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Accelerated Freeze Dried (AFD)

Accelerated freeze-dried cold-water shrimps and prawns

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0306 16 10 (Accelerated Freeze Dried cold-water shrimps and prawns) 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 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is
HSN code
0306 16 10
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. The FSSAI Import Licence must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities will not be permitted 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 dispatch and quote its e-Sanchit IRN on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC. This product falls under Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus; the IRN citation is a mandatory pre-condition for out-of-charge.
    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 label compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime before out-of-charge; rectifiable defects must be addressed at port and do not substitute for a missing PGA clearance.
    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 — these are parallel obligations, not sequential ones. A consignment arriving at a designated port with a current FSSAI licence but without the AQCS IRN quoted on the bill of entry will be detained, attracting demurrage and ground rent until the Sanitary Import Permit document code 911DF1 is properly uploaded and the IRN is cited; the rectifiable-labelling procedure does not cure a missing animal-quarantine clearance.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0306 16 10 require BIS certification?
No, accelerated freeze-dried cold-water shrimps and prawns 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 and a 79-designated-port restriction.
Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for this product?
Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the manufacturing facility exporting fish and crustacean products to India must be registered with FSSAI before the import consignment is permitted clearance.
What happens if the consignment arrives at a non-designated port?
Import of high-risk food including crustacean products through a non-designated port contravenes General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; the consignment is liable to detention and may be directed for re-export or confiscation under the applicable customs and food-safety provisions.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
Related
ChapterChapter 03 · Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebratesHSNCRUSTACEANS, WHETHER IN SHELL OR NOT, LIVE, FRESH, CHILLED, FROZEN, DRIED, SALTED OR IN BRINE; SMOKED CRUSTACEANS, WHETHER IN SHELL OR NOT, WHETHER OR NOT COOKED BEFORE OR DURING THE SMOKING PROCESS; CRUSTACEANS, IN SHELL, COOKED BY STEAMING OR BY BOILING IN WATER, WHETHER OR NOT CHILLED, FROZEN, DRIED, SALTED OR IN BRINEHSNCold-water shrimps and prawns (Pandalus spp., Crangon crangon):