Pomfret

Fresh or chilled pomfret, whole or gutted

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0302 89 30 (Pomfret) 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 permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0302 89 30

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
Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime before shipment. Imports of fish products from unregistered facilities are not permitted; upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry.
CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
2
Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) and Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) before dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC for the 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
Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) and ensure the label meets the rectifiable-labelling requirements before customs 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 common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance gate and overlooking the independent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit. A consignment arriving with a current FSSAI licence but without the AQCS NOC — confirmed via the 911DF1 IRN quoted on the bill of entry — is detained at the designated port, accumulating demurrage and ground rent until the Sanitary Import Permit is uploaded. The rectifiable-labelling window applies to label defects only; it does not excuse a missing PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0302 89 30 require BIS certification?

No, fresh or chilled pomfret falls outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. 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.

Which ports are permitted for import of pomfret under this tariff line?

Import is restricted to the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the Annexure to CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023, operative from 1 March 2023 per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for small-volume shipments of pomfret?

Yes. The FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, as communicated by CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus, requires mandatory registration of foreign manufacturing facilities for all fish and fish products without a volume-based carve-out; unregistered-facility imports are not permitted.

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