Tilapias (Oreochromis spp.)

Frozen tilapia, whole or dressed (Oreochromis spp.)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0303 23 00 (Frozen tilapias, Oreochromis spp.) 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 designated 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

0303 23 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
Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food foreign-manufacturer registration scheme. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed; customs out-of-charge will not be granted without it.
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 the consignment is dispatched. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC; fish products appear at Sl. No. 3 of Annexure A to 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 exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus Annexure, and upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit. Label defects are subject to the rectifiable-labelling procedure under CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus and FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022.
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

A word of counsel

The most frequent compliance failure on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance and overlooking the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit, which is an independent animal-origin overlay. A consignment arriving at a designated port with a current FSSAI licence but without the AQCS NOC IRN quoted on the bill of entry will be detained — attracting demurrage and cold-storage ground rent — until the 911DF1 document is uploaded and verified. The rectifiable-labelling regime applies only to label defects, not to a missing PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0303 23 00 require BIS certification?

No, frozen tilapia 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 a 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which ports are permitted for import of frozen tilapia 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, in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; consignments arriving at non-designated ports are liable to detention and re-export.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even if the exporting facility is already certified by a foreign food authority?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, every facility exporting fish products to India must be individually registered with FSSAI, regardless of any foreign food-safety certification held by that facility.

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