Edible grade

Edible grade hydrogenated or inter-esterified vegetable fats and oils

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 1516 20 21 (edible grade vegetable fats and oils, partly or wholly hydrogenated or inter-esterified) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) policy requires entry only through designated food-import ports under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, with Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) verification of mandatory e-Sanchit documents before out-of-charge.

What this is

HSN code

1516 20 21

Chapter

15 · Animal or vegetable fats and oils; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Certificate of Analysis from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI

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 and upload it in e-Sanchit under document code 911001 before filing the bill of entry. Also upload the Certificate of Analysis (document code 0010FS) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS); the proper officer will verify all three are present before granting out-of-charge.
FSSAI Import Licence document code 911001; Certificate of Analysis 0010FS; Specimen Copy of Label 0110FS — CCR e-Sanchit requirement
2
Route the consignment only through a designated food-import entry point listed under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Arrival at a non-designated port renders the consignment liable to detention pending redirection or re-export.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023
3
Ensure labels conform to the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 before customs inspection. Certain labelling deficiencies — including per-serve dietary contribution data and expiry/best-before information — may be rectified at a customs bonded warehouse by affixing a single non-detachable sticker adjacent to the principal display panel, without altering original label content, subject to authorised officer verification.
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 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is relying on the rectifiable-labelling dispensation as a fallback rather than securing label compliance before shipment. The port-level sticker remedy is available only for the specific fields enumerated in CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs and its successor Instruction 09/2023-Cus; labelling deficiencies outside that defined list are not rectifiable at port, and a consignment detained for non-rectifiable label non-compliance faces re-export or confiscation — with demurrage and ground rent accruing throughout.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1516 20 21 require BIS certification?

No, edible grade hydrogenated or inter-esterified vegetable fats and oils are not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with FSSAI Import Licence, Certificate of Analysis, and label compliance as the operative requirements.

Which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this HSN?

Three documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001), Certificate of Analysis (document code 0010FS), and Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS); all must be uploaded before the bill of entry is processed for out-of-charge.

Can labelling deficiencies be corrected after the consignment arrives at port?

Only the specific labelling fields listed in CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs and modified by CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus may be rectified at a customs bonded warehouse by non-detachable sticker; deficiencies outside that enumerated list cannot be rectified at port and may result in re-export or confiscation.

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