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Of cow, including cow calf

Whole raw cow hides and skins exceeding 16 kg

AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 4101 50 10 (Whole raw cow hides and skins exceeding 16 kg) is subject to Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) sanitary clearance, requiring a veterinary health certificate from the exporting country uploaded in e-Sanchit before out-of-charge. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) administers the ITC (HS) import policy overlay, under which import of seal skin in any form is prohibited. Mandatory compulsory testing through designated laboratories, depending on source animal, applies per the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying OM dated 20-02-2025.

What this is
HSN code
4101 50 10
Chapter
41 · Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather
Primary regulator
AQCS · Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (veterinary sanitary clearance)
Customs documentation
  • Health Certificate from AQCS
  • Veterinary Health Certificate from exporting country
  • Import Licence from DGFT
Applicable Partner Government Agencies
AQCSAQCS·Animal Quarantine and Certification Services

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

Compliance steps
  1. 1
    Obtain a veterinary health certificate issued by the competent authority of the exporting country and upload it in e-Sanchit under document code 853AQ1. The health certificate (document code 6360AQ) must also be uploaded before customs out-of-charge, covering the consignment as listed in Annexure A (Sl. No. 1) of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022.
    CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · AQCS mandatory document codes 6360AQ and 853AQ1
  2. 2
    Submit the consignment for mandatory compulsory testing at designated laboratories as determined by source animal, in strict compliance with the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying OM dated 20-02-2025. Failure to route through the designated laboratory is treated as an AQCS clearance deficiency and will delay out-of-charge.
    Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying OM dated 20-02-2025 (File No. L-110110/17/2017-Trade (E-2957))
  3. 3
    Verify that the consignment does not contain seal skin in any form; import of seal skin is prohibited under the ITC (HS) policy per DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020 dated 28-03-2018. Any consignment found to contain seal skin is liable to confiscation and DGFT-policy enforcement.
    DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020 dated 28-03-2018
A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is uploading only the general health certificate (6360AQ) and omitting the separate veterinary health certificate required under document code 853AQ1 per CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus. Both documents are independently mandatory, and customs systems flag a missing 853AQ1 as a PGA-clearance deficiency even when 6360AQ is present — resulting in consignment detention, accumulating demurrage and ground rent, until the correct document is uploaded and the AQCS NOC is obtained.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 4101 50 10 require BIS certification?
No, raw cow hides and skins are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by Animal Quarantine and Certification Services sanitary clearance with mandatory veterinary health certificate requirements, and by the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
Are both document codes 6360AQ and 853AQ1 required at the bill of entry for this tariff line?
Yes. Document code 6360AQ (Health Certificate) and document code 853AQ1 (Veterinary Health Certificate from the exporting country) are independently mandatory and must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge, as required under CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022.
Does the seal skin prohibition under DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020 affect a consignment of cow hides that contains a minor commingled quantity of seal skin?
Yes. The ITC (HS) policy prohibition on seal skin applies to import in any form; a commingled consignment is not exempt, and the prohibited portion renders the entire entry liable to seizure and confiscation under DGFT-policy enforcement.
Last verified against gazette notifications: 2026-05-16. Source: AQCS / DGFT / Indian Customs CUSDATA.
Related
ChapterChapter 41 · Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leatherHSNRAW HIDES AND SKINS OF BOVINE (INCLUDING BUFFALO) OR EQUINE ANIMALS (FRESH OR SALTED, DRIED, LIMED, PICKLED OR OTHERWISE PRESERVED, BUT NOT TANNED, PARCHMENT-DRESSED OR FURTHERPREPARED), WHETHER OR NOT DEHAIRED OR SPLITHSNWhole hides and skins, of a weight exceeding 16 kg.