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Hake (Merluccius spp., Urophycis spp.)

Frozen hake (Merluccius spp., Urophycis spp.)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0303 66 00 (Frozen hake) 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 restricted to 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is
HSN code
0303 66 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. 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 covering fish and fish products. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry.
    CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
  2. 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 for CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus to obtain the AQCS NOC before out-of-charge.
    CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
  3. 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. Verify that labelling complies with the rectifiable-labelling regime; non-rectifiable labelling defects are not curable at the port of entry.
    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 and overlooking the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit, which is an independent animal-origin overlay. A consignment arriving with a current FSSAI licence but without the AQCS NOC — established by quoting the 911DF1 IRN at the bill of entry — will be detained at the designated port, accruing demurrage, and cannot be cleared by retrospective document upload alone.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0303 66 00 require BIS certification?
No, frozen hake falls outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers fish products under Chapter 03. 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.
Which ports are designated for import of frozen hake under this tariff line?
Import is permitted only through 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 for frozen hake imports?
Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the exporting facility must be registered with FSSAI before import of fish products is permitted; consignments from unregistered facilities are liable to detention and refusal of out-of-charge.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
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