Poppy

Poppy spice, other spices (poppy seeds, poppy heads)

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0910 99 26 (Poppy) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and food-safety compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017. The tariff line is Restricted under the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and import is permitted only through designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Importers must comply with DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025, which confirms that all spices — including poppy — fall under Appendix 4J and are ineligible for import under Duty Free Import Authorisation under any circumstances.

What this is

HSN code

0910 99 26

Chapter

09 · Coffee, tea, mate and spices

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017

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 (document code 911001) before filing the bill of entry. Upload the Import Licence, Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (document code 851000) in e-Sanchit prior to customs out-of-charge.
FSSAI Import Licence 911001 · CCR document codes 0110FS, 6570FS, 851000 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
2
Route the consignment exclusively through one of the designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Confirm the bill of entry reflects a permitted port of import; consignments arriving at non-designated ports are detained and cannot be regularised post-arrival.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I ITC (HS) 2022 · DGFT Public Notice 08/2024-25 dated 03-06-2024
3
Do not file the import under a Duty Free Import Authorisation. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 confirms that all spices fall under Appendix 4J, are subject to a pre-import condition, and are ineligible for DFIA regardless of intended end use. Ensure labelling complies with FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020; permissible labelling deficiencies may be rectified at the customs bonded warehouse by affixing a single non-detachable sticker per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is attempting import under a Duty Free Import Authorisation on the assumption that the food-processing or manufacturing end use creates an exemption. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 closes this route explicitly: all spices under Appendix 4J carry a pre-import condition, and no end-use carve-out exists. An FSSAI Import Licence is a separate, concurrent requirement and does not substitute for compliance with the ITC (HS) Restricted-import policy.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0910 99 26 require BIS certification?

No, poppy spice falls outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with the ITC (HS) Restricted-import policy overlay administered by DGFT.

Which e-Sanchit document codes are mandatory for poppy imports at the bill of entry?

Four documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), and Phytosanitary Certificate (851000) — all must be present before customs out-of-charge is granted.

Can poppy be imported under a Duty Free Import Authorisation for use in food manufacturing?

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

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