In the wet state (including wet-blue)
Tanned or crust hides and skins, wet state (wet-blue)
HSN 4106 91 00 (tanned or crust hides and skins of other animals in the wet state, including wet-blue) is subject to Animal Quarantine and Certification Services (AQCS) clearance under S.O. 2666(E) dated 16-10-2014 as amended by S.O. 4953(E) dated 02-12-2021. The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) additionally prohibits import of seal skin in any form under DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020. An AQCS NOC requirement is waived where the exporting country's authorised manufacturer officer provides a tanning-declaration on the invoice.
- Health Certificate from AQCS
- Tanning declaration from exporter
- AQ002 statement declaration to CBIC
Procedural directions for customs clearance are issued by: Directorate General of Foreign Trade.
- 1Confirm whether the consignment qualifies for the AQCS NOC waiver: the authorised officer of the manufacturer in the exporting country must provide a declaration on the invoice accompanying each consignment that the product has undergone the irreversible process of tanning, per O.M. F.No. L-110110/17/2017-Trade-Part(1)(E-15243) dated 17-12-2021. Without this declaration, obtain a Health Certificate (document code 6360AQ) from AQCS and upload it in e-Sanchit before the bill of entry.S.O. 4953(E) dated 02-12-2021 · O.M. F.No. L-110110/17/2017-Trade-Part(1)(E-15243) dated 17-12-2021
- 2At item level in the bill of entry, lodge the declaration under statement code AQ002 certifying that the exporter's invoice contains the tanning-process declaration in terms of O.M. F.No. L-110110/17/2017-Trade-Part(1)(E-15243) dated 17-12-2021. This is mandatory for all CTIs listed in Annexure B of CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022.CBIC Circular 24/2022-Cus dated 28-11-2022 · PR.ADG(ICES) letter F.No.DGSYS/APP/ICES/4/2021 dated 08-08-2022
- 3Verify that the product description does not include seal skin in any form, which is absolutely prohibited from import. Any consignment containing seal skin is liable to confiscation regardless of tanning status or AQCS documentation.DGFT Notification 59/2015-2020 dated 28-03-2018
The most common error on this tariff line is submitting a generic Health Certificate from AQCS without securing — or verifying — the tanning-process declaration on the exporter's invoice. The two are not interchangeable: the NOC waiver is conditioned solely on the invoice declaration, and its absence triggers mandatory sample-drawing and testing by the regional AQCS quarantine officer at the importer's cost before out-of-charge is granted. Ensure the declaration is present on every individual consignment invoice, not just on a standing certificate issued once.