Filter cigarettes of length (including the length of the filter, the length of filter being 11 millimetres or its actual length, whichever is more) not exceeding 65 millimetres

Filter cigarettes not exceeding 65 mm length

CPCB CLEARANCE · MOHFW CLEARANCE

HSN 2402 20 30 (filter cigarettes not exceeding 65 mm) is subject to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) packaging and labelling requirements under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022, notified vide G.S.R. 592(E) dated 21-07-2022. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) registration and Extended Producer Responsibility obligations under the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 apply concurrently, with the ITC (HS) General Note 13 policy condition and CBIC customs instructions as additional overlays.

What this is

HSN code

2402 20 30

Chapter

24 · Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes

Primary regulator

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

Customs documentation

Labelling compliance declaration from MOHFW
CPCB portal registration from CPCB
ITC (HS) General Note 13 declaration from DGFT

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 packs in the consignment carry the updated statutory health warnings mandated under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022, effective 01-12-2022. Non-compliant labelling renders the consignment liable to detention at the port of import; the labelling specifications are published on the MOHFW website.
G.S.R. 592(E) dated 21-07-2022 · MOHFW letter D.O.P.16011/02/2017-TC (PART-1) dated 09-12-2022 · CBIC Instruction 02/2023 dated 07-01-2023 · ITC (HS) General Note 13
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 among single-use plastic commodities whose plastic wrapping or packing films are prohibited with effect from 01-07-2022.
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 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 · Plastic Waste Management (Second Amendment) Rules, 2023 vide G.S.R. 807(E) dated 30-10-2023
3
Confirm that any plastic carry bags or outer packaging accompanying the consignment meets the minimum 75-micron thickness requirement (effective 30-09-2021) and the 120-micron threshold effective from 31-12-2022, and that no prohibited single-use plastic items are included in the shipment.
Rule 4(1)(c) and Rule 4(2) of the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 vide G.S.R. 133(E) dated 16-02-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2022-Customs dated 22-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the tobacco-labelling regime and the plastic-waste-management regime as independent checks handled by separate teams, when customs examination at the bill-of-entry stage covers both simultaneously. A consignment that passes MOHFW health-warning verification but whose cigarette-packet plastic wrapping falls within the single-use plastic prohibition faces confiscation of the non-compliant packaging component under the Plastic Waste Management Rules — an outcome that delays out-of-charge for the entire consignment and attracts demurrage. CPCB portal registration must be in place before the vessel arrives, not after.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 2402 20 30 require BIS certification?

No, filter cigarettes are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Packaging and Labelling) Amendment Rules, 2022, with concurrent Central Pollution Control Board obligations under the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 and the ITC (HS) General Note 13 policy condition.

Which specific single-use plastic items on cigarette packaging are prohibited from import?

Wrapping or packing films around cigarette packets are explicitly listed among prohibited single-use plastic commodities under Rule 4(2) of the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022, with effect from 01-07-2022; compostable-plastic equivalents under Rule 4(3) are exempt.

Does the CPCB portal registration requirement apply to every import of this HSN?

Yes. Rule 6 of the Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2022 requires importers of products with plastic packaging to register on the CPCB centralised portal before import, and Rule 7.3 separately obliges them to fulfil Extended Producer Responsibility targets for each consignment.

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