Cocoa powder, containing added sugar or other sweetening matter

Sweetened cocoa powder for food preparations

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 1806 10 00 (Cocoa powder, containing added sugar or other sweetening matter) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017. Import through designated food-import entry points is mandated under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT). Import of chocolate products containing milk or milk solids as an ingredient originating from China is prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019.

What this is

HSN code

1806 10 00

Chapter

18 · Cocoa and cocoa preparations

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Food import entry-point declaration to CBIC

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. Also upload the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS); both documents must be present before customs out-of-charge is granted.
FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) · Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022
2
Route the consignment only through a designated food-import entry point per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Verify that any labelling deficiencies are rectified at a customs bonded warehouse before visual inspection by the authorised officer, using a single non-detachable sticker that does not alter original label information, in accordance with FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.
General Note 4(D), Schedule I, ITC (HS) 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
Confirm the country of origin is not China if the product contains milk or milk solids as an ingredient; such imports from China remain prohibited under the melamine-testing notification. Additionally, verify applicability of DGFT Notification 07/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025 if the consignment originates from or transits Bangladesh, as para 19 of the General Notes imposes port restrictions on certain goods from Bangladesh.
DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 · DGFT Notification 07/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is shipping sweetened cocoa powder containing any milk solids from China on the assumption that the prohibition applies only to chocolates — the DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 expressly extends to food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient, covering this product when so formulated. A consignment detained on this ground cannot be rectified at port and faces mandatory re-export or confiscation; the origin and ingredient declaration must be verified against the product specification before purchase-order placement.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1806 10 00 require BIS certification?

No, sweetened cocoa powder is not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with FSSAI Import Licence, designated-port, and labelling requirements as the operative obligations.

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

The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge; per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023, the proper officer verifies these on PGA-facilitated bills.

Does the China-origin prohibition apply to cocoa powder that contains only trace milk solids?

DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 prohibits import of food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient from China without qualification as to the proportion; any product listing milk or milk solids in its ingredient declaration is captured by the prohibition until port-laboratory capacity is upgraded.

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