Other

Other shrimps and prawns, live, fresh, chilled, frozen or dried

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0306 36 90 (Other 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, as a high-risk food category. 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 36 90

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 must be current and uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities are not permitted 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) before consignment dispatch and quote its e-Sanchit IRN on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC. This tariff line falls under Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus and the IRN reference is a mandatory pre-out-of-charge requirement.
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, and ensure label compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime. Labelling defects that are rectifiable may be addressed under the FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022; missing PGA clearances are not rectifiable in the same process.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No. Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as sufficient and overlooking the independent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit, which is a parallel animal-origin overlay — not a sub-step of the FSSAI clearance. A consignment arriving at a designated port with a current FSSAI licence but no AQCS NOC is detained and accrues demurrage until the Sanitary Import Permit IRN (document code 911DF1) is uploaded in e-Sanchit; arrival at a non-designated port additionally triggers Restricted-import enforcement under General Note 4(D) of the ITC (HS) 2022.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0306 36 90 require BIS certification?

No, no BIS Quality Control Order covers shrimps and prawns under this tariff line. 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 ports are designated for import of shrimps and prawns under HSN 0306 36 90?

Import is permitted only through the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the Annexure to CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023, in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; arrival at any other port renders the consignment liable to detention.

Is 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 overseas facility producing shrimps and prawns for export to India must be registered with FSSAI before the import is permitted; there is no grace provision for unregistered facilities.

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