Salted, in brine, dried or smoked

Fish flours, meals and pellets fit for human consumption

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0309 10 30 (salted, dried or smoked fish flours, meals 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 as a concurrent overlay, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports under the ITC (HS) 2022 policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

What this is

HSN code

0309 10 30

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 are not admissible regardless of product condition.
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) before dispatch and quote its e-Sanchit IRN on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC. The Sanitary Import Permit is issued and uploaded by AQCS and is 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
3
Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, operative from 1 March 2023. Ensure labelling complies with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime; non-rectifiable label defects are grounds for consignment refusal, not merely correction.
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 presenting a current FSSAI Import Licence without an independently obtained AQCS Sanitary Import Permit — the two clearances are issued by separate authorities and neither substitutes for the other. Arrival at a designated port with the FSSAI licence in order but the 911DF1 IRN absent from e-Sanchit results in detention and accumulating demurrage until the AQCS upload is completed. The rectifiable-labelling regime does not extend to a missing PGA clearance: no post-arrival rectification path exists for an absent Sanitary Import Permit.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0309 10 30 require BIS certification?

No, fish flours and meals 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.

Which ports are designated for import of this product and which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit?

Imports are permitted only through the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus Annexure per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; the FSSAI Import Licence and the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for fish meal products under this HSN?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, fish and fish-product manufacturing facilities exporting to India must be registered with FSSAI, and import of product from an unregistered facility is not permitted.

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