Cassia

Cassia spice for food import

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0910 99 21 (Cassia) 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 a minimum 25% value addition condition under the ITC (HS) Chapter 09 policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Cassia falls under Appendix 4J of the ITC (HS) and is ineligible for import under DFIA under any circumstances per DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025. Consignments must comply with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 for designated food-import entry points.

What this is

HSN code

0910 99 21

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
Secure a current FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) before filing the bill of entry and upload it in e-Sanchit. Additionally upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000) — the proper officer will verify all four documents in e-Sanchit before granting out-of-charge.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022
2
Confirm the consignment satisfies the minimum 25% value addition condition mandated under ITC (HS) Chapter 09 policy before the bill of entry is filed. Cassia is listed under Appendix 4J and is subject to a pre-import condition; import under Duty-Free Import Authorisation is not permissible under any circumstances irrespective of intended end use.
DGFT Public Notice 08/2024-25 dated 03-06-2024 · DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025
3
Route the consignment only through designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Any labelling deficiencies permitted for rectification under FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 must be corrected at customs-bonded warehouses by a single non-detachable sticker before visual inspection by the authorised officer.
General Note 4(D) 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

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is attempting to import cassia under a Duty-Free Import Authorisation, including for export-linked or value-added manufacturing end uses. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 explicitly declares all spices under Appendix 4J ineligible for DFIA, and the pre-import condition applies irrespective of intended end use — a DFIA-backed bill of entry will be rejected at the gateway and the consignment detained pending regularisation.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0910 99 21 require BIS certification?

No, cassia is not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this spice tariff line. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with ITC (HS) policy conditions including a 25% minimum value addition requirement administered by DGFT.

Which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge for this HSN?

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

Can cassia be imported under a Duty-Free Import Authorisation for export-oriented manufacturing?

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

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