Other

Fresh, chilled or frozen fish fillets and other fish meat

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0304 49 90 (Other fresh, chilled or frozen fish fillets) 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 permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0304 49 90

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 mandatory high-risk-food registration regime. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must be uploaded 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
Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) and a Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) before 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 notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Verify label compliance against the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling framework before customs out-of-charge; rectifiable defects must be corrected at the port and non-rectifiable defects result in consignment detention.
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 treating FSSAI clearance and AQCS clearance as sequential rather than concurrent — importers who await the FSSAI NOC before approaching AQCS arrive at port without the Sanitary Import Permit IRN, triggering detention and accumulating demurrage at designated-port cold-storage facilities. Both the FSSAI Import Licence and the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN must be available in e-Sanchit at the time of bill of entry filing, not as post-filing remedies.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 49 90 require BIS certification?

No, fresh, chilled or frozen fish fillets fall outside 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 the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which ports are designated for importing fish fillets under this tariff line?

Import of high-risk fish products is permitted only through the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the Annexure to CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus, pursuant to General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; consignments routed through non-designated ports are liable to detention and re-export.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for every overseas fish processing facility?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, every facility manufacturing fish and fish products for export to India must be registered with FSSAI before the corresponding import is permitted; consignments from unregistered facilities are not cleared.

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