Cassia

Dried cassia bark and cassia-tree flowers

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0906 19 10 (Cassia) 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, with ITC (HS) policy condition no. 1 of Chapter 09 administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) applying as a concurrent Restricted-import overlay. Import is permitted only through the 79 designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and spices — including cassia — are ineligible for import under Duty-Free Import Authorisation.

What this is

HSN code

0906 19 10

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 an FSSAI Import Licence before filing the bill of entry and confirm compliance with ITC (HS) policy condition no. 1 of Chapter 09. Upload all four mandatory documents in e-Sanchit prior to 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).
ITC (HS) policy condition no. 1, Chapter 09 · FSSAI Import Licence document code 911001 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022
2
Route the consignment only through one of the 79 designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Consignments arriving at a non-designated port are liable to detention; the rectifiable-labelling regime under FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 and FSSAI orders dated 22-05-2018 and 14-01-2019 allows specified label deficiencies to be corrected at customs-bonded warehouses before inspection.
General Note 4(D), Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
3
Do not import cassia under a Duty-Free Import Authorisation (DFIA). All spices fall under Appendix 4J of the ITC (HS) and are subject to a pre-import condition; DGFT has clarified that their import is not permissible under DFIA under any circumstances, irrespective of intended end use.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is assuming that a current FSSAI Import Licence and a valid Phytosanitary Certificate are sufficient for release, while overlooking the Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS). Customs officers conducting e-Sanchit verification will withhold out-of-charge if any of the four mandatory document codes — 0110FS, 6570FS, 851000, and 911001 — are absent or carry an expired validity, resulting in consignment detention, demurrage, and ground rent. Additionally, any attempt to use a DFIA to bypass FSSAI scrutiny attracts DGFT enforcement as a per se policy violation.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0906 19 10 require BIS certification?

No, cassia falls outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime entirely. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with the ITC (HS) Restricted-import policy condition no. 1 of Chapter 09 administered by DGFT applying concurrently.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for cassia imports?

Four document codes are mandatory before out-of-charge: Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), Phytosanitary Certificate (851000), and FSSAI Import Licence (911001), per the CCR requirement verified by customs officers on PGA-facilitated bills.

Can cassia be imported under a Duty-Free Import Authorisation?

No. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 confirms that all spices, including cassia, fall under Appendix 4J and carry a pre-import condition, making import under DFIA impermissible irrespective of the intended end use.

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