Croakers, groupers and flounders

Frozen croakers, groupers and flounders (whole fish)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0303 89 80 (Croakers, groupers and flounders, frozen) 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 concurrently, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0303 89 80

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
Verify that the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with FSSAI under the high-risk-food regime before the shipment is booked. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit prior to filing the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities are not permitted entry.
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 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 exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) and ensure label compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime before out-of-charge is granted.
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 frequent error on this tariff line is arriving at a non-designated port on the assumption that a current FSSAI Import Licence alone satisfies clearance. Port-of-entry non-compliance under General Note 4(D) results in consignment detention regardless of the validity of the food-safety and quarantine documents; a frozen-fish consignment held at an undesignated port faces mounting cold-storage demurrage and ground rent with no administrative remedy short of re-export.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0303 89 80 require BIS certification?

No, frozen fish 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 a concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit and restriction to 79 designated food-import ports.

Which e-Sanchit documents must be uploaded before out-of-charge for this tariff line?

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS); the Sanitary Import Permit IRN must also be quoted on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI a one-time requirement or must it be renewed for each shipment?

Registration is facility-level and must be in place before any shipment is booked; each bill of entry is verified against the registered-facility list, so a lapsed or absent registration blocks out-of-charge for every consignment from that facility until registration is restored.

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