Other

Other spices (residual category, Chapter 09)

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 0910 99 29 (Other spices) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and food-safety clearance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) policy conditions under Chapter 9 of the ITC (HS) including a mandatory 25% value-addition requirement per DGFT Public Notice 08/2024-25 dated 03-06-2024. Consignments are restricted to designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and import under Duty-Free Import Authorisation is not permissible as all spices fall under Appendix 4J.

What this is

HSN code

0910 99 29

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 (document code 911001) and ensure the foreign manufacturing facility is eligible under the FSSAI food-import regime. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence, 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.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023; FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
2
Verify that the consignment satisfies the 25% minimum value-addition condition mandated by Chapter 9 of the ITC (HS) import policy. Failure to meet this threshold renders the import non-compliant with the ITC (HS) policy condition, attracting Restricted-import enforcement by DGFT.
DGFT Public Notice 08/2024-25 dated 03-06-2024; ITC (HS) policy conditions, Chapter 9
3
Route the consignment exclusively through a designated food-import entry point under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Do NOT seek import under Duty-Free Import Authorisation — all spices are listed under Appendix 4J as pre-import-condition goods and DFIA import is not permissible under any circumstances, irrespective of intended end use.
DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025; General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022

A word of counsel

The single most common error on this tariff line is attempting to import spices under a Duty-Free Import Authorisation on the basis that the goods are intended as manufacturing inputs. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 closes this route categorically: all spices fall under Appendix 4J and are subject to a pre-import condition, making DFIA import impermissible irrespective of end use. An FSSAI Import Licence and compliance with the 25% value-addition condition remain the operative requirements at the bill-of-entry stage.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 0910 99 29 require BIS certification?

No, residual-category spices fall 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 DGFT ITC (HS) policy conditions including the 25% value-addition requirement.

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

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

Can spices under this tariff line be imported under a Duty-Free Import Authorisation?

No. DGFT Policy Circular 05/2025 dated 22-09-2025 confirms that all spices are listed under Appendix 4J with a pre-import condition, making import under DFIA impermissible under any circumstances regardless of the intended end use.

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