Other

Smoked, dried, salted or brined fish (other species)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0305 49 00 (smoked, dried, salted or brined fish, other species) 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 the 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0305 49 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 that 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; the bill of entry cannot proceed to out-of-charge without it.
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 secure 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 exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS). Labelling defects that are rectifiable under FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 must be addressed before out-of-charge; missing PGA clearances are not rectifiable under that scheme.
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 conflating the FSSAI Import Licence clearance with full compliance and overlooking the independent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit, which must be issued and uploaded by AQCS — not the importer — before the bill of entry is filed. A consignment arriving at a designated port with a current FSSAI licence but without the AQCS NOC IRN quoted on the bill of entry will be detained; demurrage accrues from the day of vessel arrival, and the rectifiable-labelling concession under FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 does not extend to a missing quarantine clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0305 49 00 require BIS certification?

No. Smoked, dried, salted or brined fish is not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. 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.

What are the four mandatory e-Sanchit document codes for this tariff line?

The four documents are: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS); all must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge is granted.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for established exporters?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, every foreign facility manufacturing fish products for export to India must be registered with FSSAI regardless of prior trading history, and imports from unregistered facilities are not permitted.

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