Processed cheese, not grated or powdered

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 0406 30 00 (Processed cheese, not grated or powdered) 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 consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports effective 1 March 2023. Imports of milk and milk-based products from China are additionally prohibited until port-laboratory melamine-testing capacity is upgraded, per DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019.

What this is

HSN code

0406 30 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 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 high-risk dairy-product regime before filing the bill of entry. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit prior to out-of-charge.
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-issued 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
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. Note that imports of milk and milk-based products — including processed cheese — originating from China are prohibited pending port-laboratory upgrades for melamine testing.
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

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 Health Certificate (853AQ1) and the Laboratory Report or COA (001AQ1), both of which are mandatory overlays for dairy products independent of the food-safety licence. A consignment that arrives at a designated port with FSSAI documents current but missing either AQCS document code is detained pending upload, accumulating demurrage; the China-origin prohibition on milk-based products is an absolute bar that no PGA clearance can cure.

Need a regulatory steer on this product?

Speak to a regulatory counsel about your specific HSN, IS, and supplier situation.

Speak to an Expert

Frequently asked

Does HSN 0406 30 00 require BIS certification?

No, processed cheese is not within 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 Animal Quarantine and Certification Services overlay and a 79-designated-port restriction.

Are all four e-Sanchit document codes mandatory at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

Yes. Document codes 911001 (FSSAI Import Licence), 0110FS (Specimen Copy of Label), 6360AQ (Health Certificate), 911DF1 (Sanitary Import Permit), 853AQ1 (Veterinary Health Certificate), and 001AQ1 (Lab Report or COA) must all be uploaded in e-Sanchit per CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus and CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus before out-of-charge is granted.

Does the China-origin prohibition on milk-based products apply to processed cheese under this HSN?

Yes. DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 prohibits import of milk and milk-based products from China until port-laboratory melamine-testing capacity is suitably upgraded; processed cheese containing milk solids falls within this prohibition regardless of FSSAI or AQCS clearance status.

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