Green pepper, frozen or dried

Green pepper (Piper genus), frozen or dried, whole

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0904 11 70 (Green pepper, frozen or dried) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with import permitted only where the CIF value exceeds ₹500 per kilogram under the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Minimum Import Price condition. Phytosanitary certification and compliance with designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 apply as concurrent clearance requirements. Spices are ineligible for import under the Duty Free Import Authorisation scheme per DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025.

What this is

HSN code

0904 11 70

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Phytosanitary Certificate from exporting country
Food Grade Certificate from FSSAI

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Verify the CIF value of the consignment exceeds ₹500 per kilogram before filing the bill of entry. The tariff line is Prohibited under the ITC (HS) import policy except where the MIP condition is satisfied; advance authorisation holders, 100% EOUs, and SEZ units are exempt from the MIP condition but remain subject to all other clearance requirements.
DGFT Notification 21/2015-20 dated 25-07-2018 · ITC (HS) import policy, Chapter 09
2
Upload all mandatory e-Sanchit documents before filing the bill of entry: FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000). The proper officer must verify all four are present in e-Sanchit before granting out-of-charge.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022
3
Route the consignment through a designated food-import entry point compliant with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Note that spices including green pepper fall under Appendix 4J and are ineligible for import under Duty Free Import Authorisation under any circumstances, irrespective of intended end use.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 · General Note 4(D), Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is the assumption that an AA/EOU/SEZ MIP exemption also removes the Prohibited-classification constraint on other compliance dimensions — it does not. The MIP carve-out addresses only the price threshold; the FSSAI Import Licence, phytosanitary clearance, designated-port restriction, and DFIA ineligibility under Appendix 4J all remain operative regardless of the authorisation status of the importer. Consignments presenting without all four e-Sanchit documents are detained at port pending rectification, accruing demurrage and ground rent.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0904 11 70 require BIS certification?

No, green pepper (frozen or dried) is not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with the ITC (HS) Prohibited-import MIP condition administered by DGFT and phytosanitary clearance as a concurrent requirement.

Which four documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this tariff line?

The FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (851000) must all be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the proper officer grants out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

Can green pepper be imported under the Duty Free Import Authorisation scheme?

No. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 clarifies that all spices, including green pepper, fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition, making their import under DFIA impermissible irrespective of the intended end use.

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