Other

Prepared or preserved fish other than whole or fillets

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 1604 19 00 (prepared or preserved fish, other) 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 operates as a concurrent overlay, and consignments are admitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

1604 19 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 high-risk-food regime before the purchase order is placed. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must both be uploaded 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) before consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to secure the AQCS NOC for the 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 · 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 listed in the CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus Annexure, as mandated under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Confirm label compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime before customs out-of-charge; non-rectifiable labelling defects attract 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 frequent error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole gate and overlooking the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit as an independent clearance requirement. A consignment carrying a current FSSAI licence but lacking the AQCS NOC — or with the Sanitary Import Permit IRN absent from e-Sanchit — will be detained at the designated port, accruing demurrage and ground rent, with no rectification pathway available for the missing PGA clearance.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1604 19 00 require BIS certification?

No, prepared or preserved fish falls 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 a concurrent Animal Quarantine and Certification Services Sanitary Import Permit and restriction to 79 designated food-import ports.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory for this tariff line?

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the overseas facility producing fish and fish products for export to India must be registered with FSSAI before import is permitted; consignments from unregistered facilities are not entitled to out-of-charge clearance.

What happens if the consignment arrives at a port not included in the 79 designated food-import ports?

Diversion to a non-designated port is a breach of General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and the consignment is liable to detention and re-export; CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus provides no remedial port-transfer mechanism for high-risk food products.

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