Butter milk

Buttermilk, fermented or acidified milk products

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0403 90 10 (Buttermilk) 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 milk-and-milk-products category. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023. Imports of milk and milk-based products originating from China remain prohibited pending laboratory-capacity upgradation for melamine testing.

What this is

HSN code

0403 90 10

Chapter

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

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk milk products 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 mandatory registration regime for milk and milk products. 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
Upload the Veterinary Health Certificate issued by the exporting country (document code 853AQ1), the Laboratory Report/Certificate of Analysis (document code 001AQ1), and the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) in e-Sanchit. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC; the Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) 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 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022
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 the country of origin is not China — imports of milk and milk-based products from China are prohibited until port-laboratory melamine-testing capacity is upgraded.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 · General Note 4(D) of ITC (HS) 2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is uploading the FSSAI Import Licence and Health Certificate while overlooking the three distinct AQCS document codes — 853AQ1 (Veterinary Health Certificate), 001AQ1 (Laboratory Report/COA), and 911DF1 (Sanitary Import Permit) — each of which maps to a separate Annexure A slot in CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus. A missing IRN for any one of these three codes blocks the AQCS NOC and detains the consignment at the designated port regardless of whether the FSSAI clearance is current. Rectifiable-labelling provisions under CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus address label defects only and do not substitute for an absent PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0403 90 10 require BIS certification?

No, buttermilk and fermented milk products 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 requirement and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which e-Sanchit document codes are mandatory for buttermilk imports at the bill of entry?

Four codes are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1), Health Certificate (6360AQ), plus Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1) and Laboratory Report/COA (001AQ1) per CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022.

Are buttermilk imports from China permitted?

No. Imports of milk and milk-based products from China remain prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23 April 2019, pending upgradation of port-laboratory capacity for melamine testing; this prohibition applies regardless of FSSAI licence status.

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