Shark fins
Frozen shark fins (prohibited wildlife-linked fish product)
HSN 0303 92 00 (Shark fins) is prohibited under Schedule I of the ITC (HS) Import Policy per DGFT Notification 08/2023 dated 29-05-2023, rendering import unlawful regardless of any accompanying food-safety or wildlife documentation. The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) oversees CITES-compliance enforcement and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and foreign-manufacturer registration obligations apply concurrently, with consignments restricted to 79 designated ports under CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus.
- CITES Certificate from WCCB
- Import Licence from FSSAI
- Health Certificate from AQCS
Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
- 1Note that import of shark fins is Prohibited under Schedule I of the ITC (HS) Import Policy. No licence, permit, or NOC can override this prohibition; a bill of entry filed for this tariff line is liable to outright rejection, seizure of the consignment, and enforcement action under the Customs Act, 1962.DGFT Notification 08/2023 dated 29-05-2023 · ITC (HS) Import Policy Schedule I
- 2Where a consignment does reach a customs station — including mis-declared or transit scenarios — the proper officer must verify that the mandatory documents (Specimen Copy of Label [0110FS], CITES Certificate [626000], Health Certificate [6360AQ], and FSSAI Import Licence [911001]) are uploaded in e-Sanchit before any out-of-charge consideration. Absence of any document code is an independent ground for detention.CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023
- 3Confirm that the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with FSSAI under the high-risk fish-product regime and that the consignment is routed only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, effective from 01-03-2023.CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022 · General Note 4(D) of ITC (HS) 2022
The prohibition under DGFT Notification 08/2023 is absolute — it is not a Restricted-import condition that can be unlocked by an advance authorisation, EOU status, or CITES permit. The most common enforcement trigger is mis-declaration of shark fins under adjacent fish-product tariff lines; Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs officers cross-reference CITES Certificate document code 626000 against the commodity description, and any mismatch invites confiscation, monetary penalty, and criminal liability under the Customs Act, 1962, in addition to WCCB prosecution.