Thai FDA Approval for Food, Cosmetics and Health Products
Retailers and marketplaces in Thailand ask for a Thai FDA number before listing food or cosmetics. The process starts with the manufacturing or import premises, then each product. This page helps you place your product.
- Years
- 7
- Languages
- 30+
- Countries
- 94
- Notaries
- 6
For: Manufacturers, importers and brand owners of food, drinks, supplements and cosmetics
Reviewed by NYC legal team · บริษัท เอ็นวายซี วีซ่า แอนด์ ทรานสเลชั่น จำกัด
Where does Thai FDA registration start?
With a licence for the manufacturing or import and storage premises, then a number for each product by category. Food is grouped by risk; cosmetics use notification.
- Agency
- Thai Food and Drug Administration
- Order
- Premises → product
Premises first, then products
Food is grouped by risk
- Specially controlled food: recipe registration, e.g. infant formula
- Quality or standard food: label approval, e.g. sealed beverages
- Labelled food: serial number by category
- General food: some need no number but must follow label and production rules
Cosmetics use notification
Common rejection points
- Thai label missing mandatory details or wrong font size
- Unsupported health claims
- Foreign certificates of free sale not legalised or translated
- Product names implying medical effects
How we work
- 1
Classify
Food group, supplement or cosmetic
- 2
Premises
Manufacturing or import and storage licence
- 3
Product file
Formula, lab results, manufacturer documents, draft label
- 4
E-submission
File online and fix points the officer raises
Indicative fees
Fees follow Thai FDA notifications
Laboratory testing is quoted separately
Agency rules change. Check the latest notice with the official agency before you file.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need an FDA number to sell home-made food online?+
It depends on the food type and scale. Some groups need a number before sale, and marketplaces may add their own rules.
Who owns the number with an OEM?+
Whoever files. Agree this in the contract, as it matters if you change manufacturer.
Importing supplements — what do I need?+
An import licence, manufacturer documents and a Thai label. Foreign papers usually need legalisation and translation.
📚 Official references
- Product approval— Thai FDA
Step-by-step preparation guide
รายการเอกสารที่ต้องเตรียม ขั้นตอนแปลและรับรอง พร้อมข้อควรระวังที่ทำให้เอกสารถูกตีกลับ
- Required vs optional document list
- Each step with a realistic time frame
- Why files get rejected — and how to prevent it
- Tips from cases we handle every week
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3,057 answered questions written by our lawyers and translators, grouped by service. Free to read, no sign-up.
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- Thai MFA consular legalization
Thai MFA legalization workflow: fees, turnaround, inbound foreign documents, and how the chain connects to destination-country apostille requirements.
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Official sources — company registration & BOI
The information on this page follows the official sources below. Always check the latest version before you file.
- Department of Business Development — company registration— Department of Business Development
- Board of Investment (BOI) / LTR Visa— Thailand Board of Investment
- Revenue Department — Revenue Code, income tax, VAT— Revenue Department
- PDPC Thailand— PDPC Thailand
- Office of the Council of State — Thai law database— Office of the Council of State
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Frequently asked questions
- What makes a Thai translation 'certified' and who is allowed to certify it?
- A certified translation is a translation issued with a signed certification statement from a translation agency or qualified translator confirming the text is a true and complete rendering of the original. Thailand has no single government translator register for general use, so acceptance depends on the receiving authority: the Department of Consular Affairs accepts translations submitted with the original document for legalization, embassies usually accept agency-certified translations, and some foreign authorities additionally require a sworn or NAATI translator. We confirm the receiving body's rule before translating so the document is not rejected later.
- Do I need the original document or is a scan enough for translation?
- A clear scan is enough to produce the translation, but the original is normally required for the legalization step that follows. The Department of Consular Affairs checks the translation against the original or a certified true copy issued by the responsible Thai authority, so if you plan to legalize, send us a high-resolution scan to start the translation and keep the original ready for submission.
- How should Thai names be spelled in an English translation?
- Always match the spelling printed in the passport, even when it differs from Royal Thai General System transliteration. Authorities compare the translation against the passport and treat any mismatch as a different person, which is one of the most common causes of rejection. If a name has been spelled differently on older documents, we add a spelling-variation note or arrange a name-consistency affidavit.
- How long does a certified translation take and can it be rushed?
- Standard civil documents such as an ID card, house registration, birth or marriage certificate are typically ready in one to two working days, while contracts, court judgments and academic transcripts take longer because of terminology checks. Same-day handling is possible for short standard documents if the scan arrives in the morning; rush handling does not shorten the separate MFA legalization queue.
We advise first, then do the work
Before translating we confirm which form the receiving authority actually accepts — agency certification, MFA legalisation, or a translator declaration before an attorney.
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Not sure which service you need? Read the guides
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