Sea cucumbers

Prepared or preserved sea cucumbers

FSSAI CLEARANCE · AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 1605 61 00 (Sea cucumbers) 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 aquatic-invertebrate preparation. 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 61 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) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit at the bill of entry; consignments from unregistered facilities will not be granted out-of-charge.
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; failure to do so prevents the AQCS NOC from being issued for 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 and upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit. Labelling defects falling within the rectifiable-labelling regime must be addressed before out-of-charge; non-rectifiable defects result in 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 · General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating prepared sea cucumbers as a lower-risk preserved-food product and overlooking the AQCS Sanitary Import Permit, which is required independently of the FSSAI Import Licence. Consignments that arrive at a designated port with a valid FSSAI licence but without the AQCS NOC are detained pending upload of the Sanitary Import Permit IRN, attracting demurrage and ground rent. The 79-port restriction is enforced at port of entry; diversion to an undesignated port results in consignment seizure regardless of document status.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1605 61 00 require BIS certification?

No, no BIS Quality Control Order covers prepared or preserved sea cucumbers. 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 the 79-designated-port restriction operative from 1 March 2023.

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

Yes. Per CBIC Instruction 30/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 10 October 2022, the overseas facility producing fish and aquatic-invertebrate preparations for export to India must be registered with FSSAI before import is permitted.

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

The AQCS NOC cannot be issued for the consignment; the bill of entry will not proceed to out-of-charge, and the consignment is detained at the designated port, accruing demurrage and ground rent until the correct IRN is uploaded in e-Sanchit per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus.

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