Cinnamon tree flowers
Dried cinnamon tree flowers (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume)
HSN 0906 11 20 (Cinnamon tree flowers) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and food-safety compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, including mandatory coumarin testing. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) administers ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09, and DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 bars import of spices under Duty-Free Import Authorisation. Consignments must enter through designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.
- Import Licence from FSSAI
- Food Grade Certificate from FSSAI
- Phyto-Sanitary Certificate from exporter
Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.
- 1Obtain an FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and upload it in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. Also upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), and Phyto-Sanitary Certificate (document code 851000) in e-Sanchit prior to customs out-of-charge.FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
- 2Ensure every consignment of cinnamon is tested for coumarin content on a dry basis; the maximum permissible level is 0.3 percent by weight. Verify that the product is not mis-declared: cassia or split cassia must not be declared as cinnamon at the bill of entry.CBIC Instruction 28/2021-Cus dated 09-12-2021 · CBIC Instruction 16/2021-Cus dated 09-08-2021
- 3Confirm that the import is not being filed under a Duty-Free Import Authorisation. All spices, including cinnamon tree flowers, fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition; DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 clarifies that their import under DFIA is not permissible under any circumstances, irrespective of end use.DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 · ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09
The most common error on this tariff line is the mis-declaration of cassia or split cassia as true cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume) to exploit the lower duty or fewer regulatory hurdles. Customs officers are specifically instructed to check for such mis-declaration under CBIC Instruction 16/2021-Cus, and a failed coumarin test — the level in cassia typically far exceeds the 0.3 percent threshold — will simultaneously confirm the mis-declaration, exposing the importer to confiscation, monetary penalty, and FSSAI enforcement for introducing an adulterated food product.