Milk food for babies

Concentrated milk powder for infant and baby nutrition

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0402 10 20 (Milk food for babies) 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 category. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and import is restricted to 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023. A DGFT prohibition bars imports of milk and milk-based products from China pending port-laboratory upgrading for melamine testing.

What this is

HSN code

0402 10 20

Chapter

04 · Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk food, infant nutrition 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 FSSAI under the mandatory high-risk-food facility-registration scheme covering milk and infant-food categories. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of 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), the Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ), the Veterinary Health Certificate (document code 853AQ1), and the laboratory report/COA (document code 001AQ1) before consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC.
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
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. Verify product-specific IS compliance: milk food for babies must comply with IS 1656 (milk-cereal based weaning foods), and milk powder content must comply with IS 1165; skimmed milk powder must comply with IS 13334 Part 1 (standard grade) or IS 13334 Part 2 (extra grade) per Appendix III and General Note 2(a) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) Import Policy. Consignments originating from China are prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 · Appendix III and General Note 2(a) of Schedule I ITC (HS) Import Policy

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is failing to upload all four AQCS document codes — 911DF1, 6360AQ, 853AQ1, and 001AQ1 — treating the FSSAI Import Licence alone as sufficient for out-of-charge. Each AQCS document is independently verified by the proper officer on PGA-facilitated bills; a missing IRN for the Sanitary Import Permit alone will halt clearance and trigger detention at the designated port, with demurrage accruing until the full e-Sanchit set is complete. Additionally, the China-origin prohibition under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 applies to the entire milk-and-milk-solids product family, not only to infant formula, and must be verified against the bill of lading origin before purchase order placement.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0402 10 20 require BIS certification?

No, no BIS Quality Control Order covers this tariff line. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services clearance, IS-standard compliance obligations under Appendix III of the ITC (HS) Import Policy, and a China-origin prohibition under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20.

Which e-Sanchit documents are mandatory at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

Five documents must be uploaded: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1), and laboratory report/COA (001AQ1) — all verified per CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus and CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus before out-of-charge is granted.

Does the China-origin prohibition apply only to infant formula or to all milk-based products under this HSN?

The prohibition under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 applies to milk and milk-based products including chocolate products and food preparations containing milk solids as an ingredient, and is not limited to infant formula — it applies until port-laboratory capacity for melamine testing is certified as upgraded.

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