C Grade

Unroasted not-decaffeinated coffee, C Grade

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0901 11 33 (C Grade coffee, not decaffeinated) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with consignments permitted only through designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) classifies this tariff line under ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9. Re-import of coffee originally exported from India additionally requires a Coffee Board permit under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942.

What this is

HSN code

0901 11 33

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 a current FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) before filing the bill of entry. Upload the Import Licence, a Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit; out-of-charge will not be granted until all three documents are verified in the system.
FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 · ITC (HS) policy condition 1, Chapter 9
2
Route the consignment exclusively through one of the designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Labelling deficiencies permissible for rectification under FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 must be corrected by affixing a single non-detachable sticker at a customs bonded warehouse before visual inspection by the authorised officer.
General Note 4(D) of ITC (HS) Schedule I 2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs 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 clearance. This requirement is independent of the FSSAI Import Licence and applies specifically to re-entry of Indian-origin coffee under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942.
Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is overlooking the Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS) as a distinct mandatory e-Sanchit upload, separate from the FSSAI Import Licence. Customs officers verify all three document codes — 911001, 6570FS, and 0110FS — independently before granting out-of-charge; a missing Food Grade Certificate results in consignment detention even when the Import Licence is current. Importers re-importing Indian-origin coffee compound this risk by also neglecting the Coffee Board permit under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0901 11 33 require BIS certification?

No, unroasted C Grade coffee falls 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 the ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9 administered by DGFT.

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

Three documents are mandatory: the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), the Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS); all three must be present in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge is granted.

Does the Coffee Board permit requirement apply to all coffee imports or only to re-imports?

The Coffee Board permit under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942 applies specifically to re-imports of coffee previously exported from India, not to routine first-time imports of foreign-origin C Grade coffee.

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