Frozen

Frozen aquatic invertebrates (sea cucumbers, jellyfish, tunicates)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0308 12 00 (Frozen aquatic invertebrates other than crustaceans and 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. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

0308 12 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 regime before shipment. The FSSAI Import Licence must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities will not be granted 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 dispatch and quote the e-Sanchit IRN for that permit on the bill of entry to secure the AQCS NOC. The Sanitary Import Permit covers 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
Route the consignment exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and upload the Specimen Copy of Label in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge. Labelling defects that are rectifiable must be addressed under the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; missing PGA clearances are not rectifiable and will result in detention.
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 common error on this tariff line is arriving at a non-designated port on the assumption that the product category — frozen invertebrates rather than conventional fish — falls outside the 79-port restriction. Frozen aquatic invertebrates fit for human consumption are classified as high-risk food products under the FSSAI framework and are subject to the same designated-port regime as fish products; detention at an undesignated port cannot be resolved by in-transit diversion and attracts demurrage and ground rent pending re-routing or re-export.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0308 12 00 require BIS certification?

No, frozen aquatic invertebrates 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 and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Is the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit document code 911DF1 mandatory even when the FSSAI Import Licence is current?

Yes. The AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) is an independent PGA clearance; its e-Sanchit IRN must be quoted on the bill of entry, and the absence of the AQCS NOC will result in detention regardless of the FSSAI licence status.

Does the foreign-manufacturer registration requirement apply to all exporting countries?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, all foreign manufacturing facilities exporting fish and fish products — including frozen aquatic invertebrates — to India must be registered with FSSAI, irrespective of the country of origin.

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