Chocolate and chocolate products

Chocolate and chocolate products containing cocoa

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 1806 90 10 (Chocolate and chocolate products) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, including the FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 and FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020. Import of milk-containing chocolates and chocolate products originating from China is prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019, and consignments must enter only through designated food-import ports per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

1806 90 10

Chapter

18 · Cocoa and cocoa preparations

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (high-risk food regime)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Designated-port 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 in e-Sanchit before the proper officer grants out-of-charge.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/tfm/Apex/2022-FSSAI
2
Verify the country of origin: import of chocolates and chocolate products with milk or milk solids as an ingredient from China is prohibited until port-laboratory melamine-testing capacity is suitably upgraded. A consignment of Chinese-origin milk-containing chocolate is liable to outright refusal of entry.
DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019
3
Route the consignment through a designated food-import port compliant with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Where the consignment originates from Bangladesh, confirm applicability of port restrictions and exemptions introduced under Para 19 of General Notes per DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022 · DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025

A word of counsel

The China-origin prohibition is the most frequently overlooked trap on this tariff line: importers sourcing chocolates from multi-country supply chains occasionally present bills of entry with a third-country origin that masks Chinese-manufactured milk-chocolate components, triggering detention and potential confiscation once FSSAI and customs conduct origin verification. The prohibition applies specifically to products containing milk or milk solids as an ingredient — plain dark or cocoa-only chocolates from China are not expressly within the prohibition text, but the burden of demonstrating the absence of milk solids falls on the importer at the bill-of-entry stage.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1806 90 10 require BIS certification?

No, chocolate and chocolate products 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 an FSSAI Import Licence, designated-port restrictions, and a China-origin prohibition for milk-containing products under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20.

Which labelling deficiencies can be rectified at the port for imported chocolates?

Per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus and the FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022, per-serve percentage contribution to recommended dietary allowance and date-of-expiry information may be rectified at customs-bonded warehouses by affixing a single non-detachable sticker next to the principal display panel, provided the manufacturer supplies the information and an authorised officer verifies it.

Do Bangladesh-origin chocolate imports face any port restrictions?

Yes. DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025 introduced Para 19 in the General Notes to the ITC (HS) 2022, imposing port restrictions on certain goods imported from Bangladesh; importers must verify whether HSN 1806 90 10 falls within the restricted list or within the exemptions stated in Paras 2 and 3 of that notification.

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