Other than filter cigarettes, of length exceeding 65 millimetres but not exceeding 70 millimetres

Non-filter cigarettes containing tobacco, 65-70 mm length

CPCB CLEARANCE · MOHFW CLEARANCE

HSN 2402 20 20 (non-filter cigarettes, 65-70 mm) is subject to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) health-warning labelling requirements under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022, operative with effect from 1 December 2022. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) importer-registration and Extended Producer Responsibility obligations under the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 apply as a concurrent packaging-compliance overlay. The tariff line is also governed by ITC (HS) General Note 13 and CBIC customs instructions.

What this is

HSN code

2402 20 20

Chapter

24 · Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes

Primary regulator

MOHFW · Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022

Customs documentation

Health-warning label compliance from MOHFW
Importer registration certificate from CPCB
ITC (HS) General Note 13 declaration to CBIC

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

CPCBCPCB·Central Pollution Control Board

MOHFWMOHFW·Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

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

Compliance steps

1
Ensure all cigarette packets bear the updated health warnings prescribed by MOHFW under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022, effective 1 December 2022. Pre-shipment verification of label compliance against GSR 592(E) dated 21-07-2022 is essential; consignments with non-compliant labelling are liable to detention at the port of import.
GSR 592(E) dated 21-07-2022 · CBIC Instruction 02/2023 dated 07-01-2023 · MOHFW Letter D.O.P.16011/02/2017-TC (PART-1) dated 09-12-2022 · General Note 13 of ITC (HS) Schedule
2
Register as an importer of products with plastic packaging on the CPCB centralised portal before filing the bill of entry, and discharge Extended Producer Responsibility obligations under Rule 7.3 of the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022. Cigarette packets are explicitly listed as prohibited single-use plastic wrapping/packing film items under Rule 4(2) with effect from 01-07-2022; verify that packaging conforms to the prohibition and to the plastic-thickness thresholds under Rule 4(1)(c).
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 notified vide G.S.R. 133(E) dated 16-02-2022 · G.S.R. 571(E) dated 12-08-2021 · CBIC Instruction 09/2022-Customs dated 22-06-2022 · G.S.R. 807(E) dated 30-10-2023 (Second Amendment Rules, 2023)

A word of counsel

The most frequently missed trap on this tariff line is the dual-layer packaging compliance burden: importers focus on the MOHFW health-warning label and overlook that cigarette packet wrapping film is explicitly named as prohibited single-use plastic under Rule 4(2)(b) of the Plastic Waste Management Rules, while CPCB portal registration for EPR is a prerequisite independent of labelling. A consignment that is label-compliant but packaged in non-conforming plastic is detained on a separate CPCB ground, and failure to register on the CPCB centralised portal before import attracts independent EPR-violation proceedings.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 2402 20 20 require BIS certification?

No, non-filter cigarettes are not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. Import is governed by MOHFW labelling requirements under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022, and CPCB plastic-waste registration and EPR obligations under the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022.

What specific health-warning obligation applies to cigarette packets imported under this HSN?

The updated health warnings notified by MOHFW vide GSR 592(E) dated 21-07-2022 are mandatory with effect from 1 December 2022; CBIC Instruction 02/2023 dated 07-01-2023 directs customs officers to verify label compliance at the bill of entry, and non-compliant packets are subject to detention.

Are plastic cigarette-packet wrappers prohibited under the single-use plastic rules?

Yes. Wrapping or packing films around cigarette packets are explicitly listed as prohibited single-use plastic items under Rule 4(2)(b) of the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 with effect from 01-07-2022, subject to the compostable-plastic carve-out under Rule 4(3).

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