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Live, fresh or chilled

Live, fresh or chilled octopus (whole, cleaned)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0307 51 00 (Live, fresh or chilled octopus) 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 restricted to 79 designated food-import ports effective 1 March 2023.

What this is
HSN code
0307 51 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. 1
    Confirm that 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 uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; clearance will not be granted for consignments from unregistered facilities.
    CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
  2. 2
    Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) prior to dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to secure the AQCS NOC for CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus.
    CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
  3. 3
    Route the consignment exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and ensure labels comply with FSSAI rectifiable-labelling requirements 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. A consignment arriving at a designated port with a valid FSSAI licence but without the AQCS NOC IRN in e-Sanchit will be detained pending upload, accumulating demurrage and ground rent; rectifiable-labelling relief applies only to label defects, not to a missing PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0307 51 00 require BIS certification?
No, live, fresh or chilled octopus is 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 and a restriction to 79 designated food-import ports.
Which ports are permitted for importing this product, and from when does the restriction apply?
Import is permitted only through the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the Annexure to CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus, effective 1 March 2023, in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.
Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for small or infrequent shipments of octopus?
Yes. The FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, as enclosed in CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus, mandates registration of all foreign manufacturing facilities exporting fish and fish products — which includes molluscs — to India, with no exemption for shipment size or frequency.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
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