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

Black tea agglomerated in ball, brick or tablet form

FSSAI CLEARANCE · PPQS CLEARANCE

HSN 0902 40 50 (Black tea, agglomerated in forms such as ball, brick and tablets) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) import licensing and clearance under the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017, with Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) phytosanitary oversight applying concurrently. The tariff line carries ITC (HS) Policy Condition No. 1 of Chapter 09 administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and consignments must enter only through the 79 designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

0902 40 50

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 Tea Board
Food grade certificate 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 and upload in e-Sanchit the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), a Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), and the Clearance Certificate for tea import issued by Tea Board (document code 911TB1) before the bill of entry is filed. Customs out-of-charge will not be granted until all four documents are verified in e-Sanchit.
Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · ITC (HS) Policy Condition No. 1 of Chapter 09
2
For consignments originating from Nepal, ensure the importer holds a licence under the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 and obtains a Clearance Certificate from the Tea Council prior to import. A mandatory sanitary and phytosanitary certificate is also required under the India-Nepal trade treaty before goods are permitted entry.
CBIC Instruction 25/2021-Customs dated 24-11-2021 (F.No. 401/88/2021-Cus-III) · Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005
3
For consignments from Nepal and Sri Lanka, the first three bills of entry are subject to 100% FSSAI sampling and testing referral; subsequent consignments are referred at 5% only if all three initial consignments received a clean NOC. Route all consignments through a designated food-import port in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.
FSSAI letter dated 23-04-2024 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is failing to distinguish the Nepal-origin dual-licence requirement: an FSSAI Import Licence alone is insufficient where the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 mandates a separate Tea Council Clearance Certificate and a Tea Board importer licence. Consignments from Nepal arriving without both instruments are detained at port, and the stepped 100% / 5% FSSAI referral protocol means that a single failed test in the first three consignments resets the importer to 100% referral for subsequent shipments, with attendant demurrage and ground rent exposure at designated ports.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0902 40 50 require BIS certification?

No, agglomerated black tea 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 No. 1 of Chapter 09.

What are the four mandatory e-Sanchit document codes for this tariff line?

The four mandatory documents are: Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), FSSAI Import Licence (911001), and Clearance Certificate for tea import by Tea Board (911TB1); all must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge.

Does the reduced 5% FSSAI referral rate apply automatically to Nepal and Sri Lanka origin consignments?

No. The 5% referral rate applies only after the first three consecutive consignments from Nepal or Sri Lanka have each received a clean FSSAI NOC; failure of any one of those initial three consignments requires continued 100% referral per the FSSAI letter dated 23-04-2024.

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