Fish fins other than shark fins; heads, tails and maws

Fresh or chilled fish fins, heads, tails and maws

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE · +1 OTHER PGAS

HSN 0302 99 10 (Fish fins other than shark fins; heads, tails and maws) 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 and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) CITES certification apply as concurrent overlays, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0302 99 10

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
CITES Certificate from WCCB

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

AQCSAQCS·Animal Quarantine and Certification Services

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 that the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime covering fish and fish products. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed and out-of-charge is granted.
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 a 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 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
Upload a valid CITES Certificate (document code 626000) in e-Sanchit where the species is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports and upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) to satisfy the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling requirement.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · 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 failing to assess CITES applicability before shipment. Fish fins, heads, tails and maws may derive from CITES-listed species, and the CITES Certificate (document code 626000) is a mandatory e-Sanchit upload where that is the case; a consignment arriving without it is detained pending WCCB verification regardless of whether FSSAI and AQCS clearances are current. Species identification should be confirmed against the CITES Appendices at the purchase-order stage, not at the port.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0302 99 10 require BIS certification?

No, fish fins, heads, tails and maws are 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 concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau overlays and the 79-designated-port restriction.

Which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

The mandatory e-Sanchit uploads are the FSSAI Import Licence (911001), the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), the Health Certificate (6360AQ), the Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), and, where applicable, the CITES Certificate (626000); the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit must be quoted on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC.

Is the CITES Certificate required for every consignment under this HSN?

The CITES Certificate is required only where the species from which the fins, heads, tails or maws derive is listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species; importers must verify species CITES status before shipment, as WCCB will detain consignments of listed species that arrive without a valid certificate.

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