Live, fresh or chilled

Live, fresh or chilled clams and similar molluscs

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0307 71 00 (live, fresh or chilled molluscs) 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 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 71 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 mandatory high-risk-food regime before dispatch. The FSSAI Import Licence must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities will not be permitted out-of-charge.
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. 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 Circular 24/2022-Cus — to obtain the AQCS NOC for 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. Ensure labelling complies with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; rectifiable labelling defects are addressed under CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus, but a missing PGA clearance is not rectifiable.
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 single most common error on this tariff line is treating FSSAI clearance as the sole gate and overlooking the independent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit — a live animal-origin overlay that FSSAI cannot substitute. A consignment arriving at a designated port with a current FSSAI Import Licence but without the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN quoted in e-Sanchit will be detained, attracting demurrage and ground rent until the AQCS NOC is produced; no rectifiable-labelling waiver applies to an absent PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0307 71 00 require BIS certification?

No, live and fresh molluscs fall entirely outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. 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 operative from 1 March 2023.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory, and does it apply to all exporting countries?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, every foreign facility exporting fish and fish products — which includes molluscs — to India must be registered with FSSAI before the import is permitted, regardless of the country of origin.

What happens if the consignment arrives at a port not among the 79 designated food-import ports?

The consignment cannot be cleared for out-of-charge at a non-designated port; it is liable to detention, and the importer faces re-export or confiscation under the ITC (HS) import-entry-point condition per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

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