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Food and farm goods

Import cheese

Livestock-product permit from DAHD plus FSSAI clearance. Imports doubled in FY 2025-26, mainly from the EU.

Free to importHS 0406
Basic customs duty
Check on ICEGA
Check on ICEGATE (tariff line-wise)
Social welfare surcharge
10% of BCD
IGST
5%
5%
India’s imports, 2025-26
US$ 20.9 mn
from 16 countries

Notification 45/2025-Customs has no general concession for heading 0406, so the tariff rate for your exact 8-digit line applies. We could not open the official Chapter 4 tariff file to confirm the line rates, so check BCD on ICEGATE for your line (fresh, grated, processed, blue-veined or other cheese) before you price. IGST on cheese other than chena or paneer is 5% (Schedule I, notification 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)). CBIC — Notification 45/2025-Customs (effective duty rates), 24 Oct 2025, as amended ↗

What is imported

Hotels, pizza chains, cafés and premium retail import speciality cheeses such as mozzarella, cheddar, parmesan and gouda. TradeStat shows imports of about US$ 21 million in FY 2025-26, up from US$ 11 million, led by Lithuania, Italy, Estonia, Germany and the UK. Cheese is a livestock product, so it needs an animal husbandry permit as well as food clearance.

Import policy · Free to import

Free under ITC(HS) Schedule 1, subject to the sanitary conditions of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and FSSAI import clearance.

Licences and registrations you need

  • Department of Animal Husbandry and DairyingSanitary Import Permit for livestock products before you ship, then animal quarantine clearance at the port against the exporting country’s veterinary certificate.dahd.gov.in ↗
  • FSSAICentral licence for food importers (FoSCoS), then a No Objection Certificate for each consignment through FICS at the port.fics.fssai.gov.in ↗
  • Legal Metrology (Consumer Affairs)Importer registration under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules if you import or sell retail packs.consumeraffairs.nic.in ↗

What is checked at the port

  • Animal quarantine checks the Sanitary Import Permit and the veterinary health certificate, including the conditions DAHD sets on the animals’ feed and rennet source.
  • FSSAI tests against dairy standards and checks the label, the cold chain and the remaining shelf life.
  • Temperature logs for chilled cheese in reefer containers.

Practical tips

  • Apply for the Sanitary Import Permit first and send the exact veterinary certificate wording to your supplier.
  • Prefer longer-life hard cheeses for a first shipment; fresh cheese loses shelf life during clearance.

Where new importers go wrong

  • Shipping before the Sanitary Import Permit is issued — the cargo can be refused entry.
  • A veterinary certificate that does not match the permit conditions word for word.
Sources (7)
  1. CBIC — Notification 45/2025-Customs (effective duty rates), 24 Oct 2025, as amended
  2. CBIC — Notification 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate), 17 Sep 2025 (IGST rates from 22 Sep 2025)
  3. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying — import of livestock products
  4. FSSAI — Food Import Clearance System (FICS)
  5. DGFT — ITC(HS) import policy (Schedule 1)
  6. Commerce Ministry TradeStat — commodity-wise imports by country (FY 2025-26)
  7. ICEGATE — Customs duty and tariff look-up

Import data

Where India buys cheese

India’s imports from the Department of Commerce’s TradeStat, country by country. US$, financial years.

Imports, 2025-26
US$ 20.9 mn
Change from 2024-25
+92.7%
Supplying countries
16
Biggest supplier
Lithuania
22%
Italy: US$ 4 mnGermany: US$ 2.3 mnUnited Kingdom: US$ 1.8 mnNetherlands: US$ 1.3 mnFrance: US$ 1 mnDenmark: US$ 950kVietnam: US$ 830kSpain: US$ 440kGreece: US$ 210kBelgium: US$ 180kAustralia: US$ 160kPoland: US$ 140kNew Zealand: US$ 130kItaly: US$ 4 mnItalyGermany: US$ 2.3 mnGermanyUnited Kingdom: US$ 1.8 mnNetherlands: US$ 1.3 mnFrance: US$ 1 mnDenmark: US$ 950kVietnam: US$ 830kVietnamSpain: US$ 440kGreece: US$ 210kBelgium: US$ 180kAustralia: US$ 160kAustraliaPoland: US$ 140kNew Zealand: US$ 130kIndia
Where India imports cheese from — among our 80 countries, 2025-26
2020-21: US$ 4.4 mn4.42020-212021-22: US$ 8.2 mn8.22021-222022-23: US$ 11.2 mn112022-232023-24: US$ 14.1 mn142023-242024-25: US$ 10.9 mn112024-252025-26: US$ 20.9 mn212025-26
India’s cheese imports · US$ million

Biggest supplying countries

Name2025-26Change
1LithuaniaUS$ 4.7 mn+141.2%
2ItalyUS$ 4 mn+161.2%
3EstoniaUS$ 2.7 mn+50%
4GermanyUS$ 2.3 mn+510.5%
5United KingdomUS$ 1.8 mn+49.2%
6NetherlandsUS$ 1.3 mn+83.1%
7FranceUS$ 1 mn+145.2%
8DenmarkUS$ 950k+25%
9VietnamUS$ 830k-1.2%
10SpainUS$ 440k+69.2%
11GreeceUS$ 210k-8.7%
12BelgiumUS$ 180k-14.3%

Which sources are growing and shrinking

Growing sources

  1. GermanyUS$ 380k → US$ 2.3 mn+510.5%
  2. ItalyUS$ 1.5 mn → US$ 4 mn+161.2%
  3. FranceUS$ 420k → US$ 1 mn+145.2%
  4. LithuaniaUS$ 1.9 mn → US$ 4.7 mn+141.2%
  5. NetherlandsUS$ 710k → US$ 1.3 mn+83.1%
  6. EstoniaUS$ 1.8 mn → US$ 2.7 mn+50%

Shrinking sources

None

Which forms come in, and at what price

Imports by 8-digit tariff line, 2025-26. Average price = total value ÷ total quantity.

Tariff lineValue 2025-26ChangeQuantityAverage price
Dairy produce, cheese in heading no. 0406 — other cheese0406 90 00US$ 15.8 mn+93.8%1,846 tonnesUS$ 8.56 per kg
Others-of-frsh chese(including whey chse)not frmntd and curd0406 10 90US$ 3 mn+322.5%538 tonnesUS$ 5.58 per kg
Processed cheese not grated/powdered0406 30 00US$ 920k-18.6%160 tonnesUS$ 5.75 per kg
Dairy produce, fresh cheese, not fermented, and curd — mozzarella cheese0406 10 10US$ 760k+4.1%121 tonnesUS$ 6.30 per kg
Dairy produce, cheese, blue-veined and other cheese containing veins produced by Penicillium roqueforti — blue veined cheese0406 40 00US$ 280k+211.1%26 tonnesUS$ 10.62 per kg
Grated or powdered cheese of all kinds0406 20 00US$ 130k+333.3%8.6 tonnesUS$ 15.10 per kg

Source: TradeStat — Export Import Data Bank, Department of Commerce · Figures taken 29 October 2026.

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