FDA Thailand Exporting processed food from Thailand: licences, standards and the certificates buyers ask for
Start with your domestic compliance
To export processed food from Thailand smoothly, start with your status under Thai regulation. Almost every document an overseas buyer requests relies on the licence, the food serial number and the site audit results issued in Thailand. If that domestic base is incomplete, you cannot obtain export certificates.
This guide walks through what a factory or trading company should prepare: production licence, manufacturing standard, lab results, records, certificates, labels and buyer samples, citing Thai FDA notifications and guides. Destination-country rules vary widely, so always confirm them with the buyer or the destination authority as well.
Production licence and food serial number
The Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) requires anyone setting up a factory to produce food for sale to obtain a licence first. A production licence runs until 31 December of the third year after the year of issue, and food must not be produced or stored outside the licensed premises; moving premises needs prior permission.
Sites are classified by size: those with 50 horsepower of machinery or 50 workers or more receive a food production licence (Or.2), while smaller ones receive a non-factory site certificate (Sor.Bor.1/1), according to the Thai FDA licensing guide. Either serves as site evidence when applying for export certificates.
The food serial number matters for export, because the Thai FDA's Certificate of Free Sale and Certificate of Ingredient require one. If a product will be sold both in Thailand and abroad, getting the serial number first lets you obtain every export certificate type.
Manufacturing standard: GMP 420 is the base
Food produced for sale must comply with MOPH Notification No. 420 B.E. 2563 (2020), known as GMP 420. Its five basic categories are location and buildings, equipment, production control, sanitation and personal hygiene, and three higher-risk groups (drinking water and ice, pasteurised milk, and low-acid or acidified sealed foods) have additional specific requirements.
Many buyers want proof of a certified manufacturing system. Producers can obtain a certificate from a certification body listed with the Thai FDA; it lasts three years with yearly surveillance, and an overall score of 85% or more is marked Excellence Level. See GMP 420 explained for the pass criteria.
Lab results, traceability and recall
Exporters are often asked for quality evidence beyond government certificates. What GMP 420 already requires gives you ready answers:
- Final product, including water and ice used as ingredients, tested at a government or accredited lab at least once a year.
- Traceability information and records of product type, production volume and distribution.
- Proper handling of non-conforming product.
- Records kept at least one year beyond the label expiry date.
- An internal audit at least once a year.
Some buyers require batch-level testing against destination rules, which goes beyond Thai minimums. Agree test lists and acceptable laboratories in the contract from the start; for laboratory support see our testing service.
Certificates for Thai food exports that buyers commonly request
| Document | Issuer | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Manufacturer | Thai FDA | The site is licensed and supervised |
| Certificate of Free Sale | Thai FDA | The product is authorised and sold in Thailand (serial number needed) |
| Certificate of Ingredient | Thai FDA | Ingredient details (serial number and 100% formula needed) |
| Manufacturing-system certificate | Certification body listed with the Thai FDA | The plant meets legal GMP |
| Producer registration with the destination | The destination's system, e.g. China Customs | The producer may ship to that country |
Thai FDA certificates are filed through e-Submission and issued electronically; the applicant needs a valid, non-suspended site licence. Document details for each type are in health certificates for Thai food exports.
For China, Customs' Decree 280, in force since 1 June 2026, sets three registration routes for foreign food producers: some categories register through a Thai competent authority, others self-register through CIFER.
Export food label rules
Under the Thai FDA's explanatory notification on prepackaged food labels (9 August 2024), export food may show at least two items in any language, with other details following the destination country, whereas food sold in Thailand needs full Thai labelling.
If a product already has a serial number and you want to add an export name or label, file a clarification letter through e-Submission under your food production licence, entering the foreign-language name and destinations. Specifically controlled foods must attach the export label design, plus a certified translation if it is not in English.
Remember that the export label must meet destination law on language, nutrition information, allergens and claims, which can differ greatly from Thai rules. A label that is correct in Thailand is not automatically correct elsewhere.
Sending samples to buyers
Buyers usually want samples first. Section 16 of the Food Act exempts the production, import or export of food as samples for registration or for a buyer's consideration from the licences in sections 14 and 15, though ministerial regulations still apply.
In practice, samples still clear customs and must meet the destination's sample import rules. Ask the buyer which documents should travel with samples, such as a packing list or a certificate of analysis.
Food export companies: contract manufacturing or your own plant
Trading companies without their own plant often have a Thai factory produce and then export under their own name. Thai FDA certificates are tied to the factory's site licence and the product's serial number, so the exporter must coordinate with the licence-holding factory every time, and the Thai FDA guide requires a distributor consent letter if a distributor is named on the certificate.
A contract for export manufacturing should state who applies for certificates, who is responsible for batch lab results, who keeps traceability records and how an overseas recall will be coordinated. The plant-checking principles in hiring a supplement OEM factory apply to processed food too.
Where exports most often stall
- A site licence close to expiry or expired, blocking certificates until renewal is complete.
- English product names on certificates that differ from the export label or invoice, prompting corrected documents.
- A changed formula or main ingredient supplier without checking the product still matches its authorisation, leaving old documents unusable.
- Label claims the destination does not accept, even though they are fine in Thailand.
- No current-year lab result when the buyer asks, although GMP 420 already requires final-product testing at least yearly.
None of these come from complex rules; they come from document sets drifting apart after changes. Making one person responsible for the whole export file, and reviewing it whenever formula, name or site changes, prevents most of them.
Export readiness plan
- Check the production licence or site certificate and diarise renewal.
- Obtain serial numbers for export products if buyers need Free Sale or Ingredient certificates.
- Assess the plant against GMP 420 and consider certification-body certification.
- Set up annual testing, traceability and recall systems.
- Get the destination's document list and label rules from the buyer.
- Apply for Thai FDA certificates and add export labels if needed.
- Check whether the destination requires producer registration.
For a readiness review, start from our contact page, or see the factory setup and GMP service and document preparation service.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a food serial number to export processed food?
Not in every case, but the Thai FDA's Free Sale and Ingredient certificates require one. Export-only products without a serial number can obtain some certificate types.
Can a small producer export?
Yes. Small sites use the non-factory site certificate (Sor.Bor.1/1) as site evidence, but must comply with GMP 420 as the notification requires.
Must export labels be in Thai?
No. Export food may show at least two items in any language, with the rest following the destination country.
Do samples for overseas buyers need a licence?
Section 16 of the Food Act exempts samples for a buyer's consideration from the section 14 and 15 licences, but ministerial regulations and destination rules still apply.
Can I export under my brand from someone else's factory?
Yes, but certificates are tied to the factory's licence and serial numbers, so coordinate with the factory each time and provide a distributor consent letter if you are named.
Sources
- Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) · Open source · Search our archive
- MOPH Notification No. 420 B.E. 2563 (2020) on production methods, equipment and food storage · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA notification on issuing manufacturing-system certificates, 2021 · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA public guide: export certificates for food premises and products · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA dietary supplement licensing guide (revised 2026): site classes by size · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA explanatory notification on prepackaged food labelling (9 August 2024) · Open source · Search our archive
- e-Submission manual: adding labels for food produced for export · Open source · Search our archive
- Thai FDA guidance: registering producers exporting food to China under Decree 280 · 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.