Content exceeding 25 g. but not exceeding 1 kg

Green tea in packings of 25 g to 1 kg

FSSAI CLEARANCE · PPQS CLEARANCE

HSN 0902 10 20 (green tea in immediate packings exceeding 25 g but not exceeding 1 kg) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and food-safety clearance under the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017. Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) phytosanitary clearance and ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9 administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) apply as additional clearance requirements. Consignments must be routed only through designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

0902 10 20

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

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

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Clearance certificate from FSSAI
Sanitary and phytosanitary certificate from PPQS

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

PPQSPPQS·Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary regime

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 valid FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and ensure the food-grade certificate (document code 6570FS), specimen copy of label (document code 0110FS), and Tea Board clearance certificate for tea import (document code 911TB1) are uploaded in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. Customs out-of-charge will not be granted until all four documents are verified in e-Sanchit.
FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
2
For consignments originating from Nepal, obtain a licence under the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 and a clearance certificate from the Tea Council before allowing import. Mandatory sanitary and phytosanitary certificates are required under the India–Nepal trade treaty, and sampling and testing follows a 100% referral regime for the first three consignments; if all three clear, only 5% of subsequent consignments are referred to FSSAI.
CBIC Instruction 25/2021-Cus dated 24-11-2021 · FSSAI letter dated 23-04-2024 · Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005
3
Route the consignment only through a designated food-import entry point per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and comply with the rectifiable-labelling regime under FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Labelling deficiencies that are rectifiable must be addressed at customs-bonded warehouses before inspection by the authorised officer, by affixing a single non-detachable sticker without altering the original label.
General Note 4(D), ITC (HS) 2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is overlooking the Tea Board clearance certificate (document code 911TB1) as a distinct mandatory document separate from the FSSAI Import Licence — both must be uploaded in e-Sanchit, and the absence of either triggers detention at the port of entry regardless of the product's food-safety test results. For Nepal-origin tea specifically, the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 licence and the Tea Council clearance certificate are pre-requisites that must be in place before shipment; neither can be remedied retrospectively at the bill-of-entry stage.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0902 10 20 require BIS certification?

No, green tea in this packing size 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 (Import) Regulations, 2017, with concurrent PPQS phytosanitary clearance and DGFT ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9.

What is the FSSAI sampling and testing regime for tea imported from Nepal and Sri Lanka?

Per the FSSAI letter dated 23-04-2024, 100% referral for sampling and testing applies to the first three consignments from Nepal and Sri Lanka; if all three clear, only 5% of subsequent consignments are referred to FSSAI for testing.

Is a Tea Board licence required for all tea imports or only for Nepal-origin consignments?

The Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 licence and the Tea Council clearance certificate are specifically mandated for imports from Nepal per CBIC Instruction 25/2021-Cus; the Tea Board clearance certificate (document code 911TB1) is, however, a mandatory e-Sanchit document for all tea bills of entry regardless of origin.

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