Rays and skates (Rajidae)

Fresh, chilled or frozen rays and skates fillets (Rajidae)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE · +1 OTHER PGAS

HSN 0304 97 00 (Rays and skates, Rajidae) 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 and Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) CITES certification apply as concurrent overlays, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0304 97 00

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 shipment. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities will not be granted 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 a Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) before dispatch, and quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC for the CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus. Additionally, upload the CITES Certificate (document code 626000) issued by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau where the species is listed under CITES Appendices.
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 under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Verify label compliance against the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; rectifiable labelling defects may be remedied at port, but a missing PGA clearance — FSSAI, AQCS, or WCCB — is not a rectifiable defect and will result in detention.
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 CITES Certificate is the single most commonly overlooked document on this tariff line: importers treat rays and skates as a generic fish product and focus exclusively on the FSSAI and AQCS clearances, failing to obtain WCCB CITES authorisation where the species falls under a CITES Appendix listing. A consignment arriving without the CITES Certificate (document code 626000) uploaded in e-Sanchit will be detained by customs regardless of whether the FSSAI Import Licence and AQCS Sanitary Import Permit are both current and uploaded.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0304 97 00 require BIS certification?

No, fish fillets of rays and skates 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 and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

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

Four documents must be uploaded: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and CITES Certificate (626000); the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN (document code 911DF1) must also be quoted on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for rays and skates fillets?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the facility exporting fish products to India must be registered with FSSAI; imports from unregistered facilities are not permitted regardless of the availability of other PGA clearances.

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