Tuna

Fresh, chilled or frozen tuna fillets and fish meat

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0304 59 40 (Tuna) 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 59 40

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 uploaded in e-Sanchit prior to filing the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities will not receive 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 consignment dispatch. At the bill of entry, quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit 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 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 compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime 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 presenting a current FSSAI Import Licence while the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN has not been uploaded in e-Sanchit — the two clearances are independent, and customs cannot grant out-of-charge until both document codes 911001 and 911DF1 are verified in e-Sanchit. A consignment detained at a designated port pending a missing AQCS NOC accrues demurrage and ground rent that cannot be offset by a subsequent upload; the rectifiable-labelling carve-out applies only to labelling defects and does not extend to an absent PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 59 40 require BIS certification?

No, tuna fillets and fish meat 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 Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit requirement and a 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which four e-Sanchit document codes are mandatory at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

The four mandatory documents are: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS) — all must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge per CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI a one-time requirement or does it need renewal before each shipment?

The registration is facility-specific and must be in place before the first shipment from that facility; per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, each exporting fish-product facility must be individually listed on the FSSAI-approved foreign-manufacturer register before any consignment from that facility may be cleared.

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