Other

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume), other forms

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0906 11 90 (Cinnamon, other) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with mandatory coumarin-content testing at the bill-of-entry stage. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Restricted-import policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 applies, and spices under this tariff line are explicitly ineligible for import under Duty Free Import Authorisation per DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025. Consignments must enter through designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

0906 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
Obtain and upload the 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) in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. Customs out-of-charge will not be granted until all four documents are verified in e-Sanchit.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022
2
Ensure the consignment is tested for coumarin content on a dry basis, which must not exceed 0.3 percent by weight. Separately ensure the goods are correctly declared as Cinnamomum zeylanicum and not mis-declared cassia or split cassia, which is a distinct product and a known mis-declaration risk on this tariff line.
CBIC Instruction 28/2021-Cus dated 09-12-2021 · CBIC Instruction 16/2021-Cus dated 09-08-2021
3
Do not import cinnamon under a Duty Free Import Authorisation (DFIA). All spices fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition, making their import under DFIA impermissible irrespective of intended end use. File under the standard ITC (HS) Restricted-import policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 instead.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 · ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09

A word of counsel

The most persistent error on this tariff line is the attempted use of DFIA to import cinnamon: DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 clarifies unequivocally that all spices, including Cinnamomum zeylanicum, fall under Appendix 4J with a pre-import condition, and no DFIA authorisation — regardless of the declared end use — provides a lawful import basis. A separate and recurring enforcement trigger is coumarin mis-declaration: consignments that fail the 0.3 percent dry-weight limit or are found to be mis-declared cassia face seizure and FSSAI enforcement independent of the DFIA question.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0906 11 90 require BIS certification?

No, cinnamon under this tariff line 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 coumarin-content testing and DGFT Restricted-import policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 as the operative framework.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this tariff line?

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

Can labelling deficiencies on imported cinnamon consignments be rectified at the port?

Yes, specified labelling information — including per-serve dietary contribution percentages and expiry dates added by the manufacturer — may be rectified at customs-bonded warehouses before inspection, by affixing a single non-detachable sticker without altering the original label, per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus and FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022.

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