Salted, in brine, dried or smoked

Edible insects, salted, dried or smoked

DGFT CLEARANCE · CBIC CLEARANCE

HSN 0410 10 20 (Edible insects, salted, in brine, dried or smoked) is classified as Restricted under the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and import is permissible only through designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Instruction 29/2023-Cus dated 12-12-2023 and the Ministry of Fisheries O.M. dated 17-07-2023 impose additional clearance requirements at the bill-of-entry stage.

What this is

HSN code

0410 10 20

Chapter

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

Primary regulator

DGFT · ITC (HS) Restricted import policy, Chapter 04

Customs documentation

Restricted-import compliance from DGFT
Food entry-point declaration to CBIC
Ministry of Fisheries clearance from CBIC

Compliance steps

1
Verify the consignment is imported only through a designated food-import entry point. General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 restricts the ports through which food articles under this tariff line may be cleared, and diversion to a non-designated port renders the consignment liable to detention.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022
2
Ensure compliance with CBIC Instruction 29/2023-Cus dated 12-12-2023 and the O.M. dated 17-07-2023 issued by the Ministry of Fisheries before out-of-charge. The proper officer will verify that mandatory documentation has been uploaded in e-Sanchit prior to granting out-of-charge.
CBIC Instruction 29/2023-Cus dated 12-12-2023 · Ministry of Fisheries O.M. dated 17-07-2023

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating edible insects as a standard processed-food import and overlooking the Ministry of Fisheries overlay under CBIC Instruction 29/2023-Cus. That instruction imposes requirements beyond the standard DGFT Restricted-import condition, and consignments cleared without the Ministry of Fisheries-linked documentation in e-Sanchit face detention at the designated port pending out-of-charge verification.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0410 10 20 require BIS certification?

No, edible insects are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Restricted-import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade under the ITC (HS) 2022, with a food entry-point restriction under General Note 4(D) and a Ministry of Fisheries clearance overlay under CBIC Instruction 29/2023-Cus.

Which ports may be used to import edible insects under this tariff line?

Import must enter through designated food-import entry points only, as prescribed under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022; consignments arriving at non-designated ports are liable to detention and ground rent pending remediation.

What is the practical effect of the Ministry of Fisheries O.M. dated 17-07-2023 on this import?

The O.M., read with CBIC Instruction 29/2023-Cus dated 12-12-2023, requires the customs proper officer to verify Ministry of Fisheries-linked compliance documentation before granting out-of-charge; absent that upload in e-Sanchit, clearance is withheld regardless of DGFT policy compliance.

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