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 64 00 (dried, salted or smoked tilapias, catfish, carp, eels, Nile perch and snakeheads) 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 effective 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0305 64 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 high-risk fish-product regime before dispatch. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit prior to filing the bill of entry.
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 through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Ensure labelling complies with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; a labelling defect may be remedied under the prescribed procedure, but a missing PGA clearance document does not qualify as a rectifiable defect and will result in consignment 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 most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance and overlooking the independent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit — a distinct animal-origin overlay that customs will verify separately before out-of-charge. Both the FSSAI licence (911001) and the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN (911DF1) must be live in e-Sanchit at the time the proper officer reviews the bill of entry; a consignment with one but not the other is detained at the designated port, accruing demurrage and ground rent until the missing document is uploaded.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0305 64 00 require BIS certification?

No, dried and salted 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 the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

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

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), AQCS Health Certificate (6360AQ), and AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1); all must be uploaded before the proper officer grants 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 does it apply per shipment?

Registration is facility-level and not per shipment, but the facility must appear on FSSAI's approved list at the time of each import; consignments from facilities not on the current registered list are not permitted entry regardless of other documentation.

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