Asafoetida

Asafoetida, natural gum-resin spice for food use

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 1301 90 13 (Asafoetida) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, including the FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 and the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 for designated food-import entry points, administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and enforced by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), applies as an additional clearance requirement.

What this is

HSN code

1301 90 13

Chapter

13 · Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006; 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 the FSSAI Import Licence and ensure the foreign manufacturing facility's credentials are in order. Before the bill of entry is filed, upload all four mandatory documents in e-Sanchit: Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), Phytosanitary Certificate (851000), and FSSAI Import Licence (911001).
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
2
Route the consignment only through a food-import entry point designated under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Arrival at a non-designated port triggers detention and potential re-export.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023
3
Verify label compliance with the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 before out-of-charge. Rectifiable labelling deficiencies — including per-serve RDA contribution and expiry/best-before date where manufacturer-provided — may be corrected at the customs bonded warehouse by affixing a single non-detachable sticker adjacent to the principal display panel without altering the original label.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022

A word of counsel

The single most common error on this tariff line is uploading the FSSAI Import Licence alone and treating the Food Grade Certificate (document code 6570FS) and Phytosanitary Certificate (851000) as optional. Customs proper officers conducting PGA-facilitated-bill verification will check all four document codes in e-Sanchit before granting out-of-charge; a missing 6570FS or 851000 results in consignment detention and demurrage at the designated port, not a rectifiable labelling deficiency — and neither document can be substituted after arrival.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1301 90 13 require BIS certification?

No, asafoetida falls outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers natural gum-resins. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with mandatory e-Sanchit document uploads and a designated food-import entry-point restriction.

Which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed?

Four documents are mandatory: Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Food Grade Certificate (6570FS), Phytosanitary Certificate (851000), and FSSAI Import Licence (911001); out-of-charge will not be granted until all four are verified in e-Sanchit per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus.

Can labelling deficiencies be corrected at the port for asafoetida consignments?

Yes, but only for the specific rectifiable items listed under the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 — including per-serve RDA contribution and expiry/best-before date — by affixing a non-detachable sticker at a customs bonded warehouse before inspection by the authorised FSSAI officer.

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