Seer

Fresh, chilled or frozen seer fish fillets and meat

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0304 59 30 (Seer 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 restricted to 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0304 59 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 the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the mandatory high-risk-food registration scheme covering fish and fish products. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed.
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 consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry when seeking the AQCS NOC for fish products 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 through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Labelling must comply with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; non-rectifiable labelling defects prevent out-of-charge and are not curable at the port.
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 filing the bill of entry with the FSSAI Import Licence uploaded but the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN absent or not quoted — the two clearances are independent, and a missing 911DF1 IRN results in port detention and accruing demurrage regardless of FSSAI compliance. Importers should also verify that the exporting facility appears on the FSSAI-approved foreign-manufacturer list before vessel departure, as the registration is facility-specific and cannot be rectified at the bill-of-entry stage.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 59 30 require BIS certification?

No, fish fillets and fish 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 a concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit requirement and a 79-designated-port restriction.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for seer fish fillets at the bill of entry?

Four documents are mandatory: Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Health Certificate (6360AQ), FSSAI Import Licence (911001), and AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1); out-of-charge is not granted until all four are verified in e-Sanchit.

What happens if the foreign manufacturing facility is not registered with FSSAI at the time of import?

The consignment cannot be permitted entry — FSSAI's mandatory foreign-manufacturer registration for fish and fish products, operative under CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus, is a pre-condition for import and cannot be regularised retrospectively at the port.

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