Content exceeding 1 kg but not exceeding 3 kg

Black tea (fermented) in packs of 1 to 3 kg

FSSAI CLEARANCE · PPQS CLEARANCE

HSN 0902 30 30 (black tea, fermented, in immediate packings of 1 to 3 kg) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence clearance under the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017, with mandatory FSSAI sampling and testing at the bill-of-entry stage. Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) phytosanitary clearance and Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9 apply as additional clearance requirements. Imports from Nepal carry an additional licence obligation under the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005, including a clearance certificate from the Tea Council.

What this is

HSN code

0902 30 30

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

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

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
CC for tea import from PPQS
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI

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 a Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) are uploaded in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. For tea imports, also upload the Clearance Certificate for tea import by the Tea Board (document code 911TB1); out-of-charge will not be granted until all four documents are verified.
FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
2
If importing from Nepal, obtain a licence under the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 and a clearance certificate issued by the Tea Council before the consignment departs. Nepal-origin consignments are also subject to mandatory sanitary and phytosanitary certificates under the India-Nepal trade treaty.
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 79 designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. For Nepal- and Sri Lanka-origin consignments, apply the risk-based sampling protocol: 100% FSSAI referral for the first 3 consignments; if all three are cleared, only 5% of subsequent consignments are referred for testing.
FSSAI letter dated 23-04-2024 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance document and overlooking the Tea Board Clearance Certificate (document code 911TB1), which is a distinct pre-customs requirement that customs officers independently verify in e-Sanchit before granting out-of-charge. For Nepal-origin tea specifically, importers also frequently miss the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 licence and the Tea Council clearance certificate — omitting either triggers detention of the consignment and potential seizure under the Control Order, separate from any FSSAI enforcement.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0902 30 30 require BIS certification?

No, black tea in immediate packings is not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017, with concurrent Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage phytosanitary clearance and DGFT ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9.

Are all consignments from Nepal and Sri Lanka subject to 100% FSSAI testing?

Only for the first three consignments — if all three receive a clear NOC, subsequent consignments from those origins are referred for FSSAI testing at a 5% rate, per the FSSAI letter dated 23 April 2024.

What happens if the label on an imported tea consignment is deficient at the port?

Certain labelling deficiencies — including per-serve RDA contribution and best-before/expiry date — may be rectified at the customs bonded warehouse before inspection by affixing a single non-detachable sticker, per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 and the FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022; a missing PGA clearance document is not eligible for this rectification dispensation.

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