Anchovies

Prepared or preserved anchovies, fish preparations

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 1604 16 00 (Anchovies) 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 clearance applies concurrently, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

1604 16 00

Chapter

16 · Preparations of meat, fish or crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk fish product regime)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Sanitary Import Permit from AQCS
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
Confirm the foreign manufacturing facility is registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the high-risk-food regime before shipment. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit prior to filing the bill of entry.
CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus dated 14-11-2022 · FSSAI order dated 10-10-2022
2
Obtain the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) and Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) before consignment dispatch. At the bill of entry, quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit to obtain the AQCS NOC for the listed CTIs under Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of Circular 24/2022-Cus.
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
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 rectifiable-labelling regime before out-of-charge; non-rectifiable labelling defects result in consignment detention.
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 and the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit as interchangeable clearances when they are independent obligations — a consignment carrying a current FSSAI licence but missing the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN in e-Sanchit will be detained at the designated port and cannot obtain out-of-charge. Additionally, the foreign-manufacturer registration must be active at the time of shipment; a lapse between registration and arrival converts the import into an unauthorised high-risk-food entry, attracting seizure independent of any labelling or licensing status.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1604 16 00 require BIS certification?

No, prepared and preserved anchovies are not within 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 a concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit and a 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry for this tariff line?

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), AQCS Health Certificate (6360AQ), and AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1) — all must be present in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge is granted.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI a one-time requirement or does it require renewal before each shipment?

Registration is facility-specific and must be current at the time of each shipment; per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, imports of fish products from unregistered or deregistered facilities are not permitted regardless of the importer's own FSSAI licence status.

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