Tuna

Fresh, chilled or frozen tuna fillets and fish meat

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0304 89 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, as a high-risk fish product. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and import is permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0304 89 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 the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the mandatory high-risk-food regime covering fish and fish products. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed; 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. 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
Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified from 01-03-2023, and upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit. Labelling defects that are rectifiable must be addressed per FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance and overlooking the independent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit — these are parallel requirements, not sequential ones. A consignment presenting a current FSSAI licence but without the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN quoted on the bill of entry will be detained at the designated port, accumulating demurrage, until the AQCS NOC is obtained. The rectifiable-labelling regime under FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 applies only to label defects and cannot cure a missing PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 89 40 require BIS certification?

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

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this tariff line?

Three documents are mandatory at the bill of entry: FSSAI Import Licence (code 911001), AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (code 911DF1), and Health Certificate (code 6360AQ), plus the Specimen Copy of Label (code 0110FS), per CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus and CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for tuna fillets?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, fish and fish products are a listed high-risk category, and the exporting manufacturing facility must be registered with FSSAI before any import of this product into India is permitted.

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