Do food shipments from China need FDA Prior Notice?
The short answer, with the official forms and the agencies' own links.
The short answer
Yes. Every imported food shipment needs Prior Notice before it arrives: at least 2 hours ahead by road, 4 by rail or air and 8 by water, and before it is sent by international mail. Anyone with the information can submit it, through FDA's system or the customs broker's ABI. Food without proper notice can be refused and held at the port, and food from an unregistered foreign facility can be held until it registers.
The forms involved
Prior Notice for imported food
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationUS federal
Submitted for each food shipment before it arrives, through FDA's Prior Notice System Interface or CBP's ABI/ACS, by anyone with the required information. At least 2 hours ahead by road, 4 by rail or air and 8 by water; for international mail, before the food is sent.
- Fee
- Varies
- Filed
- Filed online
Food Facility Registration
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationUS federal
Filed online in FDA Industry Systems. Required for facilities that make, pack or hold food for U.S. consumption, including foreign ones. Restaurants and retail food stores are exempt.
- Fee
- Free
- Filed
- Filed online
- Takes
- Number issued on screen as soon as an online registration with a valid UFI is submitted; foreign facilities wait for U.S. agent confirmation.
- Renews
- Renew between October 1 and December 31 of every even-numbered year.
Create/Update Importer Identity Form
U.S. Customs and Border ProtectionUS federal
Sent to CBP (usually through your customs broker), or created in the ACE portal. Needed before your first entry as importer of record.
- Fee
- Free
- Filed
- Paper form, mailed
- Takes
- Up to 5 business days.
Full guides
General information, not legal or tax advice. Agency requirements change; check the agency's page before you file.
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