Access IndiaPLATFORM
Home›HSN›Chapter 41›HSN 4101 90 20

Of buffalo, including buffalo calf

Raw buffalo hides and skins, including buffalo calf

AQCS CLEARANCE

HSN 4101 90 20 (Of buffalo, including buffalo calf) is subject to Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) sanitary clearance, including a mandatory veterinary health certificate and compulsory laboratory testing, governed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) ITC (HS) import policy with an AQCS NOC requirement at the bill of entry. The ITC (HS) policy administered by DGFT applies as a concurrent overlay, and import of seal skin in any form is prohibited under DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020.

What this is
HSN code
4101 90 20
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
  • Import NOC from AQCS
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 the AQCS NOC and ensure the exporting country authority issues a veterinary health certificate before shipment. Upload the health certificate (document code 6360AQ) and the veterinary health certificate (document code 853AQ1) in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry is filed, as mandated for CTIs 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 · document codes 6360AQ and 853AQ1
  2. 2
    Submit the consignment for compulsory testing at a designated laboratory corresponding to the source animal, as directed by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. This mandatory testing requirement must be strictly followed per OM dated 20-02-2025 issued under File No. L-110110/17/2017-Trade (E-2957).
    OM dated 20-02-2025, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, File No. L-110110/17/2017-Trade (E-2957)
  3. 3
    Confirm that the consignment does not contain seal skin in any form. Import of seal skin is prohibited under the ITC (HS) policy; a consignment found to contain seal skin is liable to confiscation and DGFT-policy enforcement regardless of AQCS clearance status.
    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 health certificate (6360AQ) and treating AQCS clearance as complete, while omitting the separate veterinary health certificate (853AQ1) required under CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus. Both documents are independently mandatory, and a bill of entry missing either attracts detention pending e-Sanchit re-upload; the compulsory laboratory testing requirement under the February 2025 OM introduces an additional hold at designated labs that is not discharged by the veterinary health certificate alone.

Need a regulatory steer on this product?
Speak to a regulatory counsel about your specific HSN, IS, and supplier situation.
Speak to an Expert
Frequently asked
Does HSN 4101 90 20 require BIS certification?
No, raw buffalo hides and skins are outside the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. Import is governed by Animal Quarantine and Certification Services sanitary clearance requirements and 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?
Yes. The health certificate (6360AQ) and the veterinary health certificate issued by the exporting country (853AQ1) are each independently mandatory and must both be uploaded in e-Sanchit before customs out-of-charge, per CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022.
Does the seal-skin prohibition under DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020 affect buffalo hide consignments that include mixed species?
Yes. The prohibition covers seal skin in any form; a mixed consignment containing any quantity of seal skin is non-importable under the ITC (HS) policy and is liable to confiscation, irrespective of AQCS clearance for the buffalo-hide component.
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 SPLITHSNOther, including butts, bends and bellies: