Caffeine and its salts

Caffeine and its salts, natural or synthetic alkaloids

FSSAI CLEARANCE · NDPS CLEARANCE

HSN 2939 30 00 (Caffeine and its salts) is subject to dual primary regulation: the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence regime under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) import-certificate requirement under Chapter VII-A of the NDPS Rules, 1985. Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) ITC (HS) policy condition 2 of Chapter 29 governs all other imports, and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Circular 23/2023-Cus mandates mandatory additional qualifiers in the import declaration effective 15 October 2023.

What this is

HSN code

2939 30 00

Chapter

29 · Organic chemicals

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 / NDPS · NDPS Rules, 1985 (Chapter VII-A)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Import certificate from NDPS
Registration certificate from CDSCO

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

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
Determine the end-use category before filing the bill of entry. For medical and scientific purposes, obtain an import certificate under Rule 53 of the NDPS Rules, 1985 (Chapter VII-A); for food-grade use, obtain the FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001). Upload all mandatory documents — Certificate of Analysis (0010dc), Batch Release Certificate (0030dc), Label of Consignment (0110dc), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Registration Certificate for Drugs (101dc1), and Import Licence for Drugs (9111dc) — in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge.
NDPS Rules, 1985, Chapter VII-A, Rule 53 · ITC (HS) policy condition 2 of Chapter 29 · CBIC e-Sanchit document codes 0010dc, 0030dc, 0110dc, 0110FS, 101dc1, 9111dc, 911001
2
Include 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. Declarations filed without the required Chapter 29 qualifiers are liable to rejection at the bill-of-entry stage.
CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus dated 30-09-2023, paragraphs 4.1 and 4.2
3
For any food-use consignment, route only through food-import entry points designated under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, and ensure compliance with the rectifiable-labelling regime for imported food consignments per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus and FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I, ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI order dated 18-11-2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating caffeine as a single-regime product and filing under only the FSSAI or only the NDPS channel without establishing that the other regime does not apply. An importer who files under the food-use FSSAI track for what is in substance a pharmaceutical-grade or research-grade caffeine shipment will face customs detention pending NDPS-channel verification; the reverse error — filing under NDPS only for a bulk food-additive consignment — leaves the FSSAI Import Licence and all e-Sanchit documents absent, triggering out-of-charge refusal and potential confiscation.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 2939 30 00 require BIS certification?

No. No BIS Quality Control Order covers caffeine or its salts under this tariff line. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and by the NDPS Rules, 1985 for medical and scientific purposes, with the ITC (HS) policy condition 2 of Chapter 29 as the DGFT overlay.

Which e-Sanchit document codes are mandatory at the bill of entry for this HSN?

Seven document codes apply: Certificate of Analysis — Drug (0010dc), Batch Release Certificate (0030dc), Label of Consignment (0110dc), Specimen Copy of Label (0110FS), Registration Certificate for Drugs (101dc1), FSSAI Import Licence (911001), and Import Licence for Drugs (9111dc); all must be uploaded before customs out-of-charge.

When does the NDPS import-certificate requirement apply rather than the FSSAI track?

The NDPS import certificate under Rule 53 of the NDPS Rules, 1985 is required where the caffeine is imported for medical or scientific purposes under Chapter VII-A; all other imports not falling within that special provision are governed by Appendix I of the ITC (HS) Schedule under policy condition 2 of Chapter 29.

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