Cuttle fish and squid

Prepared or preserved cuttle fish and squid

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 1605 54 00 (Cuttle fish and squid) 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

1605 54 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 shipment. The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must 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 dispatch. At the bill-of-entry stage, quote the e-Sanchit IRN of the Sanitary Import Permit to obtain the AQCS NOC for 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 through one of the 79 designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Rectifiable labelling deficiencies must be remedied in accordance with FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 before out-of-charge is granted.
CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · General Note 4(D) of ITC (HS) Schedule I 2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence as the sole clearance and arriving at a non-designated port without a current AQCS Sanitary Import Permit IRN. Prepared mollusc products are classified as high-risk fish products; the AQCS clearance is independent of and not substituted by the FSSAI licence, and a consignment lacking either document at a designated port is detained pending upload — accruing demurrage and ground rent — with no rectification pathway for the missing PGA clearance itself.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1605 54 00 require BIS certification?

No, prepared or preserved cuttle fish and squid 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 AQCS Sanitary Import Permit requirement and a 79-designated-port restriction.

Which documents must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge for this tariff line?

Four documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence (code 911001), Specimen Copy of Label (code 0110FS), AQCS Health Certificate (code 6360AQ), and AQCS Sanitary Import Permit (code 911DF1); the Sanitary Import Permit IRN must additionally be quoted on the bill of entry to obtain the AQCS NOC per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus.

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

Yes. CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022 require mandatory registration of all foreign manufacturing facilities exporting fish and fish products — including prepared and preserved forms — to India before import is permitted.

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