Exporters

Exporting food to China: GACC registration and Thai documents

8 min read · Updated 9 Nov 2026

How to start when you export food to China

To export food to China from Thailand you need to prepare two sides at once. The China side is registration of overseas food manufacturers with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC). The Thai side is the readiness of your production premises, production standards, export certificates and labels, which Chinese authorities and buyers often ask to see.

This article is based on documents in our regulation archive: the Thai FDA guidance on registering manufacturers that export food to China under Decree 280, the CIFER system manual used for registration, and Thai law on food exports. More detailed Chinese requirements, such as Chinese-language labels, import documents for each product type or border inspection, are not in these documents and must be checked directly with Chinese authorities or the Chinese importer.

For Thai export certificates in general see Thai food export certificates, and for factory readiness see exporting processed food from Thailand.

What GACC Decree 280 is

The Thai FDA guidance says GACC issued Decree 280, the Registration and Administration of Overseas Manufacturers of Imported Food, on 14 October 2025. It took effect on 1 June 2026 and ended Decree 248.

The new rules set three registration routes:

1. Registration through the competent authority (CA) of the producing country, for listed food categories.
2. Self-registration for food outside those categories, directly in the China Import Food Enterprises Registration (CIFER) system.
3. List-based registration, which requires an agreement between the producing country's government and GACC.

So the first question for an exporter is not whether to register but whether the product must go through a CA or can be self-registered.

Food categories that must register through a Thai CA

According to the Thai FDA document, Decree 280 lists 17 categories that must register through a CA: meat and meat products; sausage casings; aquatic products; dairy products; bird's nests and products; bee products; eggs and egg products; edible oils and fats; stuffed pastry products; edible grains; milled grain industry products and malt; fresh and dehydrated vegetables and dried beans; condiments and seasonings; nuts and seeds; dried fruits; food for special dietary purposes; and functional food.

Compared with the 18 categories under Decree 248, unroasted coffee beans and cocoa beans are no longer listed. The document notes that the list may change based on risk assessment and export history, so check the latest list before every application.

Thai CAs are split by product type, as the table shows. The Thai FDA handles only two groups, food for special dietary purposes and functional food, through the Food Division's premises assessment and licensing group. Other products go to the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Livestock Development or the Department of Fisheries.

Registering through the Thai FDA or self-registering in CIFER

For first-time registration of special dietary or functional food through the Thai FDA, the guidance sets out these steps:

1. Contact the Thai FDA as CA to request a user account (username and password), using the request form from the Food Division website.
2. Log in to CIFER with that account to apply online.
3. Complete and submit the application on the prescribed form, and submit documents to the Food Division's premises assessment and licensing group.

Processed plant products that the rules allow to self-register in CIFER may alternatively be filed through the Department of Agriculture. For questions on Decree 280 registration, the Thai FDA document refers exporters to the international policy group of the National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards (ACFS).

What the CIFER manual says

The CIFER user manual in our archive was prepared by the Office of Agricultural Affairs in Beijing while Decree 248 applied, so some details may have changed, but its practical points remain useful:

• Each business can hold only one account. If you have products that must go through a CA and others you can self-register, ask the CA to allocate the account.
• Self-registrants enter their Thai food production licence number in the Thai registration number field, and the account name and confirmed number cannot be changed later.
• Prepare HS codes, company and production information, a self-assessment, product details, annual capacity, export history, raw materials and chemicals used, water source and a signed, stamped declaration.
• A rejected application cannot be edited; you must apply again. Results are shown only in CIFER.

Thai documents you need first

• Licensed production premises: a food production licence (Or.2) or a non-factory premises certificate (Sor Bor 1/1). The CIFER manual asks for the Thai production licence number, and Thai FDA export certificates are issued only while the licence is valid and not suspended.
• Production standards: food produced for sale must follow GMP under Ministry of Public Health Notification No. 420 B.E. 2563 (2020). If customers want proof, producers can obtain a certificate of production system standards under the law from a certification body listed with the Thai FDA. It is valid for three years, and a total score of at least 85% earns the Excellence Level mention.
• Food serial number: the Thai FDA regulation on food serial numbers of 2024 exempts food in the number-required groups (other than specifically controlled food) that is made for export and not sold in Thailand. If the product is also sold locally, or the buyer wants a Certificate of Free Sale, you need a number.

For food in hermetically sealed containers, clause 13 of Notification No. 469 says the notification does not apply to food made for export, but this does not exempt premises licensing or Chinese requirements. See hermetically sealed food Notification 469.

Exporting food abroad: Thai FDA certificates buyers ask for

The citizen's guide to export certificates for food premises and products lists three Thai FDA certificates:

• Certificate of Manufacturer: the premises are licensed; the licence must be valid and not suspended.
• Certificate of Free Sale: for products with a food serial number.
• Certificate of Ingredient: confirms the composition; a full 100% formula is required.

Applications go through e-Submission and certificates are issued electronically. Products without a number because they are made only for export must show the formula, product details and process, and a certificate can state GMP compliance under the law only if the premises were audited by an inspection body registered with the Thai FDA. Expired certificates must be reapplied for, and no certificate can be issued if the premises licence has expired or been cancelled.

Many buyers call these documents a health certificate. The safe approach is to ask the Chinese importer for the exact wording the destination authority needs on the document and compare it with what the Thai FDA issues. For meat, aquatic or plant products, check with the agency that regulates that product type. Our document preparation service can help assemble the file.

Labels and samples for the Chinese market

On the Thai side, labelling Notification No. 450 as amended by No. 474 B.E. 2569 (in force 31 October 2026) says labels on food made for export may be in any language but must show at least one of the food serial number, the premises number, or the name and address of the production site. The new clause 7 no longer requires the country of manufacture.

On the Chinese side, Chinese-language label requirements are not covered by the documents in our archive, so we do not summarise them. Ask the Chinese importer, who is responsible for the import in China, for the current requirements and check with Chinese authorities before printing.

For samples, section 16 of the Food Act says producing, importing or exporting food as samples for formula registration or for buyers to evaluate does not need a licence under sections 14 and 15, though ministerial regulations still apply. Bringing samples into China is subject to Chinese conditions that must be checked separately.

Food export questions to confirm with the Chinese side

Our archive covers the Thai side and the overview of Decree 280 as summarised by the Thai FDA. Confirm the following with the Chinese importer, Chinese authorities or the Thai CA responsible for your product before producing an export lot:

• Whether your product is in a CA category on the latest list, which may change with risk assessment.
• Whether an existing registration made under Decree 248 needs further action now that Decree 280 applies.
• Chinese label requirements and the import documents the border requires for that product type.
• The wording or format required on Thai certificates.

We do not state Chinese procedures, timelines or conditions that our archive cannot confirm, because they change and should come from official Chinese sources. If you want help working out who to ask about what, talk to our team.

Checklist before accepting an order from China

1. Identify the product type and HS code and compare it with the 17 CA categories.
2. Find the responsible Thai CA, or prepare to self-register in CIFER if the product is outside the list.
3. Check that the premises licence (Or.2 or Sor Bor 1/1) is valid and lists the right food type.
4. Prepare GMP 420 evidence and consider a certificate from a certification body listed with the Thai FDA.
5. Decide whether to obtain a food serial number or produce for export only, and choose the matching Thai FDA certificate.
6. Get label and import document requirements from the Chinese importer and check them with Chinese authorities before printing labels.

Our factory setup and GMP service can help get the premises ready for export audits.

Sources

1. การขึ้นทะเบียนผู้ผลิตอาหารที่ส่งออกไปยังสาธารณรัฐประชาชนจีน ตามระเบียบฉบับใหม่ (Decree 280) สำนักงำนศุลกำกรแห่งสำธำรณรัฐประชำชนจีน (GACC) ได้ออกประกำศคำสั่งเลขที่ 280 (Decree 280) เรื่อง “ระเบียบการบร · Open source · Search our archive
2. คู่มือการขึ้นทะเบียนผู้ผลิตอาหารที่ส่งออกไปจีน โดยมีรายละเอียดตาม เอกสารแนบ 3 · Open source · Search our archive
3. 1. การออกหนังสือรับรองสถานที่ผลิตและผลิตภัณฑ์อาหารเพื่อการส่งออก · Open source · Search our archive
4. คู่มือสำหรับประชาชนการออกหนังสือรับรองฯ · Open source · Search our archive
5. เรื่อง การออกหนังสือรับรองมาตรฐานระบบการผลิตตามหลักเกณฑ์ของกฎหมาย พ.ศ. 2564 Re: Issuance of a certificate of food production system standards according to the legal criteria B.E.2564 (2021). บังคับใช้ · Open source · Search our archive
6. 2) ระเบียบสำนักงานคณะกรรมการอาหารและยา ว่าด้วยการดำเนินการเกี่ยวกับเลขสารบบอาหาร พ.ศ.2567 · Open source · Search our archive
7. พระราชบัญญัติอาหาร พ.ศ. 2522 · Open source · Search our archive
8. ประกาศกระทรวงสาธารณสุข (ฉบับที่ 420) พ.ศ. 2563 ออกตามความในพระราชบัญญัติอาหาร พ.ศ. 2522 เรื่อง วิธีการผลิต เครื่องมือเครื่องใช้ในการผลิต และการเก็บรักษาอาหาร · Open source · Search our archive
9. ประกาศกระทรวงสาธารณสุข (ฉบับที่ 469) พ.ศ.2569 เรื่อง อาหารในภาชนะบรรจุที่ปิดสนิท · Open source · Search our archive
10. 1) ประกาศกระทรวงสาธารณสุข (ฉบับที่ 450) พ.ศ.2567 เรื่อง การแสดงฉลากอาหารในภาชนะบรรจุ · Open source · Search our archive
11. ประกาศกระทรวงสาธารณสุข (ฉบับที่ 474) พ.ศ. 2569 เรื่อง การแสดงฉลากของอาหารในภาชนะบรรจุ (ฉบับที่ 2) · 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.

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