Other

Whey and modified whey, concentrated or sweetened

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0404 10 90 (Other whey and modified whey) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and mandatory foreign-manufacturing-facility registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, as a high-risk milk-product category. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023. Imports of milk and milk-based products originating from China remain prohibited pending laboratory upgrade for melamine testing under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20.

What this is

HSN code

0404 10 90

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 product regime)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Sanitary Import Permit from AQCS
Veterinary 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 covering 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) and the laboratory report or Certificate of Analysis (document code 001AQ1) in e-Sanchit. Quote the IRN of the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC; upload the Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) as a concurrent mandatory document.
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
3
Route the consignment exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Confirm the origin is not China — imports of milk and milk-based products from China are prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 pending melamine-testing lab upgrades at all entry ports.
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) Schedule I, 2022

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the complete clearance and overlooking the three independent AQCS document uploads — Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1), Certificate of Analysis (001AQ1), and the Sanitary Import Permit IRN (911DF1) — each of which must appear in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge is granted. A consignment presenting full FSSAI compliance but a missing AQCS document code will be detained at the designated port, and demurrage accrues until all four mandatory document codes are verified by the proper officer under CBIC Instruction 29/2023-Cus dated 12-12-2023.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0404 10 90 require BIS certification?

No, whey and modified whey fall outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with a concurrent AQCS Sanitary Import Permit requirement and the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this tariff line?

Four codes are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Health Certificate (6360AQ), Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1); and two AQCS-specific codes — Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1) and laboratory report or Certificate of Analysis (001AQ1) — per CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus and CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus.

Are imports of whey products from China permitted under this tariff line?

No. Imports of milk and milk-based products from China are prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 until laboratory capacity at all ports of entry has been upgraded for melamine testing; whey derived from milk falls squarely within this prohibition.

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