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Sweet biscuits

Sweet biscuits, imported bakery confectionery

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 1905 31 00 (Sweet biscuits) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and label-compliance requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Imports must comply with the designated food-import entry-point restriction under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), with Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) customs overlay. A country-of-origin prohibition applies to milk-ingredient products from China pending melamine-testing infrastructure upgrades at ports.

What this is

HSN code

1905 31 00

Chapter

19 · Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks' products

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

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 an FSSAI Import Licence and ensure the specimen copy of label is compliant with the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 before shipment. Upload both documents in e-Sanchit under document codes 911001 (FSSAI Import Licence) and 0110FS (Specimen copy of label) prior to filing the bill of entry.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Customs dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022
2
Route the consignment only through a designated food-import entry point in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Verify applicability of DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025 regarding port restrictions on imports from Bangladesh, which introduced Para 19 to the General Notes.
General Note 4(D), Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022 · DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025
3
Where sweet biscuits contain milk or milk solids as an ingredient and the country of origin is China, import is prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 until port laboratories are upgraded for melamine testing. Any rectifiable labelling deficiency — including per-serve percentage RDA contribution and expiry date — may be corrected at a customs-bonded warehouse by affixing a single non-detachable sticker, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.
DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023

A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is shipping sweet biscuits containing milk solids from China in the belief that the prohibition applies only to dairy or chocolate categories; the DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 prohibition expressly covers food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient, and sweet biscuits with a milk-based filling or coating fall squarely within scope. A consignment detained on this ground faces re-export or destruction — not merely a labelling rectification — and no FSSAI Import Licence supersedes the country-of-origin prohibition.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1905 31 00 require BIS certification?

No, sweet biscuits are not subject to 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 and label-compliance requirements as the binding clearance conditions.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for sweet biscuit imports?

Document code 911001 (FSSAI Import Licence) and document code 0110FS (Specimen copy of label) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge; customs officers verify these for PGA-facilitated bills not routed through the PGA for NOC.

Does the China milk-ingredient prohibition apply to biscuits that contain only a small quantity of milk powder?

Yes. DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 prohibits import from China of food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient without qualification as to quantity; the prohibition remains in force until port-laboratory melamine-testing capacity is certified as adequate.

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