Flower shrimp (Penaeus semisulcatus)

Flower shrimp, other shrimps and prawns (Penaeus semisulcatus)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0306 36 50 (Flower shrimp, Penaeus semisulcatus) 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 with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0306 36 50

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 regime covering fish and fish products. Imports from unregistered facilities are not permitted; upload the FSSAI Import Licence in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed.
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) before consignment dispatch and quote its e-Sanchit IRN on the bill of entry to receive the AQCS NOC. Shrimp and prawn products are listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus, making the IRN quote mandatory for out-of-charge.
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 as notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Ensure label compliance — including rectifiable labelling information — per FSSAI Letter No. 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · FSSAI notice dated 11-01-2023 · General Note 4(D) of ITC (HS) Schedule I 2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance document and omitting the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN quote at the bill-of-entry stage. The AQCS NOC is an independent animal-quarantine overlay and cannot be retrospectively supplied after the bill of entry is filed; a consignment arriving at a designated port without the 911DF1 IRN is detained until the permit is uploaded, accumulating demurrage and ground rent.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0306 36 50 require BIS certification?

No, flower shrimp falls outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers crustaceans. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with a concurrent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit requirement and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for Penaeus semisulcatus imports?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the overseas facility processing fish and crustacean products for export to India must be registered with FSSAI before import is permitted; consignments from unregistered facilities are liable to detention and re-export.

What happens if a minor labelling defect is discovered at the designated port?

FSSAI's rectifiable-labelling regime, set out in Letter No. 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022, permits correction of specified labelling deficiencies without consignment rejection, but the AQCS NOC and FSSAI Import Licence must already be in order — labelling rectification does not cure missing PGA clearances.

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