Seer

Fresh, chilled or frozen seer fish fillets and meat

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0304 49 30 (Seer fish fillets and other fish meat) 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 permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0304 49 30

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 that the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime before placing the export order. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be current and uploaded in e-Sanchit at 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 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 CTIs 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 per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) and ensure compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime under CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus before out-of-charge.
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 gate-clearance document and overlooking the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit, which is an independent animal-origin overlay and cannot be substituted by the food-safety licence. A consignment arriving at a designated port with a current FSSAI licence but without the AQCS NOC IRN quoted on the bill of entry will be detained — attracting demurrage and ground rent — until the 911DF1 upload is verified in e-Sanchit.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 49 30 require BIS certification?

No, no BIS Quality Control Order covers fish fillets or fish meat under this tariff line. 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 a 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which ports are designated for importing seer fish fillets under this HSN?

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, as required under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; consignments arriving at non-designated ports are liable to detention and re-export.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for occasional or small-volume shipments of seer fish?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, registration of the foreign manufacturing facility is mandatory for all fish and fish-product imports regardless of shipment volume, and no exemption for small-volume consignments is provided in the regulatory record.

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