Hake (Merluccius spp., Urophycis spp.)

Frozen hake fillets and fish meat (Merluccius, Urophycis)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0304 74 00 (Hake fillets and 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 permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0304 74 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 exporting hake fillets is registered with FSSAI under the high-risk-food regime for fish and fish products. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of 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. At the bill of entry, quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit to obtain 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 exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Ensure label compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; labelling defects that are rectifiable must be remedied 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 arriving at a non-designated port on the assumption that the 79-port restriction applies only to ambient food categories — it applies in full to fresh, chilled, and frozen fish products classified here. A consignment diverted to an undesignated port faces detention, accumulating demurrage and ground rent, until either a port-diversion order is obtained or the consignment is re-exported; no post-arrival rectification of the port-of-entry defect is available under the FSSAI high-risk regime.

Need a regulatory steer on this product?

Speak to a regulatory counsel about your specific HSN, IS, and supplier situation.

Speak to an Expert

Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 74 00 require BIS certification?

No, frozen hake fillets and 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 AQCS Sanitary Import Permit requirement and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Is the FSSAI Import Licence sufficient on its own, or is the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit also mandatory at the bill of entry?

Both are independently mandatory. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) must each be uploaded in e-Sanchit, and the Sanitary Import Permit IRN must be quoted on the bill of entry before customs out-of-charge is granted.

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

Consignments from unregistered facilities are not permitted entry under the high-risk-food regime established by the FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022 and CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus; the consignment is liable to detention and re-export at the importer's cost.

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