Trade of livestock and livestock products are regulated as per the Foreign Trade Policy of Government of India which is implemented by Department of Commerce.

The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying regulates import livestock and livestock products in accordance with provision of Section 3 and Section 3A of the Livestock Importation Act., 1898 so as to prevent ingress of Exotic diseases though import of such livestock and livestock products.

Import of live animals falls under the category of restricted list (it is not free to import) as per EXIM Policy for which importer has to obtain license from Director General of Foreign Trade(DGFT). The DGFT issues license based on the recommendation of this Department after examining the proposal and conducting risk analysis. Apart from the EXIM Policy, the Central Government is empowered to regulate, restrict and prohibit import of live animals in accordance with Section 3 of the Live-stock Importation Act., 1898. Notifications S.O. 1495(E) and 1496(E) dated 10th June, 2014 under Section 3 of Livestock Importation Act has been issued by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying. Through these notifications, Department has notified the classes of animals that can be considered as “Live-stock” and also has laid down the import and quarantine procedure for live animals.

The livestock products are categorized under Open General License (OGL) as per EXIM Policy. Apart from the EXIM Policy, the Central Government is empowered to regulate, restrict and prohibit import of live-stock products in accordance with Section 3A of the Live-stock Importation Act., 1898. In this regard, the Department has issued notification S.O. 2666(E) dated 17th October, 2015 listing out the livestock products and procedure for import of livestock products.The import of these products is allowed subject to Sanitary Import Permit which is issued by the Department after examining import Risk Analysis. Sanitary Import Permits (SIPs) must be obtained prior to shipping from the country of origin. The Department issues SIPs for livestock products based on import risk analysis of the livestock products. Permits are valid for one year or six month depending upon the nature of product and may be used for multiple consignments.

A Sanitary Import Permit is not a licence, but a certificate certifying India's sanitary requirements.

Imports of animal and animal products are only allowed through sea ports/ air ports of Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai where animal quarantine and certification services are available. Imports of fish products are allowed through the sea port of Vishakhapatnam (in the State of Andhra Pradesh), Sea and airport of Kochi and the Land Custom Station at Petrapole(for imports from Bangladesh only).