Saree

Woven cotton sarees, plain weave over 100 g/m2

DGFT CLEARANCE

HSN 5208 52 20 (Saree) is subject to the ITC (HS) import policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), which mandates a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate (PSIC) confirming absence of prohibited hazardous azo dyes under General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy. The PSIC must be issued by an accredited laboratory of the exporting country or carry a valid test report from a Textile Committee or CSRTI laboratory.

What this is

HSN code

5208 52 20

Chapter

52 · Cotton

Primary regulator

DGFT · ITC (HS) Import Policy, General Note 10 (hazardous dyes, textile articles)

Customs documentation

Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate from accredited lab
Test report from Textile Committee or CSRTI
Import declaration from DGFT

Compliance steps

1
Obtain a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate from an accredited laboratory of the exporting country, or a valid test report from a Textile Committee (TC) or Central Sheep and Wool Research Institute (CSRTI) laboratory, certifying the absence of prohibited hazardous azo dyes before the consignment is dispatched.
General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy · DGFT Public Notice 14/2023 dated 14-06-2023
2
Note that azo-dye testing is exempted only for imports originating from the EU, Serbia, Poland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. Consignments from all other origins must carry a valid PSIC or test report; filing a bill of entry without the required certificate attracts detention and ground rent pending compliance.
General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy · DGFT Public Notice 14/2023 dated 14-06-2023

A word of counsel

The most common error on this tariff line is assuming the azo-dye exemption applies broadly because the exporting country's lab is accredited — the exemption is country-of-origin specific, not laboratory specific. A saree consignment shipped via a transhipment hub from a non-exempt origin does not inherit the exemption of the transit country; customs will assess the country of origin, not the country of export, and a missing PSIC at the bill-of-entry stage results in detention pending production of a compliant certificate.

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Frequently asked

Does HSN 5208 52 20 require BIS certification?

No, woven cotton sarees are not within the BIS Quality Control Order regime; no BIS QCO covers this product family. Import is governed by the ITC (HS) Import Policy administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade, with a Pre-Shipment Inspection Certificate requirement under General Note 10 confirming absence of prohibited hazardous azo dyes.

Which countries are exempt from azo-dye testing for this HSN?

Imports from the EU, Serbia, Poland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom are exempt from azo-dye testing per DGFT Public Notice 14/2023 dated 14-06-2023; a PSIC remains mandatory for all other origins.

Can an importer use a test report from a domestic Indian laboratory in lieu of the PSIC from the exporting country?

The regulatory record provides for a valid test report from a Textile Committee or CSRTI laboratory as an alternative to the exporting-country accredited lab certificate; a purely domestic commercial lab report not issued by TC or CSRTI does not satisfy General Note 10 of the ITC (HS) Import Policy.

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