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Extracts of fish

Extracts and juices of fish (fish extract, fish stock)

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 1603 00 20 (Extracts of fish) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and mandatory foreign-manufacturer registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, as a high-risk fish product. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit and Veterinary Health Certificate clearances apply concurrently, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is
HSN code
1603 00 20
Chapter
16 · Preparations of meat, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates
Primary regulator
FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk food regime)
Customs documentation
  • Import Licence from FSSAI
  • Sanitary Import Permit from AQCS
  • Veterinary Health Certificate from AQCS
Applicable Partner Government Agencies
FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
AQCSAQCS·Animal Quarantine and Certification Services

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps
  1. 1
    Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime covering fish and fish products. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed.
    CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022 · CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022
  2. 2
    Upload the Veterinary Health Certificate issued by the exporting country (document code 853AQ1) and the Laboratory Report or Certificate of Analysis (document code 001AQ1) in e-Sanchit. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC.
    CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/TFM/Apex/2022-FSSAI
  3. 3
    Route the consignment exclusively through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Verify label compliance against the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling framework before filing; non-rectifiable defects prevent out-of-charge.
    CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · 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 treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance document and overlooking the two independent AQCS streams — the Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1) and the Certificate of Analysis (001AQ1) — each of which must be uploaded separately in e-Sanchit. A consignment that arrives with all FSSAI documents in order but without both AQCS uploads is detained at the designated port pending out-of-charge; demurrage and ground rent accrue from the date of arrival, not the date the deficiency is discovered.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 1603 00 20 require BIS certification?
No. Fish extracts and juices fall outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services clearances and the 79-designated-port restriction.
Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this tariff line?
Four codes are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Veterinary Health Certificate (853AQ1), Certificate of Analysis (001AQ1), and the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN (911DF1) — as specified in CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 and CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.
Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for small-volume fish-extract shipments?
Yes. The registration requirement under CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022 applies to all fish and fish-product imports regardless of shipment volume; there is no de minimis exemption in the notified framework.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: FSSAI / AQCS / DGFT / CBIC / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
Related
ChapterChapter 16 · Preparations of meat, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebratesHSNEXTRACTS AND JUICES OF MEAT, FISH OR CRUSTACEANS, MOLLUSCS OR OTHER AQUATIC INVERTEBRATESHSNExtracts and juices of meat, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates: