Fresh or chilled

Fresh or chilled fish flour, meal and pellets for human consumption

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0309 10 10 (fresh or chilled fish flour, meal and pellets fit for human consumption) 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 under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

0309 10 10

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 mandatory high-risk-food foreign-manufacturer registration regime. Fish and fish products are a listed high-risk category; consignments from unregistered facilities will be detained at the port of import.
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 upload it in e-Sanchit. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC; the FSSAI Import Licence must also be uploaded before out-of-charge.
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 with effect from 01-03-2023, and upload the Specimen Copy of Label in e-Sanchit. Labelling defects that are rectifiable may be addressed under the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime, but missing PGA clearances are not rectifiable at port.
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 · General Note 4(D), Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance requirement and arriving at port without the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN quoted on the bill of entry. The AQCS clearance is an independent animal-origin overlay; its absence triggers detention regardless of FSSAI licence currency. Additionally, import through any port outside the 79-port designated list is a policy breach — not a rectifiable deficiency — and will result in consignment re-export or confiscation.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0309 10 10 require BIS certification?

No, fish flours, meals and pellets fit for human consumption 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 foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory before the bill of entry is filed?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the facility manufacturing fish and fish products for export to India must be on FSSAI's registered-foreign-manufacturer list before the import is permitted.

What happens if the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN is not quoted on the bill of entry?

The consignment will not receive AQCS NOC and out-of-charge will be withheld; the importer faces port detention with accumulating demurrage and ground rent until the Sanitary Import Permit document code 911DF1 is uploaded in e-Sanchit and the IRN is quoted, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

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