Other

Salts and esters of tartaric acid, other than standard grades

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

HSN 2918 13 90 (other salts and esters of tartaric acid) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, where the substance is imported as a food-grade or food-additive product. Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC) registration and import permit apply where the substance falls within the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968, and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) controls apply to any scheduled variant under Chapter VII-A of the NDPS Rules, 1985. Mandatory Chapter 29 qualifiers under CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus and DGFT ITC (HS) policy condition No. 2 to Chapter 29 constitute additional clearance requirements at the bill-of-entry stage.

What this is

HSN code

2918 13 90

Chapter

29 · Organic chemicals

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (food-use imports); CIB&RC · Insecticides Act, 1968 (pesticide-use imports)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Registration and permit 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 a food-grade or food-additive application, obtain the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and upload it in e-Sanchit along with the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) before filing the bill of entry. Consignments lacking these uploads will not receive customs out-of-charge.
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
2
Where the substance falls within the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968, obtain registration and an import permit from the secretariat of CIB&RC before shipment. Import is also restricted to ports specified under Rule 45 of the Insecticides Rules, 1971; routing through a non-specified port renders the consignment liable to detention and seizure.
Insecticides Act, 1968 · Rule 45 of the Insecticides Rules, 1971 · ITC (HS) policy condition No. 2 to Chapter 29
3
Submit mandatory additional qualifiers in the import declaration for Chapter 29 commodities as stipulated in paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2 of CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus, effective 15 October 2023. Where the substance is a scheduled NDPS variant, an import certificate under Rule 53 of the NDPS Rules, 1985 is required; other imports are governed by Appendix-I to the ITC (HS) Schedule per ITC (HS) policy condition No. 2 to Chapter 29.
CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus dated 30-09-2023 · NDPS Rules, 1985, Rule 53 · ITC (HS) policy condition No. 2 to Chapter 29

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating it as a single-regime product when it in fact carries three concurrent PGA tracks — FSSAI, CIB&RC, and NDPS — triggered by end-use and chemical identity, not by the tariff classification alone. Importers who obtain only an FSSAI licence but omit the CIB&RC permit for a pesticide-schedule substance face consignment detention, monetary penalty under the Insecticides Act, 1968, and port-restriction enforcement under Rule 45. Confirm the regulatory track against the product's end-use and chemical identity before shipment.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 2918 13 90 require BIS certification?

No. No BIS Quality Control Order covers salts and esters of tartaric acid under this residual tariff line. Import is governed concurrently by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, CIB&RC under the Insecticides Act, 1968, and NDPS controls under the NDPS Rules, 1985, depending on the substance's end-use and chemical identity.

Which ports are authorised for import of insecticide-schedule substances under this CTI?

Import of substances falling within the Schedule to the Insecticides Act, 1968 is restricted to ports notified under Rule 45 of the Insecticides Rules, 1971; the current list should be confirmed with the CIB&RC secretariat before placement of the purchase order.

When does the NDPS import certificate requirement apply to this tariff line?

The import certificate under Rule 53 of the NDPS Rules, 1985 is required only where the specific substance is a scheduled narcotic drug or psychotropic substance; other imports under this CTI that are not NDPS-scheduled are governed by Appendix-I to the ITC (HS) Schedule under ITC (HS) policy condition No. 2 to Chapter 29.

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