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Frozen or chilled fish fillets and other fish meat

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0304 69 00 (frozen or chilled fish fillets and other fish meat) 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 effective 1 March 2023.

What this is
HSN code
0304 69 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. 1
    Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime before shipment. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit; consignments from unregistered facilities are not permitted entry.
    CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
  2. 2
    Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) and Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) prior to dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to secure 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. 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 rectifiable-labelling regime before out-of-charge is granted.
    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 as the sole gate and arriving at port without a current AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN quoted on the bill of entry. The AQCS NOC is independent of the FSSAI food-safety clearance, and its absence alone is sufficient to trigger consignment detention and accumulating demurrage — the FSSAI Import Licence, however valid, cannot substitute for it. Rectifiable-labelling concessions apply to labelling defects only, not to missing PGA clearances.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0304 69 00 require BIS certification?
No, fish fillets and other fish meat 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 document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge for this tariff line?
Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), per CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus and Circular 24/2022-Cus.
Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI a one-time requirement or does it apply per shipment?
Registration is facility-level, not shipment-level — the exporting manufacturing facility must appear on the FSSAI-approved list before any consignment is permitted; individual shipments then reference the registered facility on the FSSAI Import Licence, per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
Related
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