Whole

Whole areca nuts, fresh or dried

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0802 80 10 (Whole areca nuts) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence clearance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and is classified as Prohibited under the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), with import free only when the CIF value is ₹351 or above per kilogram. A separate quota-based, port-specific regime permits 17,000 MT of fresh (green) areca nut annually from Bhutan without the Minimum Import Price condition, subject to a DGFT-issued Registration Certificate and four designated Land Customs Stations only.

What this is

HSN code

0802 80 10

Chapter

08 · Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Phytosanitary Certificate from exporter
Registration Certificate from DGFT

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
Verify that the consignment CIF value is ₹351 or above per kilogram before filing the bill of entry; imports below this Minimum Import Price are Prohibited under ITC (HS) policy. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000) in e-Sanchit prior to out-of-charge.
DGFT Notification 17/2023 dated 03-07-2023 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022
2
For imports of fresh (green) areca nut from Bhutan under the 17,000 MT annual quota without MIP, route the consignment exclusively through one of the four notified Land Customs Stations — LCS Jaigaon (INJIGB), LCS Chamurchi (INCHMB), LCS Hatisar (INHT5B), or LCS Darranga (INDRGB) — and hold a valid port-specific Registration Certificate issued by DGFT before shipment.
DGFT Notification 30/2024-25 dated 18-09-2024 read with DGFT Notification 36/2015-20 dated 28-09-2022 and DGFT Public Notice 61/2015-20 dated 20-03-2023
3
Ensure the DGFT Registration Certificate is debited for the quantity imported and that utilisation is reported through the Kolkata Customs Zone monitoring mechanism. The RC validity and quantity balance are tracked centrally; any diversion or under-valuation triggers enforcement under DRI Alert 13/2013 issued in connection with SAPTA misuse and Nepal-diversion schemes.
CBIC Instruction 27/2022-CUS dated 07-10-2022 · DRI Alert 13/2013 dated 03-06-2013 · DGFT Public Notice 61/2015-20 dated 20-03-2023

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the Bhutan-quota MIP exemption as available at any border point. The exemption is port-specific — restricted to the four named LCS — and the Registration Certificate is also port-specific; presenting an RC issued for one LCS at a different LCS results in consignment detention and Prohibited-import enforcement regardless of Bhutan origin. EOU and SEZ operators relying on the MIP carve-out must document that no DTA sale occurs; any DTA diversion converts the import into a Prohibited-policy breach with retrospective MIP recovery.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0802 80 10 require BIS certification?

No, whole areca nuts fall entirely outside 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 Prohibited-import overlay administered by DGFT unless the CIF value equals or exceeds ₹351 per kilogram.

What documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry for this HSN?

Three documents are mandatory: the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), and the Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000); all three must be uploaded before customs out-of-charge per the CCR for PGA-facilitated bills.

Can an Export Oriented Unit import whole areca nuts below the MIP of ₹351 per kilogram?

Yes, but only if the EOU or SEZ unit ensures no domestic tariff area sale of the imported goods; any DTA diversion voids the MIP exemption and triggers Prohibited-import enforcement under DGFT Notification 17/2023 dated 03-07-2023.

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