Reds 5 to 8 (poncean)

Synthetic organic food colourants Reds 5 to 8 (ponceau)

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 3204 19 83 (Reds 5 to 8, ponceau) is subject to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Import Licence and labelling compliance under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) ITC (HS) policy and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) mandatory Chapter 32 chemical qualifiers apply as additional clearance requirements, with import restricted to designated food-import entry points under General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022.

What this is

HSN code

3204 19 83

Chapter

32 · Tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments, paints and varnishes

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (food colourant import regime)

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Chapter 32 qualifiers from CBIC

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

FSSAIFSSAI·Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

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

Compliance steps

1
Obtain a current FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and ensure a specimen copy of label (document code 0110FS) is uploaded in e-Sanchit before filing the bill of entry. The proper officer will verify both documents are present before granting out-of-charge.
FSSAI Import Licence document code 911001 · Specimen label document code 0110FS · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022
2
Ensure the import declaration includes the mandatory additional qualifiers for Chapter 32 commodities as stipulated in para 4.1 and 4.2 of CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus, operative with effect from 15 October 2023. Declarations filed without the prescribed qualifiers are liable to be returned for amendment.
CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus dated 30-09-2023, para 4.1 and 4.2
3
Route the consignment through one of the designated food-import entry points per General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Labelling deficiencies listed under Regulation 6 of FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 and the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 may be rectified at customs-bonded warehouses by affixing a single non-detachable sticker before the authorised officer's inspection.
General Note 4(D), ITC (HS) Schedule I, 2022 · CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 · CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most frequent compliance failure on this tariff line is omitting the Chapter 32 mandatory chemical qualifiers from the import declaration — a separate CBIC requirement that is independent of the FSSAI clearance. A declaration lacking the Chapter 32 qualifiers will be flagged at the bill-of-entry stage, causing detention and demurrage even where the FSSAI Import Licence and label specimen are already uploaded in e-Sanchit. Confirm that the declaration satisfies both the FSSAI food-colourant regime and the CBIC Circular 23/2023-Cus chemical-qualifier overlay before filing.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 3204 19 83 require BIS certification?

No, synthetic organic food colourants under this tariff line fall outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with CBIC Chapter 32 mandatory qualifiers applying as a concurrent customs overlay.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for HSN 3204 19 83?

The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the specimen copy of label (document code 0110FS) must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge; the proper officer will not grant clearance unless both are present per CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus.

Can labelling deficiencies be corrected after the consignment arrives at the Indian port?

Yes, but only for specific categories of deficiency listed under Regulation 6 of FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017 and the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 — rectification must be carried out at a customs-bonded warehouse before visual inspection by the authorised officer, by affixing a single non-detachable sticker that does not alter the original label.

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