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Fresh

Fresh foliage, branches, grasses, mosses and lichens for ornamental use

WCCB CLEARANCE

HSN 0604 20 00 (Fresh foliage, branches and other parts of plants suitable for ornamental purposes) is subject to Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) oversight, with a mandatory CITES certificate required at the bill-of-entry stage for species protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

What this is
HSN code
0604 20 00
Chapter
06 · Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage
Primary regulator
WCCB · Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)
Customs documentation
  • CITES certificate from WCCB
  • e-Sanchit upload confirmation from CBIC
Applicable Partner Government Agencies
WCCBWCCB·Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
Compliance steps
  1. 1
    Obtain a valid CITES certificate for the consignment before shipment where the foliage, branches, grasses, mosses or lichens belong to a CITES-listed species. Upload the certificate in e-Sanchit under document code 626000 prior to filing the bill of entry.
    CITES certificate · document code 626000 · e-Sanchit requirement per CCR
  2. 2
    Ensure the CITES certificate (document code 626000) is verifiable in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge. Bills not routed through WCCB for NOC will be verified by the proper officer, who will withhold out-of-charge until the document is confirmed uploaded.
    Document code 626000 · e-Sanchit out-of-charge verification requirement per CCR
A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is assuming that commercially cultivated ornamental foliage — such as decorative ferns, dried mosses, or lichen arrangements — falls outside the CITES regime. Where the source species is CITES-listed at any Appendix level, the certificate is mandatory regardless of cultivation status; consignments arriving without document code 626000 uploaded in e-Sanchit are detained pending WCCB NOC.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 0604 20 00 require BIS certification?
No, fresh ornamental foliage is not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau under the CITES framework, requiring a CITES certificate (document code 626000) uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge.
Is the CITES certificate required for all fresh foliage imports under this HSN?
The CITES certificate is mandatory where the species is listed under a CITES Appendix; consignments of non-CITES-listed species should nonetheless be prepared to demonstrate non-listed status to the proper officer at the bill-of-entry stage.
What happens if the CITES certificate is not uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry?
The proper officer will withhold out-of-charge until document code 626000 is confirmed uploaded in e-Sanchit; prolonged non-compliance exposes the consignment to detention and ground rent pending WCCB clearance.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: WCCB / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
Related
ChapterChapter 06 · Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliageHSNFOLIAGE, BRANCHES AND OTHER PARTS OF PLANTS, WITHOUT FLOWERS OR FLOWER BUDS, AND GRASSES, MOSSES AND LICHENS, BEING GOODS OF A KIND SUIT-ABLE FOR BOUQUETS OR FOR ORNAMENTAL PURPOSES, FRESH, DRIED, DYED, BLEACHED, IMPREGNATED OR OTHERWISE PREPAREDHSN0604 90 00 · Ornamental foliage, branches, grasses, mosses and lichens