Eels

Prepared or preserved eels, fish preparations

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 1604 17 00 (Eels) 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 notified with effect from 1 March 2023. Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) ITC (HS) policy and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) customs overlays apply as additional clearance requirements.

What this is

HSN code

1604 17 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 food 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 mandatory high-risk-food regime covering fish and fish products. Upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and specimen copy of label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit before 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) prior to consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC for fish-product CTIs listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 3) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus.
CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023
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. Confirm labelling compliance under the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime before out-of-charge; a missing PGA clearance is not a rectifiable labelling defect and will result in 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 as the sole clearance document and neglecting the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit, which is an independent animal-origin overlay and cannot be substituted by any FSSAI authorisation. Consignments of prepared or preserved eels arriving at an undesignated port, or with a missing AQCS NOC IRN on the bill of entry, are detained and subject to demurrage and ground rent pending re-routing or re-export — the rectifiable-labelling dispensation under FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 does not cure an absent PGA clearance.

Need a regulatory steer on this product?

Speak to a regulatory counsel about your specific HSN, IS, and supplier situation.

Speak to an Expert

Frequently asked

Does HSN 1604 17 00 require BIS certification?

No, prepared or preserved eels fall outside 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 a concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit requirement and a 79-designated-port restriction.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for prepared eels?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the overseas manufacturing facility must be registered with FSSAI before any fish-product import — including prepared or preserved eels — is permitted into India.

What happens if the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN is not quoted on the bill of entry?

Customs out-of-charge is withheld until the AQCS-issued Sanitary Import Permit (document code 911DF1) IRN is uploaded in e-Sanchit and quoted on the bill of entry, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023; continued non-compliance renders the consignment liable to detention and re-export.

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