Other

Other black tea, fermented and partly fermented tea

FSSAI CLEARANCE · PPQS CLEARANCE

HSN 0902 40 90 (other black tea, fermented and partly fermented) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and sampling clearance under the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017, alongside Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) phytosanitary oversight. The tariff line is additionally governed by ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9, administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and imports of tea from Nepal require a separate licence and Tea Council clearance certificate under the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005.

What this is

HSN code

0902 40 90

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 a valid FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and ensure the specimen copy of label (document code 0110FS) and food grade certificate (document code 6570FS) are uploaded in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. The consignment is subject to FSSAI sampling and testing, with 100% referral for the first three consignments from Nepal and Sri Lanka, reducing to 5% thereafter if all three are cleared.
Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017 · FSSAI letter dated 23-04-2024 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
2
For tea imported from Nepal, obtain a Tea Council clearance certificate (document code 911TB1) and hold the licence required under the Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005. A mandatory sanitary and phytosanitary certificate from the exporting country must also accompany the consignment as required under the India-Nepal trade treaty.
Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 · CBIC Instruction 25/2021-Cus dated 24-11-2021 (F.No. 401/88/2021-Cus-III)
3
Route the consignment only through one of the designated food-import entry points compliant with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Ensure labelling conforms to FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020; permissible labelling rectifications may be carried out at customs bonded warehouses before inspection, using a single non-detachable sticker, per the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime.
General Note 4(D), Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is failing to distinguish the Nepal-origin sub-regime from the general tea import pathway: a FSSAI Import Licence and food grade certificate are required for all origins, but Nepal-origin consignments additionally require a Tea Council clearance certificate and a Tea (Distribution & Export) Control Order, 2005 licence — and the absence of either triggers detention at the designated port. The 100%-to-5% referral reduction for Nepal and Sri Lanka origins applies only after three consecutively cleared consignments; importers who restart sourcing after a gap cannot assume carry-forward of the reduced-inspection status.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0902 40 90 require BIS certification?

No, other black tea and partly fermented tea fall 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 PPQS phytosanitary overlay and the ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9 administered by DGFT.

What e-Sanchit document codes are mandatory at the bill of entry for this HSN?

The mandatory uploads are: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), specimen copy of label (0110FS), food grade certificate (6570FS), and — for Nepal-origin tea — the Tea Board clearance certificate (911TB1), all to be uploaded before customs out-of-charge.

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

No. The 5% referral rate applies only after the first three consecutive consignments from Nepal or Sri Lanka have each received a clear NOC from FSSAI; all three initial consignments are subject to 100% 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.