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Crabs

Crabs, live, fresh, chilled, frozen or processed

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0306 14 00 (Crabs) 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 as a concurrent animal-origin overlay, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports effective 1 March 2023.

What this is
HSN code
0306 14 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. 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. Imports of fish and crustacean products from unregistered facilities are not permitted; the FSSAI Import Licence must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry.
    CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
  2. 2
    Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) prior to consignment dispatch and quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC. This Sanitary Import Permit is issued and uploaded by AQCS 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. 3
    Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Ensure the Specimen Copy of Label is uploaded in e-Sanchit and any rectifiable labelling deficiency is addressed under the regime prescribed in CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus before 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 common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole pre-clearance requirement and failing to secure the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit independently. The two clearances are parallel obligations — a current FSSAI licence does not substitute for the AQCS NOC, and consignments arriving at a designated port without the Sanitary Import Permit IRN quoted on the bill of entry are detained pending AQCS resolution, accruing demurrage and ground rent throughout. Rectifiable labelling provisions address label-formatting defects only and cannot cure an absent PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0306 14 00 require BIS certification?
No, crabs and crustacean products fall outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. 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 overlay and a 79-designated-port restriction.
Which ports are authorised for import of crabs under this tariff line?
Import of high-risk food including fish and crustacean products is permitted only through the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the Annexure to CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus, operative from 1 March 2023 per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.
Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for small shipment quantities?
Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, registration of the foreign manufacturing facility is a pre-condition for all imports of fish and crustacean products regardless of shipment size, with no de minimis carve-out stated in the operative instructions.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
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