Crushed or ground

Crushed or ground pepper, capsicum or pimenta fruits

FSSAI CLEARANCE · PPQS CLEARANCE

HSN 0904 12 00 (crushed or ground pepper, capsicum, and pimenta fruits) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and non-GM origin cum GM-free certification requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) Phytosanitary Certificate clearance applies as a concurrent overlay, and the tariff line carries a Minimum Import Price of ₹500 per kilogram CIF under the ITC (HS) policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

What this is

HSN code

0904 12 00

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk food, non-GM regime)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Phytosanitary Certificate from PPQS
Non-GM origin 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
Ensure the consignment CIF value is above ₹500 per kilogram before filing the bill of entry; sub-MIP consignments are Prohibited under the ITC (HS) policy. Note that the MIP exemption for Advance Authorisation, 100% EOU, and SEZ imports does not exempt those consignments from the Restricted/Prohibited status — DGFT policy controls remain operative. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge.
DGFT Notification 21/2015-20 dated 25-07-2018 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022
2
Obtain and upload in e-Sanchit the Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000) from PPQS and a Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS). For consignments dispatched from the exporting country on or after 1 March 2021, a non-GM origin cum GM-free certificate — or a non-GM attestation endorsed on the Phytosanitary Certificate in the FSSAI-prescribed format — must accompany each consignment.
FSSAI order dated 21-08-2021 · FSSAI order F.N. 1-1764/FSSAI/Imports/2018(Part1) dated 03-12-2020
3
Confirm this tariff line is not imported under Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA): all spices, including crushed and ground pepper and capsicum, fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition, rendering import under DFIA impermissible under any circumstances regardless of intended end use. Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is assuming that an Advance Authorisation or EOU/SEZ status neutralises all policy controls because it waives the MIP. The MIP waiver is distinct from the DFIA prohibition: DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 confirms that spices under Appendix 4J cannot be imported under DFIA regardless of end use, and consignments routed under DFIA face confiscation and re-export. The non-GM certificate must accompany each individual consignment — a standing certificate issued once for a supplier does not satisfy the per-shipment requirement.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0904 12 00 require BIS certification?

No, crushed and ground spices of this tariff line are 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 concurrent Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage Phytosanitary clearance and the DGFT Minimum Import Price policy condition.

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

The mandatory documents to be uploaded in e-Sanchit are: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (851000); all must be present before customs out-of-charge is granted.

Can this HSN be imported under Duty-Free Import Authorisation?

No. 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, making import under DFIA impermissible under any circumstances, irrespective of the intended end use.

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