Content exceeding 1 kg. but not exceeding 3 kg
Green tea in immediate packings of 1 to 3 kg
HSN 0902 10 30 (green tea in immediate packings exceeding 1 kg but not exceeding 3 kg) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and mandatory sampling under the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017. Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) phytosanitary clearance and Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 apply as additional clearance requirements. Imports from Nepal attract supplementary controls under the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005, including a Tea Board licence and a Tea Council clearance certificate.
- Import Licence from FSSAI
- Clearance certificate for tea from FSSAI
- Sanitary and phytosanitary certificate from PPQS
Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
- 1Obtain an FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and ensure the consignment is accompanied by a specimen copy of the label (document code 0110FS) and a food grade certificate (document code 6570FS). All three documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed; the customs officer will verify these uploads prior to out-of-charge.Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
- 2If importing tea from Nepal, hold a valid licence under the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 and obtain a clearance certificate from the Tea Council (document code 911TB1) before shipment. Upload the Tea Council clearance certificate in e-Sanchit; absence of this document triggers detention of the consignment at the port.Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 · CBIC Instruction 25/2021-Cus dated 24-11-2021
- 3For tea originating from Nepal or Sri Lanka, note the FSSAI sampling protocol: the first three consignments are subject to 100% referral for testing; if all three pass, only 5% of subsequent consignments are referred to FSSAI for testing. Route the consignment through a designated food-import port compliant with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.FSSAI letter dated 23-04-2024 · General Note 4(D) of ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023
The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance requirement and overlooking the Tea Council clearance certificate (document code 911TB1) for Nepal-origin shipments. The Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 licence and the Tea Council certificate are independent obligations that operate alongside the FSSAI regime; a shipment that satisfies FSSAI but arrives without the Tea Council certificate will be detained at the designated port, accumulating demurrage, with no FSSAI-based rectification pathway available for this deficiency.