Tilapias (Oreochromis spp.), catfish (Pangasius spp., Silurus spp., Clarias spp., Ictalurus spp.), carp (Cyprinus spp., Carassius spp., Ctenopharyngodon idellus, Hypophthalmichthys spp., Cirrhinus spp., Mylopharyngodon piceus, Catla catla, Labeo spp., Osteochilus hasselti, Leptobarbus hoeveni, Megalobrama spp.), eels (Anguilla spp.), Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and snakeheads (Channa spp.)

Fresh, chilled or frozen fish fillets of tilapia, catfish, carp and eels

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0304 51 00 (fish fillets of tilapia and specified freshwater species) 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 the 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0304 51 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
Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the mandatory high-risk-food registration regime for fish and fish products. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before 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) prior to consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry; this IRN is the operative reference for obtaining the AQCS NOC for CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of Circular No. 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 per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) and ensure labels comply with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; non-rectifiable labelling defects result in consignment detention pending re-export.
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 document and overlooking that the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit is an independent, concurrent requirement — not a sub-step of the FSSAI process. A consignment arriving at a designated port with a valid FSSAI licence but without the AQCS NOC IRN uploaded in e-Sanchit will be detained, accruing demurrage and ground rent, until the Sanitary Import Permit document code 911DF1 is correctly quoted; the rectifiable-labelling pathway does not apply to a missing PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 51 00 require BIS certification?

No, fish fillets fall outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. 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 operative from 1 March 2023.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), per the PGA-facilitated-bill verification requirements in the CCR.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for occasional or small-volume imports of fish fillets?

Yes. The FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, as enclosed in CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus, makes registration of foreign manufacturing facilities mandatory for all fish and fish product imports without a volume threshold; consignments from unregistered facilities are not permitted out-of-charge.

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