Albacore or long finned tunas (Thunnus alalunga)

Frozen albacore or long finned tunas (Thunnus alalunga)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0303 41 00 (Albacore or long finned tunas, frozen) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and 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

0303 41 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 regime before placing the purchase order. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed.
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) prior to consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC for frozen 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 only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Confirm label compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime under FSSAI Letter No. 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 before out-of-charge.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI Letter No. 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is filing the bill of entry at a non-designated port in the belief that frozen fish is treated differently from other high-risk food categories. Frozen whole tuna falls squarely within the fish-and-fish-product category subject to the 79-port restriction since 1 March 2023; a consignment arriving at an unnotified port is detained regardless of whether all four e-Sanchit documents are current. The AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN must be quoted separately from the FSSAI Import Licence — omitting the IRN prevents the AQCS NOC from issuing even when the Sanitary Import Permit document itself has been uploaded.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0303 41 00 require BIS certification?

No, frozen albacore tuna is not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers fish products. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with a concurrent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit requirement and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

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

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), AQCS Health Certificate (6360AQ), and AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1); out-of-charge will not be granted until all four are verified in e-Sanchit.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for an established exporter?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, every facility manufacturing fish products for export to India must be registered with FSSAI regardless of prior export history, and imports from unregistered facilities are not permitted.

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