FDA Thailand How to check a Thai FDA number yourself in one minute (food, cosmetics, herbal products)
What it means to check a Thai FDA number
To check a Thai FDA number is to take the number printed on a product label and look it up in the database of the Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA, known locally as
The number is not decoration. Thai law requires a manufacturer or importer to obtain it before the product can be made or imported for sale. The Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) requires manufacturers, importers and contract manufacturers to notify each cosmetic and receive a notification receipt first. The Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) requires anyone producing or importing food for sale to hold a licence. The number on the pack is therefore the thread that leads back to the legally responsible company.
Checking it yourself gives you three things: confirmation that someone in Thailand is legally responsible for the product; confirmation that the product in your hand is the one that was approved, not another product's number reprinted on a different pack; and confirmation that the number is still in force, because some numbers expire or can be cancelled.
What each type of Thai FDA number looks like
People in Thailand call every one of these an "FDA number", but legally they are different numbers issued under different acts. Identify the product type first.
| Product type | Legal name of the number | How it appears on the label |
|---|---|---|
| Food, including dietary supplements | Food serial number | 13 digits in five groups, XX-X-XXXXX-X-XXXX, printed inside the Thai FDA logo frame |
| Cosmetics | Notification receipt number | 10 digits (older format) or 13 digits (used since 2016); no Thai FDA logo frame |
| Herbal products | Registration, detailed-notification or notification number | Depends on the licensing tier; registered herbal medicines often start with the letter G followed by a sequence and year |
The 13-digit food serial number
The Thai FDA Regulation on food serial numbers B.E. 2567 (2024) explains the five groups: a two-digit province code, one digit for the type of premises and licensing authority, a five-digit premises number (three digits plus the last two digits of the Buddhist-era year), one digit for the issuing office, and a four-digit product sequence. The digits inside the frame must contrast with the frame background and be at least 2 millimetres high.
The cosmetic notification number
The Thai FDA's explanatory note on the Cosmetic Committee notification on cosmetic labelling says the notification number may appear in either the 10-digit or the 13-digit format, as issued, with the 13-digit format introduced in 2016. Cosmetics do not carry the Thai FDA logo frame at all. A Thai FDA consumer guide on searching cosmetic data points out that claiming a cosmetic carries the Thai FDA mark is incorrect.
Herbal product numbers
The Herbal Products Act B.E. 2562 (2019) sets three tiers: product registration, detailed notification and notification, each valid for five years. The number on the label depends on which tier the product falls under.
Thai FDA number lookup, step by step
The same five steps work for every product type.
- Find the number. On food, look inside the Thai FDA logo frame. On cosmetics, look for the words
เลขที่ใบรับจดแจ้ง or a 10- or 13-digit number, usually on the back or side panel. - Copy every digit, including the hyphens. A number that is smudged or scratched off is the first warning sign.
- Search the official database. On the Thai FDA website, open the product search menu, choose the product type, and search by number, product name or company name. The Thai FDA guide recommends typing English names in capital letters. You can also use the Thai FDA number checker on this site, which queries the Thai FDA's public search service.
- Compare the record with the label: product name, manufacturer or importer, and status (details below).
- Keep evidence. If something does not match, photograph every side of the label and keep the receipt or the online shop page before you report it.
If the number search returns nothing, search again by product or company name. Labels sometimes print the number in a slightly different format from the database, for example with or without hyphens, and short names often search better than long full names.
Verify Thai FDA registration: what must match
Finding the number only proves that the number exists. It does not prove that the product in your hand is the product behind that number. Compare at least these four points.
- Product name. The name in the database should match the name on the label, in Thai and in English. If the database shows a different kind of product, for example a powder when the label is a face cream, be careful.
- Manufacturer or importer. The company in the database should match the name and address on the label. Both the food and cosmetic labelling rules require this information to be shown.
- Type of authorisation. Domestic manufacture or import. If the label says made in Thailand but the record is an import, ask the seller.
- Status. A cosmetic notification receipt is valid for three years under the Cosmetic Act. For food, the 2024 regulation states that when a manufacturing or import licence is cancelled, every food serial number issued under it lapses.
Small spelling differences can be typing errors. A clearly different product or company name is not the same product.
Warning signs when you check the number
Based on the legal requirements and Thai FDA consumer guidance, the signs below do not automatically mean a product is illegal, but they are a reason to look more closely before you buy or use it.
- A cosmetic that claims to carry the Thai FDA mark, or prints its number inside the food-style logo frame.
- A food with a loose number and no logo frame, or with fewer than 13 digits.
- No Thai-language label on a product sold to consumers in Thailand. Both food and cosmetic labelling rules require Thai for consumer sale; imported cosmetics may add the Thai label within 30 days of customs release.
- A cosmetic that claims to be certified by the Thai FDA. A Thai FDA article notes that the agency does not certify any cosmetic; notification is a filing of information, not a quality endorsement.
- A food or cosmetic that makes medicine-like claims, such as preventing or curing disease. Neither category is allowed to make drug claims.
Read more: how to spot exaggerated health and beauty ads, and where to report them.
If the number is not found or does not match
If neither the number nor the name returns a result, or the record belongs to a different product, take these steps in order.
- Stop using the product, especially anything you eat or apply to your face.
- Search again another way, by company name or a short brand name, to rule out typing errors.
- Ask the seller for the correct number or proof of notification. Legitimate sellers can usually provide it immediately.
- Report it. A Thai FDA leaflet on illegal acne and melasma products directs consumers to the 1556 consumer hotline. Provide label photos, where you bought it and the number you could not find.
The details that help officers act quickly are clear photos of every side of the label, the shop name or online link, the purchase date and any adverse reaction.
For brand owners and importers: the label must match the authorisation
Consumers check numbers more every year, so brand owners should assume every product will be checked. The common problem is not a missing number but a label that does not match what was notified or licensed: a product name spelled differently from the filing, or the notifying company's name printed slightly wrong. The Cosmetic Act requires products to be made or imported exactly as notified, and the authority may order corrections or suspension if they are not.
Before every print run:
- Compare the product name, manufacturer or importer and number with the authorisation documents, character by character.
- Check the number format for the product type: food inside the Thai FDA frame, cosmetics without it.
- Run the full label through the label checker and ask questions in the RA Advisor.
Foreign brands entering Thailand need a Thai company to hold the notification or licence. If you need a team to manage the filing end to end, see our registration and notification service.
Summary
Checking a Thai FDA number takes under a minute and tells you whether a product has a legally responsible company behind it and whether it is the product that was approved. Remember three rules.
- Know the product type. Food uses a 13-digit serial number inside the Thai FDA frame; cosmetics use a 10- or 13-digit notification number with no frame.
- Found is not enough. The product name, manufacturer or importer and status must match the label.
- If it does not match, stop and report. Keep the label photos and purchase details and call the 1556 hotline.
For deeper guides, read reading the 13-digit number on supplements and checking a cosmetic notification number.
Frequently asked questions
How is a Thai food number different from a cosmetic number?
Food uses a 13-digit food serial number inside the Thai FDA logo frame. Cosmetics use a notification receipt number of 10 digits (older format) or 13 digits (since 2016) and carry no Thai FDA frame.
Is a cosmetic without the Thai FDA logo illegal?
No. Cosmetics do not use the Thai FDA logo frame. What they must show is the notification number. Claiming that a cosmetic carries the Thai FDA mark is in fact incorrect.
If the number is found, is the product safe?
A match shows that the product was authorised and that a company is legally responsible. You still need to compare the product name, manufacturer or importer and status with the label, because a number from another product can be reprinted.
Do Thai food serial numbers expire?
Under the 2024 regulation, a food serial number can be shown until the underlying manufacturing or import licence expires or lapses, and cancelling that licence makes every serial number under it lapse.
Where do I report a product whose number does not match?
Call the 1556 consumer hotline with photos of every side of the label, where you bought it and the purchase date, and stop using the product in the meantime.
Sources
- Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) · Open source · Search our archive
- Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) · Open source · Search our archive
- Herbal Products Act B.E. 2562 (2019) · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA Order No. 295/2569 revoking a herbal registration (example of the G-number format) · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA Regulation on food serial numbers B.E. 2567 (2024) · Open source · Search our archive
- Explanatory note on the Cosmetic Committee notification on cosmetic labelling · Open source · Search our archive
- Searching cosmetic data (Thai FDA consumer guide) · Open source · Search our archive
- Leaflet on illegal acne and melasma products (Thai FDA) · Open source · Search our archive
This article is for general information. It is not a Thai FDA ruling or legal advice, and rules change — check the latest notification or ask an expert before filing or producing.