Okra/lady finger (Bhindi)

Fresh or chilled okra, lady finger (Bhindi)

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0709 99 30 (Okra/lady finger) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with mandatory compliance of General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 for designated food-import entry points. Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) policy controls and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) customs overlays apply as additional clearance requirements at the bill of entry.

What this is

HSN code

0709 99 30

Chapter

07 · Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Port-compliance declaration to CBIC

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Obtain the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and upload it in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. The Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must also be uploaded in e-Sanchit; customs out-of-charge will not be granted until both documents are verified by the proper officer.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
2
Route the consignment only through a designated food-import entry point in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Consignments arriving at a non-designated port are liable to detention and may be directed to re-export.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022
3
Ensure label compliance with the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 before customs inspection. Rectifiable labelling deficiencies — including per-serve percentage contribution to recommended dietary allowance and date of expiry alongside best-before date — may be corrected at customs bonded warehouses by affixing a single non-detachable sticker next to the principal display panel, without altering original label information.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022, Para 2(i) · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating label deficiencies as a post-clearance matter rather than a pre-out-of-charge obligation. Rectification under the FSSAI dispensation is permitted only at customs bonded warehouses before visual inspection or re-inspection by the authorised officer; a consignment that has already passed visual inspection cannot retroactively invoke the rectifiable-labelling regime, and a missing FSSAI Import Licence upload in e-Sanchit — as distinct from a label deficiency — remains a hard stop that the rectification dispensation does not cure.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0709 99 30 require BIS certification?

No, fresh or chilled okra is not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers fresh vegetables. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with FSSAI Import Licence and designated food-import entry-point requirements applying at the bill of entry.

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

The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

Can labelling corrections be made after the consignment arrives at port?

Yes, but only at customs bonded warehouses before visual inspection by the authorised FSSAI officer, by affixing a single non-detachable sticker next to the principal display panel; corrections after visual inspection have commenced are not permitted under the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling dispensation.

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