Soft (khayzur or wet dates)

Soft dates (khayzur, wet dates) fresh or dried

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0804 10 20 (Soft dates — khayzur or wet dates) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with mandatory e-Sanchit document upload before customs out-of-charge. Import entry is restricted to designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), with Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) rectifiable-labelling oversight as an additional customs overlay.

What this is

HSN code

0804 10 20

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
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI

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 and upload it in e-Sanchit under document code 911001 before filing the bill of entry. Also upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) and the Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000) — all three must be present in e-Sanchit before the proper officer grants out-of-charge.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
2
Route the consignment exclusively through a port designated for food imports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Arrival at a non-designated port renders the consignment liable to detention pending re-routing or re-export.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023
3
Where labelling deficiencies exist, rectification must be carried out at a customs bonded warehouse before visual or re-inspection by the authorised officer, by affixing a single non-detachable sticker next to the principal display panel without altering the original label. Permissible rectifiable items include per-serve RDA percentages and the date of expiry alongside the best-before date, provided the manufacturer supplies the corrected information.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 · FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is treating a valid FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance requirement and overlooking the Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000), which is a distinct mandatory upload in e-Sanchit independent of the food-safety licence. Absent the Phytosanitary Certificate at the bill-of-entry stage, the proper officer cannot grant out-of-charge, and the resulting detention accrues demurrage and ground rent while the document deficiency is cured — a rectifiable-labelling dispensation does not extend to a missing phytosanitary document.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0804 10 20 require BIS certification?

No. No BIS Quality Control Order covers soft dates or 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 Phytosanitary Certificate requirement and the designated food-import port restriction under General Note 4(D) of the ITC (HS) 2022.

Which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge for this HSN?

Three documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000), all per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

Can labelling deficiencies be rectified at the port for imported soft dates?

Yes, within the limits of the FSSAI and CBIC rectifiable-labelling regime: permissible corrections include per-serve RDA percentages and the date of expiry, carried out by non-detachable sticker at a customs bonded warehouse before authorised-officer inspection, per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus and FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.

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