Subheading · Chapter 03 · Section I, Live animals
HS 0306 12Lobsters (homarus spp.)
Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates › Crustaceans, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked crustaceans, whether in shell or not, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process; crustaceans, in shell, cooked by steaming or by boiling in water, whether or not chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine
- Customs duty
- 30%
- 2 tariff items
- GST now
- 0% or 5%
- depending on the goods
- Import policy
- Free
- Export policy
- Free
- Unit
- kg
- Duty in China
- 5%
- On Indian goods
Codes under this subheading
2 codes. Duty and GST are set on the 8-digit tariff items; open the one that describes your goods.
| Code | Description | Customs duty | GST now | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0306 12 10 | Whole, cooked | 30% | 0% or 5% | kg |
| 0306 12 90 | Other | 30% | 0% or 5% | kg |
Importing into India
Duty is set on each 8-digit tariff item: open one of the codes above. Basic customs duty across its 2 tariff items: 30%. The rules below cover this whole code.
Anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard duty
None in force on this code as on 20 Oct 2026.
Import policy (DGFT ITC(HS)) of its tariff items
- Free: 2 tariff items
GST
IGST on imports is the GST rate. Rates changed on 22 September 2025.
- Now 0% or 5%, depending on the goods.
- Until 21 September 2025 0% or 5%, depending on the goods.
- Change: Unchanged.
The rules that set it now
| Notification | Goods | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| 10/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule Exempt, S.No. 13 | All goods, fresh or chilled | Nil |
| 10/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule Exempt, S.No. 14 | All goods, other than fresh or chilled, and other than pre - packaged and labelled | Nil |
| 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule I, S.No. 3 | All goods, other than fresh or chilled, pre-packaged and labelled | 5% |
| 10/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate)Schedule Exempt, S.No. 10 | Fish seeds, prawn / shrimp seeds whether or not processed, cured or in frozen state [other than goods falling under Chapter 3 and attracting 5%] | Nil |
History
| Period | Rate | Notification |
|---|---|---|
| Until 21 Sep 2025 | 0% or 5% | 2/2017-Central Tax (Rate); 1/2017-Central Tax (Rate) |
| From 22 Sep 2025 | 0% or 5% | 10/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate); 9/2025-Integrated Tax (Rate) |
Exporting from India
Export duty
Nil. The Second Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act does not list these goods, so no export duty is charged.
Duty drawback (All Industry Rates)
| Drawback item | Goods | Rate | Cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0306 | Crustaceans, whether in shell or not, live, fresh, chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine; smoked crustaceans, whether in shell or not, whether or not cooked before or during the smoking process; crustaceans, in shell, cooked by steaming or by boiling in water, whether or not chilled, frozen, dried, salted or in brine | — | — |
| 030601 | Shrimp/prawn in frozen form other than Accelerated Freeze Dried (AFD) | 3.5% | Rs. 30.8 per Kg |
| 030602 | Accelerated Freeze Dried (AFD) shrimp / prawn | 2.9% | Rs. 123.8 per Kg |
| 030603 | Lobster / Crab | 4.4% | Rs. 74.6 per Kg |
| 030604 | Pasteurised tinned chilled crab meat | 4.5% | Rs. 201 per Kg |
| 030605 | Others in chilled or frozen form | 4.4% | Rs. 46.3 per Kg |
| 030699 | Others | 0.15% | — |
Drawback items follow the 4-digit heading, not the 8-digit code: claim the one that describes your goods. Rates of notification 77/2023-Customs (N.T.) as amended, in force on 20 Oct 2026.
Export policy (DGFT ITC(HS) Schedule 2) of its tariff items
- Free: 2 tariff items
What buyers pay abroad: import duty in the US, UK, EU and Australia for 0306 12, and China's below.
China: the same goods (0306 12)
China shares the first 6 digits with India and splits them into 10-digit codes of its own: 1 in force under 0306 12. Exporters see what China charges Indian goods; importers see the rebate and licences their Chinese supplier deals with.
| China code | Goods | Duty on Indian goods | MFN | Import VAT | Export rebate | Licences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0306.12.00.00 | Frozen spiny lobsters冻鳌龙虾 | 5%APTA rate, with an APTA certificate of origin | 7% | 9% | 9% | ABRSPQ |
- India is a member of the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA). With an APTA certificate of origin, Indian goods pay China's APTA rate where the line has one; China applies the lower of that and its provisional rate.
- The export VAT rebate is what China refunds its own exporters. When China cuts it, Chinese export prices tend to rise.
Every Chinese code in full
0306.12.00Frozen Norway lobsters
0306.12.00.00Frozen spiny lobsters冻鳌龙虾
Lobsters of the genus Homarus螯龙虾属
- Unit
- kg
- MFN import duty
- 7%
- Provisional import duty
- None
- General import duty
- 70%
- Import VAT
- 9%
- Consumption tax
- 0%
- Export duty
- 0%
- Provisional export duty
- None
- Export VAT rebate
- 9%
- Updated by China
- 23 Aug 2026
Licences and certificates
- AInbound goods clearance (inspection and quarantine)入境货物通关单
- BOutbound goods clearance (inspection and quarantine)出境货物通关单
Inspection and quarantine
- RImported food hygiene inspection进口食品卫生监督检验
- SExported food hygiene inspection出口食品卫生监督检验
- PInbound animal and plant (product) quarantine进境动植物、动植物产品检疫
- QOutbound animal and plant (product) quarantine出境动植物、动植物产品检疫
What the customs declaration must state
- 0.Brand type品牌类型
- 1.Export preferential status出口享惠情况
- 2.Method of preparation or preservation (frozen)制作或保存方法(冻)
- 3.Condition (in shell, shelled)状态(带壳、去壳)
- 4.Latin scientific name拉丁学名
- 5.Individual weight个体重量
- 6.Packing specifications包装规格
- 7.GTIN
- 8.CAS
- 9.Other其他
China's agreement rates
- ASEAN
- 0%
- Chile
- 0%
- Pakistan
- 1.5%
- New Zealand
- 0%
- Peru
- 0%
- Costa Rica
- 0%
- Switzerland
- 0%
- Iceland
- 0%
- Australia
- 0%
- South Korea
- 0%
- Georgia
- 0%
- Mauritius
- 0%
- Maldives
- 0%
- Cambodia
- 0%
- Nicaragua
- 0%
- Ecuador
- 2.8%
- Serbia
- 0%
- Hong Kong
- 0%
- Macao
- 0%
- Asia-Pacific (APTA)
- 5%
RCEP rates
- Australia
- 0%
- Brunei
- 0%
- Cambodia
- 0%
- South Korea
- 5%
- Laos
- 0%
- Malaysia
- 0%
- New Zealand
- 0%
- Singapore
- 0%
- Thailand
- 0%
- Vietnam
- 0%
- Japan
- 5.5%
- Indonesia
- 0%
- Philippines
- 0%
- Myanmar
- 0%
CIQ codes
- 0306120000101Frozen clawed lobsters (Homarus spp.) (aquaculture)冻鳌龙虾(鳌龙虾属)(养殖)
- 0306120000102Frozen clawed lobsters (Homarus spp.) (wild)冻鳌龙虾(鳌龙虾属)(野生)
China's tariff as compiled by HS编码网 from China Customs, the State Council Tariff Commission and the State Taxation Administration. The Chinese is the original.
Nearby codes
Sources
- GSTN HSN code masterChecked 13 Oct 2026
- DGFT ITC(HS) import and export policyChecked 9 Oct 2026
- GST rate per HSN (archived GSTZen extract)Checked 29 Sep 2026
- Customs Tariff of India (First Schedule): sections, chapters, notes and statutory BCDChecked 19 Oct 2026
- GST rates on goods, before and after 22 September 2025Checked 18 Oct 2026
- BIS compulsory certification: products and Quality Control OrdersChecked 18 Oct 2026
- Anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard duties in force (India)Checked 19 Oct 2026
- India's export duty (Second Schedule to the Customs Tariff Act and notifications 27/2011, 55/2022, 22/2024)Checked 19 Oct 2026
- India's All Industry Rates of duty drawback (notification 77/2023-Customs (N.T.))Checked 19 Oct 2026
- China customs tariff (HS编码网)Checked 19 Oct 2026
For information, not a customs ruling. Only notifications published in the Gazette have legal force; confirm the duty with your customs broker or ICEGATE before you price a deal.