Other

Whole pepper of the genus Piper, neither crushed nor ground

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0904 11 90 (whole pepper of the genus Piper, neither crushed nor ground) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with a Minimum Import Price of ₹500 per kilogram CIF operative under the ITC (HS) policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). The tariff line carries a baseline Prohibited import status unless the MIP condition is met, and import through designated food-import ports is required under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

0904 11 90

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Food Grade Certificate from FSSAI
Phytosanitary Certificate from exporter

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
Ensure the consignment CIF value exceeds ₹500 per kilogram before filing the bill of entry; consignments at or below this threshold fall under the Prohibited-import status and cannot be cleared. The MIP exemption for Advance Authorisation holders, 100% Export Oriented Units, and SEZ units is available only where imported spices are not sold into the Domestic Tariff Area, and note that DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 confirms spices under Appendix 4J are ineligible for import under DFIA under any circumstances.
DGFT Notification 21/2015-20 dated 25-07-2018 · DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025
2
Upload all mandatory e-Sanchit documents before out-of-charge: Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000), and FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001). The proper officer must verify all four codes are present and the FSSAI Import Licence IRN is quoted on the bill of entry.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
3
Route the consignment through one of the designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Labelling deficiencies permissible for port-level rectification under FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 must be corrected in customs-bonded warehouses by affixing a single non-detachable sticker next to the principal display panel before inspection by the FSSAI-authorised officer.
General Note 4(D) of ITC (HS) 2022 · FSSAI Order dated 18-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is attempting to import pepper under a Duty Free Import Authorisation on the basis that the end use is industrial or re-export. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 forecloses this argument entirely: all spices fall under Appendix 4J as pre-import-condition goods, and DFIA imports are impermissible irrespective of intended end use. A consignment presented under DFIA is liable to confiscation and DGFT-policy enforcement independent of whether the MIP condition is otherwise satisfied.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0904 11 90 require BIS certification?

No, whole pepper of the genus Piper 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 Act, 2006, with a Minimum Import Price condition and a Prohibited-import baseline administered by DGFT under DGFT Notification 21/2015-20.

Which e-Sanchit document codes are mandatory at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

Four documents must be uploaded: Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), Phytosanitary Certificate (851000), and FSSAI Import Licence (911001); out-of-charge will not be granted until all four are verified per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

Can an Advance Authorisation holder import this pepper below the ₹500 per kilogram MIP?

The MIP exemption for Advance Authorisation, 100% EOU, and SEZ units applies only where the imported spice is not diverted to the Domestic Tariff Area; additionally, DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 bars import of all spices under DFIA since they are listed in Appendix 4J as pre-import-condition goods.

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