Stearic acid

Stearic acid, saturated acyclic monocarboxylic acid

FSSAI CLEARANCE · CIB&RC CLEARANCE · +1 OTHER PGAS

HSN 2915 70 20 (Stearic acid) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 when imported for food-use applications. Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC) registration and import permit apply where the substance figures in the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968, and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) chapter conditions govern any scheduled end-use. Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Chapter 29 mandatory-qualifier obligations apply at the bill-of-entry stage.

What this is

HSN code

2915 70 20

Chapter

29 · Organic chemicals

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Registration certificate from CIB&RC
Chapter 29 qualifiers from CBIC

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

CIB&RCCIB&RC·Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee

NDPSNDPS·Narcotics Control Bureau

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

Compliance steps

1
Where the consignment is intended for food use, upload the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. The consignment must be routed through a designated food-import entry point per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022
2
Where stearic acid figures in the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968 in the specific formulation being imported, obtain registration and an import permit from the Secretariat of CIB&RC. Note that import of insecticides is restricted to specified places under Rule 45 of the Insecticides Rules, 1971; verify the permitted port of import before shipment.
Insecticides Act, 1968 · Rule 45 of the Insecticides Rules, 1971 · ITC (HS) policy condition 2 to Chapter 29
3
Submit mandatory additional qualifiers in the import declaration for Chapter 29 commodities with effect from 15 October 2023 as stipulated in paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2 of CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus. Where the substance attracts NDPS conditions, the import must be covered by an import certificate under Rule 53 of the NDPS Rules, 1985 for medical and scientific purposes, or governed by Appendix-I to the ITC (HS) Schedule.
CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus dated 30-09-2023 · ITC (HS) policy condition 2 to Chapter 29 · Rule 53 of the NDPS Rules, 1985 · S.O. 227(E) dated 24-03-1992

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating stearic acid as a straightforward industrial chemical and overlooking the regime-selection problem: FSSAI, CIB&RC, and NDPS conditions each attach to specific end-uses or formulations, not to the molecule universally. An importer who declares a food-grade consignment without the FSSAI licence, or a pesticide-formulation grade without CIB&RC registration, faces consignment detention at the port pending PGA NOC — and, for insecticide-classified goods, the port of import itself must be a CIB&RC-notified location under Rule 45 of the Insecticides Rules, 1971.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 2915 70 20 require BIS certification?

No, stearic acid is not covered by any BIS Quality Control Order. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for food-use grades, Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee where the substance falls within the Insecticides Act, 1968 schedule, and NDPS chapter conditions where applicable.

Are the Chapter 29 mandatory qualifiers in the import declaration compulsory from a specific date?

Yes. CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus dated 30 September 2023 mandates additional qualifiers in import declarations for Chapter 29 commodities with effect from 15 October 2023, as set out in paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2 of that circular.

Does the NDPS regime always apply to imports of stearic acid?

No. NDPS conditions attach only when the specific substance or formulation falls within the NDPS scheduled substances; imports for medical and scientific purposes require an import certificate under Rule 53 of the NDPS Rules, 1985, while other imports are governed by Appendix-I to the ITC (HS) Schedule per policy condition 2 to Chapter 29.

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