Seer without head

Dried, salted or brined seer fish without head

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0305 69 20 (Seer without head) 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 consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0305 69 20

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-food regime before shipment. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must both be uploaded 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 Circular No. 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 under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Confirm rectifiable-labelling compliance under the FSSAI regime before out-of-charge; missing PGA clearance documents will result in consignment detention pending upload.
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 prevalent error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole gating document and presenting the bill of entry without the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN. The two clearances are independent: a current FSSAI licence does not substitute for the AQCS NOC, and a consignment arriving at a designated port without the 911DF1 IRN quoted on the bill of entry will be detained — accruing demurrage and ground rent — until the deficiency is rectified.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0305 69 20 require BIS certification?

No, dried or salted seer fish is 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 and the 79-designated-port restriction effective 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 customs out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI required even for small-volume imports of seer fish?

Yes. The FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, enclosed with CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus, applies to all fish and fish product imports regardless of volume; no quantity-based exemption exists under the high-risk-food registration regime.

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