Mussels

Prepared or preserved mussels, molluscs aquatic invertebrates

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 1605 53 00 (Mussels) 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 as a concurrent overlay, and consignments are permitted only through 79 designated food-import ports with effect from 1 March 2023.

What this is

HSN code

1605 53 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 covering fish and their products. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed; imports from unregistered facilities are not permitted at any designated port.
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 a Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) before consignment dispatch. Quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC for the concerned 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 only through one of the 79 designated food-import ports notified under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS). Confirm compliance with the FSSAI rectifiable-labelling regime before out-of-charge; labelling defects may be rectified but missing PGA clearances cannot be substituted at port.
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 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is filing the bill of entry with a current FSSAI Import Licence but without the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN quoted, treating the two clearances as sequential rather than concurrent. A consignment arriving at a designated port without the 911DF1 IRN on the bill of entry is detained pending AQCS NOC, accruing demurrage and ground rent that cannot be recovered from the delay. Both clearances must be in e-Sanchit and the IRN quoted before out-of-charge is granted.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1605 53 00 require BIS certification?

No, prepared or preserved mussels 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 requirement and a restriction to 79 designated food-import ports.

Which ports are designated for import of mussels under HSN 1605 53 00?

Import is permitted only through the 79 designated food-import ports listed in the Annexure to CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023, operative from 1 March 2023 under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

Is foreign-manufacturer registration with FSSAI mandatory even for prepared or preserved mussels?

Yes. CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022 require mandatory registration of the foreign manufacturing facility for fish and their products — a category that covers prepared and preserved molluscs — before import is permitted.

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