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India FTA Duty Toolkit

Rules of Origin for cashew nuts, roasted/salted — Dubai (UAE) to India

HS 20081910 · FRUIT · Rules of Origin & preferential rate

Data last updated: · MFN duty & IGST verified against ICEGATE (Indian Customs EDI). Rules of Origin per CEPA Annex 3B. Verify your exact HS line before filing.

CEPA eligible
Yes
Value addition (RVC)
40%
Tariff-classification change
CC Annex 3B rule set at chapter level — it covers the whole chapter, not this code alone
MFN → CEPA basic duty
45% → 0%

Rule of Origin (CEPA Annex 3B, primary source): CC + VA 40% (CEPA Annex 3B Product-Specific Rule; tariff-shift AND value addition both required).

Qualifying under the Rules of Origin

To claim the CEPA preference on cashew nuts, roasted/salted (HS 20081910), the goods must qualify as UAE-originating. The Product-Specific Rule (Annex 3B) is "CC + VA 40% (CEPA Annex 3B Product-Specific Rule; tariff-shift AND value addition both required)": the goods must undergo a change of chapter (CC) AND add at least 40% regional value content — both conditions, not either/or. Read that rule for what it is: Annex 3B supplies it at chapter level as the residual rule, applying to the chapter apart from the lines given their own, so it governs hundreds of eight-digit codes rather than this one. It is the correct rule to apply, and it is also the place to check for a more specific carve-out before committing to a claim. Roasted and salted cashew nuts reach zero basic duty under CEPA, and the UAE is a major cashew re-processing and packaging hub, so this is one of the more realistically claimable concessions in the food basket. The rule is stricter than the corpus norm though — a change of CHAPTER plus 40% value addition — which is significant here because raw kernels and prepared nuts sit in different chapters, so genuine roasting and salting clears the shift limb where re-bagging does not. Verify the precise line: raw and prepared cashew are treated differently across Chapters 8 and 20, and the classification follows the processing rather than the invoice wording. IGST is 5%. FSSAI import licensing and consignment-level clearance apply, with aflatoxin and residue verification at the port, and Indian labelling applied at origin rather than on arrival. A valid Certificate of Origin filed through the eCoO 2.0 system must accompany the shipment; without it, customs charges the 45% MFN rate instead of the preference.

Check your own figures in the Rules of Origin (RVC) qualifier. Qualifying is only half of it — the preference is claimed with a Certificate of Origin, issued in the UAE before shipment or retrospectively within 12 months.

Frequently asked questions

Does cashew nuts, roasted/salted qualify for India–UAE CEPA?
Yes, if it meets the Annex 3B Product-Specific Rule "CC + VA 40% (CEPA Annex 3B Product-Specific Rule; tariff-shift AND value addition both required).": it must BOTH change tariff classification (CC) AND add at least 40% regional value content — both conditions are required, not either/or.
What is the Rule of Origin for cashew nuts, roasted/salted?
Per CEPA Annex 3B: CC + VA 40% (CEPA Annex 3B Product-Specific Rule; tariff-shift AND value addition both required).. RVC% = [(FOB − value of non-originating materials) / FOB] × 100 (FOB basis).
What proof is needed at import?
A preferential Certificate of Origin filed through eCoO 2.0, presented at customs before clearance. Without it, the 45% MFN duty applies.