Other

Roasted, not decaffeinated coffee (other varieties)

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0901 21 90 (roasted, not decaffeinated coffee, other) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, including the FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 and FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Import must comply with ITC (HS) policy condition no. 1 of Chapter 9 administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and consignments must enter through designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Re-import of coffee originally exported from India requires a Coffee Board permit under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942.

What this is

HSN code

0901 21 90

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Import Regulations, 2017)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Food grade certificate 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 and ensure the mandatory documents — Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), and FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) — are uploaded in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. Customs out-of-charge will not be granted until all three documents are verified in e-Sanchit.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017
2
Route the consignment through a designated food-import port under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Confirm ITC (HS) policy condition no. 1 of Chapter 9 is met before dispatch; non-conforming entry points render the import liable to detention and re-export.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 · ITC (HS) policy condition no. 1, Chapter 9
3
If the consignment is a re-import of coffee previously exported from India, obtain a Coffee Board permit before filing the bill of entry, as required under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942. Labelling deficiencies permitted for port rectification must be remedied by a single non-detachable sticker affixed at a customs bonded warehouse before FSSAI inspection, per the FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022.
Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating port-stage label rectification as a general remedy for labelling non-compliance. The FSSAI rectification dispensation covers only specific prescribed deficiencies — such as per-serve RDA percentage contribution and expiry-date formatting — and requires the corrective sticker to be applied by the manufacturer's authorisation before FSSAI visual inspection; a missing FSSAI Import Licence or Food Grade Certificate cannot be rectified at port and will result in consignment detention pending full PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0901 21 90 require BIS certification?

No, roasted coffee is not within 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 FSSAI Import Licence, labelling compliance, and the ITC (HS) policy condition no. 1 of Chapter 9 as the operative framework.

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

Three documents are mandatory: Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), and FSSAI Import Licence (911001) — all must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

When is a Coffee Board permit required for imports under this HSN?

A Coffee Board permit is required only for re-import of coffee that was originally exported from India, under Section 21 of the Coffee Act, 1942; it does not apply to fresh commercial imports of foreign-origin roasted coffee.

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