Not defatted

Cocoa paste, not defatted (whole cocoa liquor)

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 1803 10 00 (Cocoa paste, not defatted) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and label-compliance requirements under the Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017. Compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 governing designated food-import entry points, and the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) Bangladesh-origin port restrictions under DGFT Notification 7/2025-26, apply as additional clearance requirements.

What this is

HSN code

1803 10 00

Chapter

18 · Cocoa and cocoa preparations

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards (Import) Regulations, 2017

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Port-compliance declaration from DGFT

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

Compliance steps

1
Obtain a current FSSAI Import Licence and upload it in e-Sanchit under document code 911001 before filing the bill of entry. Simultaneously upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS); the proper officer will verify both documents are present before granting out-of-charge.
FSSAI Import Licence document code 911001 · Specimen Copy of Label document code 0110FS · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
2
Ensure all label information complies with the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Where label deficiencies are limited to per-serve RDA percentages or expiry/best-before date presentation, rectification by a single non-detachable sticker affixed at the customs bonded warehouse is permitted before visual inspection — provided the manufacturer supplies the corrected information and the authorised officer verifies it.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022
3
Verify that the consignment enters through a designated food-import port under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. If originating from or transiting Bangladesh, confirm applicability of DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025, which introduces port restrictions under Para 19 of the General Notes; consignments falling outside the exempted-goods lists in Paras 2 and 3 are subject to those restrictions.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of ITC (HS) 2022 · DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the FSSAI Import Licence upload as the sole pre-clearance obligation, while overlooking the Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS) as a separately mandatory e-Sanchit document. A bill of entry presenting only the licence but lacking the label specimen will not receive out-of-charge, and any labelling rectification must be completed in the customs bonded warehouse before inspection — not after; post-inspection label alterations are not permitted under the rectifiable-labelling dispensation.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1803 10 00 require BIS certification?

No, cocoa paste is not within 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 (Import) Regulations, 2017, with FSSAI Import Licence and label compliance as the binding requirements.

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

Two documents are mandatory: FSSAI Import Licence under document code 911001 and Specimen Copy of Label under document code 0110FS; both must be uploaded before the proper officer grants out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022.

Do the Bangladesh-origin port restrictions under DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 apply to all cocoa paste imports?

The restrictions apply only where the goods originate from or are imported via Bangladesh; consignments from other origins are not affected, and even Bangladesh-origin goods listed in Paras 2 and 3 of DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025 are exempted from the port-restriction condition.

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