Other sharks

Frozen or chilled shark fillets and fish meat (other sharks)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE · +1 OTHER PGAS

HSN 0304 88 20 (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 Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance as a concurrent overlay. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) CITES certification is additionally required given the wildlife-trade controls applicable to shark species. Import is permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0304 88 20

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 the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime before consignment dispatch. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities will be detained at the designated port.
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 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 CBIC 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 through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime under CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus is required 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 treating the FSSAI and AQCS clearances as the complete compliance picture and overlooking the CITES Certificate — which is mandatory for shark products subject to CITES Appendix listings and must be uploaded in e-Sanchit under document code 626000 before out-of-charge. A consignment presenting valid FSSAI and AQCS documents but lacking the CITES Certificate will be detained regardless of food-safety clearance, and the WCCB overlay is assessed independently of the designated-port and labelling regimes.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 88 20 require BIS certification?

No, shark fillets and fish meat under this tariff line 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 overlays.

Which ports are designated for import of shark products under this tariff line?

Import of high-risk fish products is permitted only through the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the Annexure to CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus, with effect from 1 March 2023, per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

Is the CITES Certificate required for all shark species under this HSN?

The CITES Certificate (document code 626000) is listed as a mandatory e-Sanchit document for this tariff line; importers should verify the applicable CITES Appendix listing for the specific shark species with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau before shipment, as absence of the certificate at the bill of entry will prevent out-of-charge.

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