Pepper oil

Pepper essential oil, other essential oils

FSSAI CLEARANCE

HSN 3301 29 35 (Pepper oil) 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 the FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017. Import is further conditioned by General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022, restricting entry to designated food-import ports. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) administer the overlapping policy and customs-instruction framework.

What this is

HSN code

3301 29 35

Chapter

33 · Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations

Primary regulator

FSSAI · Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006; FSS (Import) Regulations, 2017

Customs documentation

Import Licence from FSSAI
Specimen copy of label from FSSAI
Food import entry-point declaration to 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 and upload it in e-Sanchit under document code 911001 before filing the bill of entry. Also upload a Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS); consignments without both documents uploaded 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
Route the consignment through a designated food-import entry point as required by General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022. Consignments arriving at a non-designated port are liable to detention and re-export.
General Note 4(D) of Schedule I of the ITC (HS) 2022 · CBIC Instruction 05/2023-Cus dated 08-02-2023
3
Verify label compliance under the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 before dispatch. Rectifiable labelling deficiencies — including per-serve RDA contribution and expiry/best-before alignment — may be corrected at a customs bonded warehouse by affixing a single non-detachable sticker next to the principal display panel, without altering the original label, before visual inspection by the authorised officer.
CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus dated 28-06-2022 · FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 · FSSAI Letter 1828/Misc Matters/FSSAI/Imports-2021 dated 17-06-2022

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is misclassifying pepper oil mixed with other odoriferous substances under 3301 29 35 rather than under heading 3302, which covers mixtures of odoriferous substances. Importers who present a blended or compounded pepper fragrance product under this CTI risk reclassification by the proper officer, attracting differential duty recovery and potential FSSAI-scope scrutiny on the reformulated product description. Confirm the product is a pure essential oil, not a mixture, before filing.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 3301 29 35 require BIS certification?

No, essential oils including pepper oil are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with FSSAI Import Licence and label-compliance requirements applying at the bill-of-entry stage.

Which document codes must be uploaded in e-Sanchit for this tariff line?

The FSSAI Import Licence (document code 911001) and the Specimen Copy of Label (document code 0110FS) are both mandatory uploads in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge, per CBIC Instruction 09/2023-Cus dated 07-03-2023.

Can labelling deficiencies be rectified at the port for imported pepper oil consignments?

Yes, specified rectifiable labelling deficiencies under the FSS (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020 — such as per-serve RDA contribution and expiry-date alignment — may be corrected at a customs bonded warehouse by a single non-detachable sticker, subject to verification by the FSSAI-authorised officer, per FSSAI clarification order dated 18-11-2022 and CBIC Instruction 10/2022-Cus.

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