Tilapias (Oreochromis spp.), catfish (Pangasius spp., Silurus spp., Clarias spp., Ictalurus spp.), carp (Cyprinus spp., Carassius spp., Ctenopharyngodon idellus, Hypophthalmichthys spp., Cirrhinus spp., Mylopharyngodon piceus, Catla catla, Labeo spp., Osteochilus hasselti, Leptobarbus hoeveni, Megalobrama spp.), eels (Anguilla spp.), Nile perch (Lates niloticus) and snakeheads (Channa spp.)

Dried, salted or smoked tilapias, catfish, carp and eels

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0305 52 00 (dried, salted or smoked freshwater fish including tilapias, catfish, carp and eels) 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 restricted to 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0305 52 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 is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the mandatory high-risk-food registration scheme. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed; customs out-of-charge will not be granted 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 a Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) before consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry for the CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus to obtain the AQCS NOC.
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
3
Route the consignment 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) in e-Sanchit. Ensure label information complies with the rectifiable-labelling regime before seeking 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 prevalent error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as a complete clearance and neglecting the independent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit requirement. Both clearances must be uploaded in e-Sanchit with their respective IRNs before out-of-charge; a consignment arriving at a designated port with a current FSSAI licence but without the AQCS 911DF1 upload will be detained, attracting demurrage and ground rent until the AQCS NOC is produced. Foreign-manufacturer registration is a prerequisite — shipments from facilities not on the FSSAI-approved list are refused entry regardless of the licence status.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0305 52 00 require BIS certification?

No, dried, salted and smoked fish products 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 a concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit requirement and a restriction to 79 designated food-import ports.

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

The mandatory uploads are: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS); all four must be present before customs out-of-charge per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI a one-time requirement or must it be renewed for each shipment?

Registration is facility-specific and must be in place before any shipment from that facility is permitted; the requirement was made mandatory under the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022 enclosed with CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus, and each consignment's FSSAI Import Licence is verified against the registered-facility list at the port.

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