Live, fresh or chilled

Live, fresh or chilled molluscs (aquatic invertebrates)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0307 91 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 permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0307 91 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 registration scheme before dispatch. The FSSAI Import Licence must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities are not permitted 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) prior to consignment dispatch and quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to secure the AQCS NOC. The consignment must be listed under 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 · 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 per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Ensure label compliance under the rectifiable-labelling regime; labelling defects may be corrected under the prescribed procedure but a missing AQCS or FSSAI clearance does not qualify as a rectifiable defect.
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 error that most commonly triggers port detention on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as a standalone clearance and presenting the bill of entry without the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN quoted in e-Sanchit. The two clearances are independent obligations — an FSSAI-licensed consignment that lacks the AQCS NOC will be detained at the designated port, and neither rectifiable-labelling provisions nor a customs facilitation channel resolves a missing animal-quarantine clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0307 91 00 require BIS certification?

No, live, fresh or chilled molluscs fall 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 AQCS Sanitary Import Permit requirement and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which ports are permitted for import of this tariff line and what document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit?

Import is permitted only through the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus Annexure; mandatory e-Sanchit uploads include the FSSAI Import Licence and the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit under document code 911DF1, with the IRN of the latter quoted on the bill of entry per CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for small-volume shipments of molluscs?

Yes. The FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, enclosed with CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus, makes registration of the foreign manufacturing facility mandatory for all fish and seafood product imports with no volume-based exemption; unregistered facilities cannot supply this tariff line to India.

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