Other

Crushed or ground mace and cardamoms, other spices

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0908 32 90 (crushed or ground mace and cardamoms, other) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Consignments must enter only through designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and all spices under this heading are ineligible for import under Duty Free Import Authorisation per DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025.

What this is

HSN code

0908 32 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 a current FSSAI Import Licence and ensure the foreign manufacturing facility is eligible to export food products to India. 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.
ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
2
Route the consignment only through a designated food-import port listed under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Verify labelling compliance with FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020; rectifiable labelling deficiencies — per-serve RDA contribution and expiry/best-before dates — may be corrected at customs bonded warehouses by affixing a single non-detachable sticker without altering the original label.
General Note 4(D), Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
3
Confirm that the import is not being placed under a Duty Free Import Authorisation. All spices fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition; import under DFIA is not permissible under any circumstances regardless of intended end use.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025

A word of counsel

The DFIA ineligibility trap is the most common error on this tariff line: importers familiar with using Duty Free Import Authorisations for food inputs routinely attempt to bring spices under DFIA, only to face consignment detention when DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 is applied at the bill of entry. All spices under Appendix 4J carry a pre-import condition that cannot be waived by end-use declarations; the FSSAI Import Licence and phytosanitary documentation remain mandatory in all cases.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0908 32 90 require BIS certification?

No, crushed or ground spices under this tariff line fall outside 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 ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 09 administered by DGFT.

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 is granted.

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

No. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 clarifies that all spices fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition, making import under DFIA impermissible irrespective of intended end use.

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