Small cardamom seeds

Crushed or ground small cardamom seeds

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0908 32 20 (Small cardamom seeds, crushed or ground) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and food-safety clearance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with import restricted to designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 applies, and spices — including cardamom — are listed under Appendix 4J, making import under Duty Free Import Authorisation ineligible under any circumstances per DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025.

What this is

HSN code

0908 32 20

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. 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; the proper officer will verify all four documents before granting out-of-charge.
ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022
2
Route the consignment only through one of the designated food-import entry points notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Confirm label compliance under FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020; permissible label rectifications must be completed at a customs bonded warehouse before visual inspection, using a single non-detachable sticker without altering the original label.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · 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 attempt importation under a Duty Free Import Authorisation. All spices — including cardamom — fall under Appendix 4J and carry a pre-import condition; DFIA import is impermissible 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 Advance Authorisation or DFIA schemes provide a route around the Appendix 4J pre-import condition for spices. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 explicitly forecloses DFIA for all spices in any end-use scenario; an importer who ships under DFIA expecting a post-import credit will face outright rejection of the authorisation, recovery of applicable duties, and potential ITC (HS) Restricted-policy enforcement — none of which is remedied by the rectifiable-labelling dispensation.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0908 32 20 require BIS certification?

No, crushed or ground small cardamom seeds 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 DGFT policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 and the Appendix 4J pre-import condition applying as overlays.

Which four documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this tariff line?

The FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (851000) must all be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the proper officer can grant out-of-charge clearance.

Can spices under this HSN be imported using a Duty Free Import Authorisation?

No. Per DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22 September 2025, all spices fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition; DFIA import is not permissible under any circumstances, irrespective of intended end use.

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