Other prepared or preserved fish

Other prepared or preserved fish products

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 1604 20 00 (Other prepared or preserved 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. Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) Sanitary Import Permit clearance applies concurrently, and consignments are restricted to 79 designated food-import ports operative from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

1604 20 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 FSSAI under the mandatory high-risk-food registration regime covering fish and fish products. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must both 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
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; without the IRN, the NOC cannot be issued for the CTIs listed in 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
3
Route the consignment only 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 under the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime before out-of-charge; a missing PGA clearance document is not rectifiable and triggers 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 presenting a current FSSAI Import Licence while the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN has not been quoted on the bill of entry. The AQCS clearance is independent of FSSAI food-safety clearance — a consignment with a valid FSSAI licence but no AQCS NOC will be detained at the designated port, accruing demurrage, until the 911DF1 IRN is uploaded and verified in e-Sanchit.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1604 20 00 require BIS certification?

No, prepared or preserved fish falls 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 restriction to 79 designated ports.

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

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (911001), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), AQCS Health Certificate (6360AQ), and AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (911DF1); the Sanitary Import Permit IRN must also be quoted on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC.

Is the foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI a one-time requirement or does it apply per shipment?

Registration is facility-level, not per-shipment — the exporting facility must be on FSSAI's approved list before any consignment departs; a consignment from an unregistered facility will not be granted out-of-charge regardless of other documents.

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