Mohua flowers

Dried or fresh mohua flowers for human consumption

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 1212 99 20 (Mohua flowers) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and label-compliance requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) administers the ITC (HS) import policy overlay, and consignments must enter only through designated food-import entry points per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

1212 99 20

Chapter

12 · Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; industrial or medicinal plants

Primary regulator

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

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Entry-point declaration per DGFT

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 the FSSAI Import Licence before the bill of entry is filed and upload it in e-Sanchit under document code 911001. Simultaneously upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS); customs out-of-charge will not be granted until both documents are verified in e-Sanchit by the proper officer.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs 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
Ensure the consignment enters through a designated food-import entry point in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Diversion to a non-designated port renders the consignment liable to detention pending PGA clearance.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023
3
Verify that labelling meets the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Where permissible labelling deficiencies exist — such as missing per-serve percentage contribution to recommended dietary allowance or date of expiry — rectification may be carried out at the customs bonded warehouse by affixing a single non-detachable sticker, without altering original label information, before visual inspection by the authorised officer.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022, Para 2(i) · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is misreading the rectifiable-labelling dispensation as a blanket waiver: rectification is available only for the specific deficiencies listed in CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs Para 2(i) and must be completed at the customs bonded warehouse before inspection, not after. A missing FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) or Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) cannot be cured by the rectification route — consignments lacking either document are detained at the port of import pending out-of-charge clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1212 99 20 require BIS certification?

No, mohua flowers are not within 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 an ITC (HS) policy overlay administered by DGFT requiring entry through designated food-import ports.

Which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge is granted for mohua flowers?

The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit; the proper officer verifies these before granting out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

Can labelling deficiencies in an imported mohua flower consignment be rectified at the port?

Yes, but only for the specific deficiencies enumerated under CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs Para 2(i) — such as per-serve RDA contribution and expiry-date alignment — and only by affixing a single non-detachable sticker at the customs bonded warehouse before inspection by the authorised officer, without altering the original label.

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