Crushed or ground

Crushed or ground coriander, cumin, caraway, fennel seeds

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0909 32 00 (crushed or ground spice seeds) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence requirement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with import additionally governed by ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 9 administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and spices under this heading are ineligible for import under the Duty-Free Import Authorisation scheme.

What this is

HSN code

0909 32 00

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 valid FSSAI Import Licence before filing the bill of entry and ensure all mandatory documents — 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) — are uploaded in e-Sanchit prior to out-of-charge.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · ITC (HS) policy condition 1, Chapter 9
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. Labelling deficiencies covered by the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 may be rectified at customs-bonded warehouses by affixing a single non-detachable sticker before FSSAI inspection, without altering original label information.
General Note 4(D), ITC (HS) 2022 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
3
Do not attempt to import spices under this heading using a Duty-Free Import Authorisation. All spices fall under Appendix 4J of the ITC (HS) and are subject to a pre-import condition; their import under DFIA is not permissible under any circumstances irrespective of intended end use.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025

A word of counsel

The error most frequently made on this tariff line is assuming that a DFIA or advance-authorisation scheme exempts the importer from FSSAI clearance or from the Chapter 9 ITC (HS) pre-import condition. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 expressly forecloses DFIA use for all spices in Appendix 4J — an importer who ships against a DFIA faces both customs detention and DGFT enforcement for unauthorised use of the authorisation, compounding the FSSAI non-compliance exposure.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0909 32 00 require BIS certification?

No. No BIS Quality Control Order covers crushed or ground spice seeds under this heading. 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 9 administered by DGFT as a concurrent requirement.

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

Four documents are mandatory: Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), Phytosanitary Certificate (851000), and FSSAI Import Licence (911001); all must be uploaded before customs out-of-charge per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

Can crushed spice seeds under this heading be imported under the Duty-Free Import Authorisation scheme?

No. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 clarifies that all spices fall under Appendix 4J and carry a pre-import condition, rendering their import under DFIA impermissible regardless of the intended end use.

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