Pepper other than green, frozen

Frozen whole pepper (Piper genus, neither crushed nor ground)

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0904 11 80 (Pepper other than green, frozen) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence requirement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and is Prohibited under the ITC (HS) import policy unless the CIF value exceeds ₹500 per kilogram. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) administers the Minimum Import Price condition under DGFT Notification 21/2015-20 dated 25-07-2018, and import is restricted to designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

0904 11 80

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
Specimen copy of label 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
Confirm the consignment CIF value exceeds ₹500 per kilogram before filing the bill of entry; the tariff line is Prohibited when the CIF value falls at or below this threshold. Note that the MIP carve-out for Advance Authorisation holders, 100% Export Oriented Units, and SEZ units does not override the Prohibited-import status for consignments below the MIP threshold that are intended for domestic tariff area use.
DGFT Notification 21/2015-20 dated 25-07-2018 · ITC (HS) import policy for CTI 0904 11 80
2
Upload all mandatory documents in e-Sanchit 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 codes are present 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 per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Be aware that spices — including pepper — are listed under Appendix 4J and are ineligible for import under the Duty Free Import Authorisation scheme 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 single most consequential error on this tariff line is attempting to import frozen pepper under a Duty Free Import Authorisation: DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 confirms that all spices fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition, rendering DFIA-based import impermissible under any circumstances regardless of end use. A consignment cleared under a DFIA is treated as an unauthorised import, attracting confiscation and monetary penalty under the Customs Act, 1962, in addition to DGFT-policy enforcement.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0904 11 80 require BIS certification?

No, frozen whole pepper 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 a Minimum Import Price condition administered by DGFT and the Prohibited-import overlay for sub-threshold CIF values.

Which e-Sanchit document codes are mandatory for this tariff line?

Four document codes are required: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (851000); all must be uploaded before the customs proper officer will grant out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus.

Can the MIP condition be waived for an Advance Authorisation holder importing frozen pepper?

The MIP itself does not apply to Advance Authorisation holders, 100% EOUs, and SEZ units, but those exemptions apply only when the imported goods are not sold into the domestic tariff area; diversion to the DTA triggers retrospective MIP recovery and ITC (HS) Prohibited-import enforcement under DGFT Notification 21/2015-20.

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