Norway lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus)

Norway lobsters (Nephrops norvegicus), crustaceans

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0306 94 00 (Norway lobsters, Nephrops norvegicus) 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 94 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
Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime before placing the export order. Fish and crustacean products from unregistered facilities will not be permitted entry, and 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
Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) before shipment departure and quote its e-Sanchit IRN on the bill of entry to secure the AQCS NOC for the CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus. The Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) and Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must also be uploaded in e-Sanchit prior to out-of-charge.
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No. Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
3
Route the consignment exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Verify label compliance under the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime before out-of-charge; labelling defects that are rectifiable do not suspend clearance but must be resolved at port.
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 frequent error on this tariff line is shipping to a non-designated port on the assumption that any major gateway handles seafood clearance. Norway lobster consignments arriving at a port outside the 79-port Annexure are detained pending re-routing or re-export, with demurrage and ground rent accruing throughout. The AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN must be quoted at filing — a missing IRN is not a rectifiable labelling defect and will not be waived by the proper officer at out-of-charge.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0306 94 00 require BIS certification?

No. Norway lobsters fall entirely 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 Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this consignment?

The mandatory e-Sanchit uploads are: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), and Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS); all four must be present before the customs proper officer issues out-of-charge per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI a one-time requirement or does it need renewal?

Registration is facility-specific and must be in place before each shipment is exported; the exporting country is required to provide and maintain the list of registered facilities in the format prescribed by FSSAI under CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022.

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