Of seed quality

Whole spice seeds of coriander, cumin, fennel, caraway of seed quality

FSSAI CLEARANCE · PPQS CLEARANCE

HSN 0909 61 41 (spice seeds of seed quality, neither crushed nor ground) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage (PPQS) phytosanitary clearance under the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Imports into India) Order, 2003. The tariff line is Restricted under the ITC (HS) policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), with import for sowing permitted only under a PPQS import permit and import of spices ineligible under DFIA per DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025.

What this is

HSN code

0909 61 41

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006; PPQS · Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Imports into India) Order, 2003

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Phytosanitary Certificate from PPQS
Food Grade Certificate from FSSAI

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

PPQSPPQS·Plant Quarantine and Phytosanitary regime

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Secure a valid FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS) before shipment. Upload both documents, together with a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), in e-Sanchit prior to filing the bill of entry; the proper officer will verify these uploads before granting out-of-charge.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus 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
2
Obtain a Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000) from the competent authority of the exporting country and upload it in e-Sanchit. Where the seeds are imported for sowing, the consignment must also be covered by an import permit issued by PPQS under the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Imports into India) Order, 2003; no separate FSSAI licence is required solely for that sowing-purpose pathway.
Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Imports into India) Order, 2003 · ITC (HS) import policy, Chapter 09
3
Route the consignment through a designated food-import entry point in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Note that all spices — including these seed-quality items — fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition; import under Duty Free Import Authorisation is not permissible under any circumstances, irrespective of intended end use.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022 · DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025

A word of counsel

The error most commonly made on this tariff line is attempting to import spice seeds under a Duty Free Import Authorisation on the premise that the end use is industrial or as an input for export production. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 categorically forecloses this route: all spices under Appendix 4J carry a pre-import condition, making DFIA ineligible regardless of intended end use. An import attempted on a DFIA basis will be treated as an unauthorised Restricted-policy import, attracting confiscation and monetary penalty.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0909 61 41 require BIS certification?

No, whole spice seeds of seed quality 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, and by Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage under the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Imports into India) Order, 2003, with a Restricted ITC (HS) policy overlay administered by DGFT.

Which e-Sanchit document codes are mandatory at the bill of entry for this HSN?

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

Can spice seeds imported for sowing bypass the FSSAI Import Licence requirement?

Yes, for the sowing pathway only: import is permitted without an FSSAI licence provided a valid PPQS import permit under the Plant Quarantine (Regulation of Imports into India) Order, 2003 covers the consignment. The phytosanitary certificate and PPQS import permit remain mandatory, and the DFIA exclusion under DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 applies regardless of the sowing purpose.

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