AB Grade

Unroasted not-decaffeinated coffee, AB grade

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0901 11 21 (AB Grade coffee) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with import policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 of the ITC (HS) policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Consignments must also comply with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 governing food-import entry points. Re-imports of coffee originally exported from India additionally require a Coffee Board permit under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942.

What this is

HSN code

0901 11 21

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Food Grade Certificate from FSSAI
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 and upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), and Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS) in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. The proper officer will verify all three documents are present before granting out-of-charge.
FSSAI Import Licence document code 911001 · 0110FS · 6570FS · ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09
2
Ensure labelling conforms to the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. 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 before inspection, without altering the original label.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022
3
For re-imports of coffee originally exported from India, obtain a Coffee Board permit before filing the bill of entry. This is a separate requirement under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942, independent of the FSSAI clearance.
Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance and overlooking the Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS) as a separately required e-Sanchit upload. Customs out-of-charge is refused if any of the three mandatory documents — 911001, 0110FS, or 6570FS — is absent from e-Sanchit, and the labelling-rectification dispensation applies only to the specific parameters listed in the CBIC Instruction; it is not a general licence to re-label at port.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0901 11 21 require BIS certification?

No, unroasted coffee falls entirely outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, subject to ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 and the designated food-import entry-point requirement under General Note 4(D) of the ITC (HS) 2022.

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

Three documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (code 911001), Specimen Copy of Label (code 0110FS), and Food Grade Certificate (code 6570FS). All three must be present in e-Sanchit before the proper officer can grant out-of-charge.

Is a Coffee Board permit required for all imports under this HSN?

No — the Coffee Board permit under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942 is required only for re-imports of coffee that was originally exported from India. Standard first-time imports require only FSSAI and ITC (HS) policy compliance.

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