Dried squids

Dried squid, a mollusc for food import

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0307 49 40 (Dried squids) 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 and seafood product. 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

0307 49 40

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 that the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime covering fish and their products. The FSSAI Import Licence must be current and uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed; imports from unregistered facilities are not permitted at any stage.
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. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry for CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus to obtain the AQCS NOC at the port of import.
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 notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Verify that the label complies with the rectifiable-labelling regime; label defects that are not rectifiable at the port attract rejection, not amendment.
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 filing the bill of entry without first quoting the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN, on the mistaken assumption that the FSSAI Import Licence alone secures out-of-charge. The AQCS NOC is an independent clearance and its IRN must be referenced at the bill-of-entry stage; consignments arriving at a designated port without a valid Sanitary Import Permit IRN are detained, attracting demurrage and ground rent while AQCS documentation is retrospectively pursued.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0307 49 40 require BIS certification?

No, dried squids 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 requirement and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which ports are permitted for import of dried squids 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, in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; consignments routed through any other port are liable to detention.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for dried and processed squid products?

Yes. The FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, enclosed with CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus, mandates registration of all foreign manufacturing facilities exporting fish and their products to India, and dried squid falls squarely within that product category.

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