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Vannamei shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Vannamei shrimp flours, meals and pellets for human consumption

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0309 90 21 (Vannamei shrimp flours, meals and pellets) 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 General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is
HSN code
0309 90 21
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. 1
    Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with FSSAI under the high-risk-food regime before shipment. Fish and fish-product facilities from unregistered exporters are not permitted entry; the FSSAI Import Licence must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry.
    CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
  2. 2
    Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) before consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC for CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of Circular No. 24/2022-Cus.
    CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
  3. 3
    Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, operative from 01-03-2023. Upload the Specimen Copy of Label and confirm compliance with FSSAI's rectifiable-labelling regime before out-of-charge.
    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 treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance and overlooking the independent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit — the two clearances are parallel, not sequential, and a missing Sanitary Import Permit IRN in e-Sanchit will result in port detention regardless of FSSAI compliance status. Additionally, processed shrimp flour or meal is still classified as a fish product for purposes of the foreign-manufacturer registration requirement; importers who assume the processing step removes this obligation face consignment seizure at designated ports.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0309 90 21 require BIS certification?
No, vannamei shrimp flours, meals and pellets 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 required for processed shrimp flour and meal under this HSN?
Yes. CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022 designate fish and fish products as a mandatory registration category; flour and meal derived from Litopenaeus vannamei fall within this category, and facilities not registered with FSSAI cannot export to India.
What happens if a consignment arrives at a non-designated port?
Consignments arriving at ports outside the 79 designated food-import ports are liable to detention and may not be granted out-of-charge; they are subject to re-export or confiscation under the ITC (HS) General Note 4(D) port-restriction condition enforced by CBIC.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
Related
ChapterChapter 03 · Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebratesHSNFLOURS, MEALS AND PELLETS OF FISH, CRUSTACEANS, MOLLUSCS AND OTHER AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES, FIT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTIONHSNOther: