Green tea agglomerated in forms such as ball, brick and tablets

Green tea agglomerated in balls, bricks or tablets

FSSAI CLEARANCE · PPQS CLEARANCE

HSN 0902 20 30 (Green tea agglomerated in forms such as ball, brick and tablets) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and clearance under the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017. Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) phytosanitary clearance applies as a concurrent overlay, and consignments must enter through designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

What this is

HSN code

0902 20 30

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
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 an FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and ensure the foreign consignment carries a food-grade certificate (document code 6570FS) and a specimen copy of label (document code 0110FS). All four mandatory documents — 0110FS, 6570FS, 911001, and the Tea Board clearance certificate 911TB1 — must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge.
FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
2
For imports originating from Nepal or Sri Lanka, apply the mandatory sampling and testing protocol: 100% referral of bills of entry for the first three consignments; if all three obtain a clear FSSAI NOC, only 5% of subsequent consignments need be referred. Separately, imports from Nepal require a licence under the Tea (Distribution and Export) Control Order, 2005 and a clearance certificate from the Tea Council before out-of-charge.
FSSAI letter dated 23-04-2024 · CBIC Instruction 25/2021-Customs dated 24-11-2021 (F.No. 401/88/2021-Cus-III) · Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005
3
Route the consignment through one of the designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 and confirm compliance with the ITC (HS) policy condition no. 1 of Chapter 09. Labelling deficiencies permissible for rectification under FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 must be corrected at a customs bonded warehouse before inspection, by affixing a single non-detachable sticker without altering the original label.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022 · FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017, Reg. 6 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the Nepal-origin regime as identical to standard FSSAI clearance. Nepal-origin green tea carries a dual-track burden — the Tea (Distribution and Export) Control Order, 2005 licence and Tea Council clearance certificate (document code 911TB1) are required in addition to the standard FSSAI and PPQS documents, and the mandatory sanitary and phytosanitary certificate requirement under the India-Nepal trade treaty is independent of the FSSAI sampling frequency reduction. An importer who clears the first three-consignment testing threshold but omits the Tea Council clearance faces detention and potential confiscation at port.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0902 20 30 require BIS certification?

No, green tea in agglomerated form falls 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 (Import) Regulations, 2017, with a concurrent Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage phytosanitary overlay and DGFT policy condition no. 1 of Chapter 09.

What document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

Four documents are mandatory: specimen copy of label (0110FS), food-grade certificate (6570FS), FSSAI Import Licence (911001), and Tea Board clearance certificate for tea import (911TB1), all to be verified before customs out-of-charge per the CCR.

Does the reduced 5% FSSAI sampling rate for Nepal and Sri Lanka origin apply from the first consignment?

No. The 5% referral rate applies only after all three initial consignments have received a clear FSSAI NOC; until that threshold is met, 100% of bills of entry are referred for mandatory sampling and testing, per the FSSAI letter dated 23-04-2024.

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