Detonating caps

Detonating caps, percussion caps for explosives initiation

PESO CLEARANCE

HSN 3603 40 00 (Detonating caps) is subject to Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO) Form LE-8 licensing under the Explosives Rules, 2008. The tariff line is Restricted under the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), and import is permitted only through specified ports notified under Rule 44 of the Explosives Rules, 2008.

What this is

HSN code

3603 40 00

Chapter

36 · Explosives; pyrotechnic products; matches; pyrophoric alloys; certain combustible preparations

Primary regulator

PESO · Explosives Rules, 2008

Customs documentation

Form LE-8 licence from PESO
Specified-port declaration to CBIC
ITC (HS) policy compliance from DGFT

Applicable Partner Government Agencies

PESOPESO·Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation

Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade.

Compliance steps

1
Obtain a current Form LE-8 licence from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation covering the category and quantity of detonating caps to be imported. Upload the licence in e-Sanchit under document code 911PE1 before filing the bill of entry; out-of-charge will not be granted without confirmed upload.
Explosives Rules, 2008 · Form LE-8 · ITC (HS) policy condition 1 of Chapter 36
2
Route the consignment exclusively through a port specified under Rule 44 of the Explosives Rules, 2008. Arrival at any unspecified port renders the consignment liable to seizure; verify the current notified-port list against the bill of lading before vessel departure.
Rule 44 of the Explosives Rules, 2008
3
Confirm compliance with Rules 7, 14, 15 and 45 of the Explosives Rules, 2008 governing import, transport, storage and handling of explosives. Contravention of any of these provisions constitutes a separate Explosives Rules offence independent of the Form LE-8 licensing obligation.
Rules 7, 14, 15 and 45 of the Explosives Rules, 2008

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is treating the Form LE-8 licence as the sole compliance obligation and overlooking the port-of-entry restriction. The PESO licence and the specified port are interlocked: a consignment shipped to an unspecified port is treated as an unlawful import under the Explosives Act, 1884 even when the Form LE-8 is current and properly uploaded — the licence does not cure an incorrect port of entry.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 3603 40 00 require BIS certification?

No, detonating caps fall outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. Import is governed by Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation licensing under the Explosives Rules, 2008, with the ITC (HS) Restricted-import overlay administered by DGFT.

Is the Form LE-8 licence upload in e-Sanchit mandatory before customs out-of-charge?

Yes. Document code 911PE1 (Form LE-8 licence) must be uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge is granted, including on PGA-facilitated bills where the consignment has not been routed through the PGA for NOC.

What happens if the consignment arrives at a port not specified under Rule 44 of the Explosives Rules, 2008?

The consignment is liable to seizure under the Explosives Act, 1884; the specified-port restriction is a condition of lawful import and cannot be rectified after vessel arrival at an unnotified port.

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