Other

Frozen fish, other salmonids and flatfish (non-fillet)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0303 39 00 (Other frozen fish) 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 high-risk food category. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and consignments may enter India only through 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0303 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
Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the mandatory high-risk-food registration regime before the purchase order is placed. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; 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
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 obtain the AQCS NOC for fish products 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 through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per 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. Label defects that are rectifiable must be addressed per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs and FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 before out-of-charge is granted.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No. Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance and filing the bill of entry without the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN — the two clearances are independent, and customs will not issue out-of-charge if either document code (911001 or 911DF1) is absent from e-Sanchit. Additionally, importers regularly overlook that the 79-port restriction is a hard entry-point rule under General Note 4(D), not a preference: consignments arriving at an undesignated port face detention, demurrage, and ground rent accumulating until diversion or re-export is ordered.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0303 39 00 require BIS certification?

No, frozen fish falling under this residual tariff line 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 from 1 March 2023.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI required for all exporters of frozen fish to India?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the overseas manufacturing facility must be registered with FSSAI before frozen fish products are permitted entry; the exporting country's competent authority must provide the manufacturer list in the prescribed format.

What happens if the label on the frozen fish consignment has a rectifiable defect at the port?

Rectifiable labelling defects may be corrected at the port under the procedure set out in CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 and the FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022; however, a missing PGA clearance document is not a labelling defect and cannot be rectified under that procedure.

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