Cuttle fish

Cuttle fish, other frozen or chilled molluscs

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0307 49 10 (Cuttle fish) 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 fish product. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0307 49 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
Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the mandatory high-risk-food registration scheme covering fish and fish products. The FSSAI Import Licence must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry; imports from unregistered facilities are not permitted.
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) prior to consignment dispatch and quote the e-Sanchit IRN of that permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC. The Health Certificate must also be uploaded in e-Sanchit; failure to upload either document before out-of-charge will result in detention.
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
3
Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus Annexure, operative from 1 March 2023 under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Upload the Specimen Copy of Label and ensure compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime 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 frequent error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance requirement and omitting the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit — which is an independent animal-origin overlay, not a sub-step of the food-safety clearance. A consignment arriving at a designated port with a current FSSAI licence but without the AQCS NOC IRN quoted on the bill of entry is detained pending upload of document code 911DF1, accumulating demurrage and ground rent that the rectifiable-labelling concession does not cover.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0307 49 10 require BIS certification?

No, cuttle fish falls outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers molluscs or aquatic invertebrates. 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 a 79-designated-port restriction.

Which ports are permitted for import of cuttle fish under this tariff line?

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, operative from 1 March 2023 per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; consignments arriving at non-designated ports are liable to detention and re-export.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for cuttle fish exporters?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, any facility exporting fish and fish products to India must be registered with FSSAI before the import is permitted; consignments from unregistered facilities are not granted out-of-charge.

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