to 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 only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit. Ensure labelling complies with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; non-rectifiable defects will prevent 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 residual nature of this tariff line — covering all fresh or chilled fish species not enumerated under the preceding sub-headings — means species identification on the bill of entry must be precise: misclassification into a specifically enumerated sub-heading after the consignment has arrived at an undesignated port triggers detention and potential re-export without customs out-of-charge. Additionally, importers routinely treat the FSSAI Import Licence clearance as exhaustive and overlook the independent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN-quoting requirement; the absence of that IRN on the bill of entry is treated as a missing mandatory PGA document, not a rectifiable labelling defect.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0302 49 00 require BIS certification?
No, fresh or chilled fish of residual species 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 requirement and the 79-designated-port restriction operative since 1 March 2023.
Which mandatory documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge for this tariff line?
The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1), the Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ), and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must all be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the customs proper officer grants out-of-charge.
Is the 79-port restriction permanent for fish imports under this HSN?
The restriction has been in force since 1 March 2023 under CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus and General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; the designated-port list should be confirmed against the current CBIC Annexure before booking freight, as routing to a non-designated port results in consignment detention.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
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