Of wild birds

Wild bird skins, feathers, down and related parts

WCCB CLEARANCE

HSN 0505 90 21 (Of wild birds — feathers, skins, down and parts thereof) is subject to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) oversight under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, with CITES certificate clearance required at the bill of entry. Import is Prohibited under the ITC (HS) policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), with out-of-charge conditional on upload of both a CITES certificate and a health certificate in e-Sanchit.

What this is

HSN code

0505 90 21

Chapter

05 · Products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified

Primary regulator

WCCB · Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (CITES implementation)

Customs documentation

CITES certificate from WCCB
Health certificate from AQCS

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

WCCBWCCB·Wildlife Crime Control Bureau

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

Compliance steps

1
Confirm the import has valid authorisation — this tariff line is Prohibited under the ITC (HS) import policy. No consignment may be cleared without a WCCB-issued or WCCB-recognised CITES certificate; absent this, the consignment is liable to seizure and confiscation under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
ITC (HS) import policy — Prohibited category · WCCB CITES implementation
2
Upload the CITES certificate (document code 626000) and the health certificate (document code 6360AQ) in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. The customs proper officer must verify both documents are present in e-Sanchit before granting out-of-charge; consignments routed without PGA NOC are subject to mandatory document verification.
CBIC CCR e-Sanchit requirement · document codes 626000 and 6360AQ

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is assuming that possession of a CITES permit from the exporting country is sufficient for Indian customs clearance. The Prohibited-import status under the ITC (HS) policy means the import remains barred unless WCCB clearance is secured and the CITES certificate (document code 626000) is uploaded in e-Sanchit — failure to upload before out-of-charge results in detention, and any subsequent attempt to clear without the PGA NOC exposes the importer to prosecution and confiscation under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0505 90 21 require BIS certification?

No; no BIS Quality Control Order covers wild bird skins, feathers or down. Import is instead governed by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, with the tariff line classified as Prohibited under the ITC (HS) policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

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

The CITES certificate (document code 626000) and the health certificate (document code 6360AQ) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit; the customs proper officer is required to verify their presence before granting out-of-charge clearance.

Can a consignment of wild bird feathers be imported at all given the Prohibited status?

Import is Prohibited under the ITC (HS) policy, meaning clearance is not available through the standard commercial route; any permissible entry would require explicit WCCB authorisation together with a valid CITES certificate, and even then the Prohibited classification subjects each consignment to rigorous PGA scrutiny.

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