FDA Thailand 
Thai FDA registration is the step that allows a food, dietary supplement, cosmetic or herbal product to be sold legally in Thailand. In daily speech people call the result an "FDA number", but it is really several different numbers issued under different laws. This guide explains which approval each type of product needs, what to prepare, how anyone can check a Thai FDA number, and the problems that most often send an application back. It is written for foreign brand owners and exporters, and for Thai companies whose teams work in English.
What Thai FDA registration means for each product type
The Thai Food and Drug Administration (Thai FDA) regulates food, cosmetics and herbal products. Each group has its own law, its own application forms and its own set of documents. A food approval cannot be used for a cosmetic, and the reverse is also true.
So the first question is always: which group does your product belong to? The answer decides which online system you file in, which documents you need, and whether laboratory test reports are required.
| Product group | Main law | What you receive | What appears on the label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food and dietary supplements | Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) | A food serial number | A 13-digit number inside the Thai FDA logo frame |
| Cosmetics | Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) | A cosmetic notification receipt | The notification receipt number |
| Herbal products | Herbal Products Act B.E. 2562 (2019) | A formula registration certificate, a detailed notification receipt or a notification receipt | The number of that document |
B.E. means Buddhist Era. Thai laws and documents use this calendar, which is 543 years ahead of the Western (A.D.) calendar. B.E. 2562 is therefore 2019.
Products that look alike can fall under different laws. A plant-based drink powder, for example, could be a general food, a dietary supplement or a herbal product. It depends on the intended use, the product form, the ingredients and the claims you want to make on the label.
The rules for food, cosmetics and herbal products are not interchangeable. An ingredient allowed in cosmetics is not automatically allowed in food, and the reverse is also true.
The product registration service of TIBD Co., Ltd. covers all three groups. The team helps classify the product, reviews the formula and label before filing, and prepares the document set. When we file on behalf of a company, a power of attorney is required. The Thai FDA always makes the decision.
Food registration in Thailand: the 13-digit food serial number
The food serial number is a 13-digit number shown inside the Thai FDA logo frame on a food label. Thai people often call it the "Or Yor number", after
The number is linked to a specific manufacturing site or import site, and to a specific product. You cannot move it to another factory or reuse it for a different product on your own.
Thai food law groups food by level of control. The higher the level, the more documents and checks are involved. Registration is covered in Chapter 5 of the Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979).
| Food group | Examples with their own notifications |
|---|---|
| Specially controlled food | Infant food, infant formula, food for weight control |
| Food with quality or standard requirements | Dietary supplements, beverages in sealed containers, tea, coffee, honey |
| Food that must carry a label | Flavouring agents, some processed foods |
| General food | Food outside the first three groups. If it is packed for sale, it still needs a label under the notification on packaged food labels |
A typical food registration in Thailand follows these steps:
- The manufacturing or import site must first hold the right site permission for its size and type of business. If you use a contract manufacturer, check that factory's permits.
- Classify the food, then read the specific notification for that type of food to see its quality, ingredient or labelling rules.
- Prepare the formula as percentages, a draft label, and test reports where the notification requires them.
- File the application through the Thai FDA electronic system.
- Answer questions or correct documents when officers ask, until the food serial number is issued.
After approval, the product you sell must match what you filed: the formula, the name and the label. Before changing anything important, check whether you need to file an amendment or a new application.
Supplement registration in Thailand: what you need on top of general food
AI-generated imageIn Thailand, a dietary supplement is a food with quality or standard requirements. The Thai FDA manual for dietary supplement applications, revised in 2026, explains that the current route is food registration through an electronic form (e-Form). The result is a food registration certificate, form Sor Bor 5/1
The manual lists these items for the application:
- The food registration form (e-Form)
- Quality or standard documents for the key raw materials, as applicable
- The food label, if the product or an ingredient falls under novel food
- Other documents about the name, type or safety of the food, if any
Besides the filing documents, the product needs a finished-product specification. The manual sets minimum items, for example:
| Item | Limit in the 2026 Thai FDA manual |
|---|---|
| Lead | Not more than 1 milligram per kilogram of food |
| Total arsenic | Not more than 2 milligrams per kilogram of food |
| Salmonella | Not detected in 25 grams of food |
| E. coli | Less than 3 per gram of food, by the Most Probable Number (MPN) method |
| Vitamins or minerals (if the product is meant to provide them) | At least 15 percent of the Thai Recommended Daily Intakes (Thai RDIs), and not more than the maximum set by notification |
Test reports used for filing have their own conditions. The manual says they must be originals, not older than 1 year from the report date to the filing date. Reports from several laboratories can be combined, but they must all cover the same production batch and each must state that batch (Thai FDA, 2026).
The Thai FDA accepts results from two kinds of laboratory: government laboratories or laboratories recognised by a government, in Thailand or abroad; or laboratories accredited for competence under international standards for food testing. The manual refers readers to the list kept by the Bureau of Laboratory Quality Standards, Department of Medical Sciences.
Choose the laboratory before you send samples. If a report cannot be used for filing, the whole set of tests may have to be repeated.
Cosmetic registration in Thailand: the Thai FDA cosmetic notification
Cosmetics in Thailand use a notification system, not a drug-style registration. Under the Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015), the manufacturer or importer must notify the Thai FDA and receive a notification receipt before manufacturing or importing for sale.
In short, the Thai FDA cosmetic notification works like this:
- The manufacturing site or import site must first meet Thai FDA criteria. Only then can products be notified.
- Check every ingredient in the formula against the Thai FDA ingredient lists: prohibited substances, substances allowed with conditions, preservatives, colourants and UV filters.
- Check the trade name and the cosmetic name for words the Thai FDA does not allow in product names.
- Complete form Jor Kor 1
(จ.ค.๑). It asks for details such as the trade name and cosmetic name in Thai and English, whether the product is rinse-off or leave-on, the area of use, the purpose and the directions for use. - File through the Thai FDA electronic system and wait for the result.
These filing details and the renewal rules come from the Ministry of Public Health notification on cosmetic notification, issuing receipts, renewal, amendment and replacement receipts (Ministry of Public Health, 2018). The receipt has a validity period. Renewal is filed on form Jor Kor 2
A common reason online cosmetic notifications stall is the ingredient names. Use names from the International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI), not the trade names used by raw-material suppliers.
A cosmetic notification receipt shows that the product information was submitted to the Thai FDA. It is not an approval of any benefit claim. The notifier must still make sure the product on sale matches what was notified.
Herbal product registration in Thailand: three routes
Herbal products fall under the Herbal Products Act B.E. 2562 (2019), a separate law from the food and cosmetic laws. A ministerial regulation under this Act sets out three kinds of product approval: formula registration, detailed notification, and notification (Ministry of Public Health, 2020).
Which route applies depends on the type and nature of the product as set out in the regulations. It has to be decided product by product. Do not guess from the name of the herb.
The 2025 notification on herbal product labels requires the label to state the product type clearly, for example:
- Thai traditional medicine
- Medicine based on alternative medicine knowledge
- Medicine developed from herbs
- Herbal health product
- Herbal cosmeceutical
The label must also show the number of the formula registration certificate, detailed notification receipt or notification receipt. For Thai traditional medicine and medicine based on alternative medicine knowledge, the notification sets a shelf life of not more than 2 years for oral liquids and not more than 3 years for other forms, unless stability study data support a different period (Herbal Products Committee, 2025).
A product that contains herbs does not always need herbal product registration. Some are food or cosmetics, depending on their purpose and form.
How to check a Thai FDA number yourself
Consumers and shops can check a Thai FDA number themselves, without hiring anyone. First, identify which product group the number on the label belongs to, because the formats differ.
| Product group | Wording on the label | Number format you will see |
|---|---|---|
| Food and dietary supplements | Food serial number, inside the Thai FDA logo frame | 13 digits grouped 2-1-5-1-4, for example XX-X-XXXXX-X-XXXX |
| Cosmetics | Notification receipt number | A long string of digits separated by hyphens, for example XX-X-XXXXXXXXXX |
| Herbal products | Number of the formula registration certificate, detailed notification receipt or notification receipt | Different from the other two groups; it often starts with English letters before the digits |
Then search the number in the product search system on the Thai FDA website. Cosmetics, food and herbal products are kept in separate databases. Search for dietary supplements in the food database.
- Write down the full number and decide which group it belongs to.
- Search the Thai FDA system for that product group.
- Compare the product name in the system with the name on the label.
- Compare the licence holder or notifier in the system with the company name on the label.
- Check the status: is it still active, or has it been cancelled?
Warning signs include a real number that belongs to a different product, a name in the system that does not match the label, a cancelled status, or a number in the wrong format, such as a label that says dietary supplement but shows a cosmetic-style number.
A Thai FDA number shows that a product has been approved or notified. It does not approve the product's benefits or its advertising.
Businesses can use the same method to look up the number of a product they plan to resell. It shows who holds the number and whether it is still valid.
Why Thai FDA applications are sent back
AI-generated imageFiling online saves travel, but an incomplete file can also be sent back quickly. In practice, the same causes appear again and again:
- The product was put in the wrong group from the start, so it was filed in the wrong system or with the wrong documents.
- The manufacturing or import site is not yet licensed, or the site details do not match the application.
- The formula contains a prohibited substance, or uses an ingredient above its maximum level.
- Ingredient names are trade names, not the names the Thai FDA uses for review.
- The product name contains words that suggest treating disease or exaggerated benefits.
- The label is missing required items, or makes claims without evidence.
- Test reports are too old, or come from different production batches.
- Documents do not agree with each other, for example the formula in the application differs from the factory's formula.
Many of these points can be checked before filing. The free ingredient search on this site shows whether an ingredient is prohibited, has a maximum level, or needs a mandatory warning. RA Advisor, an assistant for Regulatory Affairs (RA) questions, accepts questions in plain sentences and photos of labels. It is an artificial intelligence tool that gives initial guidance. It is not a Thai FDA decision.
The Thai FDA always decides. A complete, consistent file reduces rounds of correction, but the outcome belongs to the Thai FDA.
FDA registration in Thailand with our team: steps, cost and timing
Our product registration work always starts with understanding the product, because the product group shapes everything else. The steps are:
- Send your product details through the form on our website.
- The team contacts you to ask about the product form, formula and target market.
- The team sets out the scope of work and the list of documents to prepare, and sends a quotation.
- Work starts once you agree.
The first conversation is faster if you can share:
- The product type and form, such as drink powder, capsule, cream or serum
- The formula as percentages, or the raw-material list from the factory
- A draft label or packaging images, if you have them
- Details of the manufacturing site or the factory you plan to use
- The claims you want to make on the label and in advertising
- Whether the product is made in Thailand or imported
Foreign brands should also know who can file. For cosmetics and dietary supplements, the holder of the licence or notification receipt must be a Thai national aged 20 or over, or a juristic person registered in Thailand. An overseas brand owner therefore needs a Thai importer to file. Our Import into Thailand service page explains the options.
Fees and timing depend on the product type, the number of products and how complete your current documents are. The team states them in the quotation. Government fees follow the rates set by law.
Talk to our team about Thai FDA registration
If you are not sure which Thai FDA approval your product needs, or an earlier application was sent back, send us the details. The team will look at the product group, the document list and the next steps with you. The team works in Thai and English.
You can reach us through the form on the Talk to our team page, on LINE at @tibdglobal, or by email at info@tibdglobal.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a food serial number and a cosmetic notification number?
A food serial number is issued under the Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979). It is a 13-digit number inside the Thai FDA logo frame and is used for food and dietary supplements. A cosmetic notification receipt number is issued under the Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) and is used only for cosmetics. The steps and documents for the two groups are separate.
Where can I check a Thai FDA number?
Use the product search system on the Thai FDA website. It has separate databases for cosmetics, food and herbal products; dietary supplements are in the food database. Compare the product name, the licence holder and the status shown in the system with the label.
How long does Thai FDA registration take, and how much does it cost?
It depends on the product type, the number of products and how complete the documents are. Our team gives the timing and service fee in a quotation once we understand the work. Government fees follow the rates set by law.
Does a Thai cosmetic notification receipt need to be renewed?
Yes. The receipt has a validity period. Renewal is filed on form Jor Kor 2 within 180 days before the receipt expires, under the Ministry of Public Health notification on cosmetic notification.
Does every product that contains herbs need herbal product registration?
No. Some products are food, dietary supplements or cosmetics, depending on their intended use, form and claims. If the product is a herbal product, it needs formula registration, detailed notification or notification, depending on its type.
References
- Thai Food and Drug Administration. (1979). Food Act B.E. 2522 (1979) (in Thai). Open document ↗
- Thai Food and Drug Administration. (2015). Cosmetic Act B.E. 2558 (2015) (in Thai). Open document ↗
- Thai Food and Drug Administration. (2019). Herbal Products Act B.E. 2562 (2019) (in Thai). Open document ↗
- Ministry of Public Health. (2024). [Notification of the Ministry of Public Health (No. 450) B.E. 2567 (2024) on labelling of food in packages] (in Thai). Open document ↗
- Ministry of Public Health. (2018). [Notification of the Ministry of Public Health on cosmetic notification, issuance of notification receipts, renewal of notification receipts, amendment of notification receipts and issuance of replacement notification receipts, dated 22 August 2018] (in Thai). Open document ↗
- Ministry of Public Health. (2020). [Ministerial Regulation on formula registration, detailed notification and notification of herbal products B.E. 2563 (2020)] (in Thai). Open document ↗
- Herbal Products Committee. (2025). [Notification of the Herbal Products Committee on the names of herbal products in formula registration, detailed notification or notification, and on labels and package inserts of herbal products B.E. 2568 (2025)] (in Thai). Open document ↗
- Thai Food and Drug Administration. (2026). [Manual for dietary supplement applications (revised edition 2026)] (in Thai). Open document ↗