Dogfish and other sharks

Fresh, chilled or frozen dogfish and other shark fillets

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE · +1 OTHER PGAS

HSN 0304 56 00 (Dogfish and other sharks) 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, with the consignment restricted to 79 designated food-import ports from 1 March 2023. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) CITES certification apply as concurrent overlays, with Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) policy controls governing entry-point compliance.

What this is

HSN code

0304 56 00

Chapter

03 · Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk fish product regime)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Sanitary Import Permit from AQCS
CITES Certificate from WCCB

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

AQCSAQCS·Animal Quarantine and Certification Services

WCCBWCCB·Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

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 FSSAI under the high-risk-food regime before shipment. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities will not be granted out-of-charge.
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 CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of Circular 24/2022-Cus.
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
3
Upload the CITES Certificate (document code 626000) in e-Sanchit and route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Rectifiable labelling defects must be addressed per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus; missing PGA clearances are not rectifiable and will result in detention.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022

A word of counsel

The distinctive risk on this tariff line is the CITES overlay — sharks are a CITES-listed species, and a consignment carrying a current FSSAI Import Licence and AQCS Sanitary Import Permit but lacking a valid CITES Certificate (document code 626000) will be detained and is liable to confiscation under wildlife-trade enforcement. Verify the CITES permit against the specific shark species in the consignment before shipment; CITES compliance is a pre-condition independent of food-safety clearance and is not remediated by the rectifiable-labelling regime.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 56 00 require BIS certification?

No, fish fillets and shark meat 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 concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau CITES overlays, and is restricted to 79 designated food-import ports.

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

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and CITES Certificate (626000); the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN (911DF1) must also be quoted to obtain the AQCS NOC per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus.

Does the foreign-manufacturer registration requirement apply to all shark-fillet exporters?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, all foreign manufacturing facilities exporting fish products — including shark fillets — to India must be registered with FSSAI before the import is permitted.

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