Mozzarella cheese

Fresh unripened mozzarella cheese, curd

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0406 10 10 (Mozzarella cheese) 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 dairy product. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit and veterinary health certificate clearance apply concurrently, and import is permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports effective 1 March 2023. Imports of milk and milk-based products originating from China are prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 pending laboratory upgrade for melamine testing.

What this is

HSN code

0406 10 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 dairy 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 mandatory foreign-manufacturer registration scheme for milk and milk products. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a 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 e-Sanchit IRN of the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) and the Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) 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 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
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 remain prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 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 Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance document and overlooking the AQCS veterinary overlay, which requires three separate document uploads — the veterinary health certificate (853AQ1), the laboratory report or COA (001AQ1), and the Sanitary Import Permit IRN (911DF1) — each keyed to a distinct Annex A slot in CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus. A consignment that arrives with all FSSAI documents in order but with any one of the AQCS codes absent from e-Sanchit will be detained at the designated port pending rectification, accruing demurrage and ground rent that the rectifiable-labelling concession does not cover.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0406 10 10 require BIS certification?

No, no BIS Quality Control Order covers fresh or unripened cheese. 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 clearance and the 79-designated-port restriction for high-risk dairy products.

Are imports of mozzarella cheese from China permitted?

No. DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 prohibits import of milk and milk-based products from China until all port-of-entry laboratories have been upgraded for melamine testing; consignments of Chinese origin will be refused out-of-charge.

Is the rectifiable-labelling concession available if label information is missing on the consignment?

Yes, for deficient label information only — per FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-21 dated 17-06-2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 — but missing PGA clearances (FSSAI licence, AQCS Sanitary Import Permit, veterinary health certificate) are not rectifiable defects and cannot be cured under the labelling-rectification window.

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