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Whole raw bovine or equine hides and skins, over 16 kg

AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 4101 50 90 (whole raw bovine or equine hides and skins exceeding 16 kg) is subject to Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) sanitary clearance, with a veterinary health certificate mandatory at the bill of entry under CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) administers the ITC (HS) import policy, which includes an absolute prohibition on seal skin in any form under DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020 dated 28-03-2018. Mandatory compulsory testing through designated laboratories, determined by source animal, applies per the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying OM dated 20-02-2025.

What this is
HSN code
4101 50 90
Chapter
41 · Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather
Primary regulator
AQCS · Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (sanitary import clearance)
Customs documentation
  • Health Certificate from AQCS
  • Veterinary Health Certificate from exporting country
  • ITC (HS) policy declaration 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 before filing the bill of entry. Additionally, upload the AQCS health certificate (document code 6360AQ); the proper officer will verify both documents before granting out-of-charge.
    CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · Annexure A (Sl. No. 1)
  2. 2
    Submit the consignment for compulsory testing through a designated laboratory as determined by the source animal. This requirement is mandatory under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying OM dated 20-02-2025 (File No. L-110110/17/2017-Trade (E-2957)) and must be completed before clearance.
    Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying OM dated 20-02-2025, File No. L-110110/17/2017-Trade (E-2957)
  3. 3
    Confirm that the consignment does not contain seal skin in any form before shipment. Import of seal skin is absolutely prohibited under the ITC (HS) import policy; a consignment found to contain seal skin is liable to confiscation regardless of accompanying AQCS documentation.
    DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020 dated 28-03-2018
A word of counsel

The most frequent error on this tariff line is overlooking the dual-document AQCS requirement: both the AQCS health certificate (6360AQ) and the exporting-country veterinary health certificate (853AQ1) must be independently uploaded in e-Sanchit — submission of only one does not satisfy the Circular 24/2022-Cus obligation, and the proper officer is directed to withhold out-of-charge until both codes are present. The designated-laboratory compulsory-testing requirement introduced by the February 2025 OM adds a further pre-clearance step that is separate from the health certificate overlay.

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Frequently asked
Does HSN 4101 50 90 require BIS certification?
No, raw bovine and equine hides and skins are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime. Import is governed by Animal Quarantine and Certification Services sanitary clearance under the livestock-import framework, with ITC (HS) policy oversight by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade including the absolute prohibition on seal skin under DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020.
Are both document codes 6360AQ and 853AQ1 required at the bill of entry?
Yes. CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus requires the exporting-country veterinary health certificate uploaded under document code 853AQ1, and the AQCS health certificate under document code 6360AQ; absence of either triggers detention pending out-of-charge.
What happens if the consignment includes hides from a species covered by the seal skin prohibition?
Import of seal skin in any form is absolutely prohibited under DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020; such goods are liable to confiscation and the importer faces enforcement action under the Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act, 1992, irrespective of any AQCS health certificate obtained.
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.