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Biscuits not elsewhere specified or included

Biscuits (not elsewhere specified or included)

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 1905 90 20 (Biscuits not elsewhere specified or included) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and FSSAI Import Regulations. Imports of milk-based confectionery and food preparations containing milk or milk solids originating from China are prohibited under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019, and all food imports under this tariff line must enter through designated food-import entry points per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

1905 90 20

Chapter

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

Primary regulator

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

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Entry-point declaration per 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 (document code 911001) and upload it in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. The Proper Officer will verify the licence upload and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) prior to granting out-of-charge; consignments routed through the PGA-facilitated channel must have both documents present.
FSSAI Import Licence document code 911001 · Specimen Copy of Label document code 0110FS · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
2
Route the consignment exclusively through a designated food-import entry point in compliance with General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. If the consignment originates from Bangladesh, verify applicability of port restrictions introduced under para 19 of the General Notes via DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025, and confirm whether the goods fall under an exempted category per paras 2 and 3 of that notification.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 · DGFT Notification 7/2025-26 dated 17-05-2025
3
Ensure labelling complies with the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, including per-serve percentage contribution to recommended dietary allowance and expiry-date requirements. Rectifiable labelling deficiencies may be corrected at customs bonded warehouses by affixing a single non-detachable sticker next to the principal display panel, without altering the original label, before visual inspection by the authorised officer.
CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022 under F.No.Import/tfm/Apex/2022-FSSAI · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022

A word of counsel

The prohibition on milk-containing food preparations from China under DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 is product-ingredient-based, not product-category-based: a biscuit that contains milk or milk solids as an ingredient falls within the prohibition even if marketed primarily as a biscuit rather than a dairy product. Importers routinely miss this because the CCR prohibition is associated with chocolates and confectioneries, while biscuit formulations with milk solids are equally caught. Confirm the ingredient declaration with the foreign manufacturer before placing the purchase order.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 1905 90 20 require BIS certification?

No, biscuits under this tariff line are 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 an FSSAI Import Licence and designated food-import entry-point restrictions as the operative requirements.

Are biscuits containing milk or milk solids from China permitted to be imported?

No. DGFT Notification 01/2015-20 dated 23-04-2019 prohibits import of food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient originating from China until port-laboratory capacity for melamine testing is suitably upgraded; this prohibition applies to biscuit formulations containing milk solids.

What labelling deficiencies can be rectified at the port, and how?

Per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus and FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022, deficiencies such as missing per-serve dietary allowance data and expiry-date information may be rectified at customs bonded warehouses by affixing a single non-detachable sticker next to the principal display panel, provided the correction is made by or on behalf of the manufacturer and verified by the authorised officer before out-of-charge.

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