Other

Natural milk constituents and whey-based products, not elsewhere specified

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0404 90 00 (natural milk constituents and related whey-based products) 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 concurrently, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023. Milk and milk products originating from China face a separate prohibition pending melamine-testing capacity upgrades at all port laboratories.

What this is

HSN code

0404 90 00

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 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 high-risk-food registration scheme covering milk and milk products. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and 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), veterinary health certificate (document code 853AQ1), and lab report or Certificate of Analysis (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 for CTIs listed in Annexure A of Circular 24/2022-Cus.
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 through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Verify the origin is not China — milk and milk products from China are prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 pending melamine-testing capacity upgrades.
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 layered AQCS document requirement — veterinary health certificate (853AQ1), lab report/COA (001AQ1), and Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1) — maps to three separate Annexure A slots in CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus, and each must be uploaded independently in e-Sanchit against its document code. Uploading only the Sanitary Import Permit while omitting the veterinary health certificate or COA is the most frequent cause of out-of-charge refusal on this tariff line, resulting in port detention, accruing demurrage, and cold-storage ground rent for temperature-sensitive dairy consignments.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0404 90 00 require BIS certification?

No. Natural milk constituents and whey-based products under this tariff line 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 overlay and the 79-designated-port restriction.

Are milk and milk products from China importable under this HSN?

No. Milk and milk products including preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient originating from China are prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 until melamine-testing capacity at all port-of-entry laboratories has been suitably upgraded.

Is the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime available if a label defect is found at port?

Yes, subject to the conditions in FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022; however, the rectifiable-labelling concession applies only to label defects — a missing or invalid PGA clearance document cannot be rectified under this regime and will result in continued detention.

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