Thailand Pet Food Import Full Process Operation Guide and Compliance Points

The pet consumption market remains thriving in 2026.Thailand,as an important pet food processing base in Southeast Asia,has long been one of the top preferred origins for domestic importers with its premium raw materials and cost advantages.But as a practitioner with years of frontline experience at Shanghai ports,I have to be candid: current import of Thailand pet food is no longer the simple "ship,declare,pick up" process it used to be.The in-depth implementation of GACC Decree No.248 has set extremely strict requirements for the registration and access of overseas production enterprises.If you still operate based on experience from years ago,you will most probably face the painful consequence of goods being returned or destroyed.

When handling such services,the most common scenario Zhongshitong encounters is that clients only find out after goods arrive at the port that their supplying factory is not on GACC’s registration list,or that the Chinese labels have major defects.Today I will skip those vague useless theories,and talk about practical operational tips and pitfall avoidance guides for Thailand pet food import based on the latest 2026 regulatory environment.

I.Pre-access Requirement: GACC Decree No.248 and Factory Registration

This is the "lifeline" of the whole import business.According to GACC Decree No.248 *Regulations on the Administration of Registration of Overseas Production Enterprises of Imported Food*,all overseas production enterprises exporting pet food to China must obtain registration and filing from GACC.This rule is enforced much more stringently in 2026,with the system’s automatic interception capability greatly upgraded.

Many first-time importers usually only check if the Thailand factory has export qualification,but ignore the "China registration qualification".The first step we take before operation is to assist clients to check on the official website of GACC whether the factory is included in the "approved import list for meat/grain/pet food and other food categories".If it is not on the list,the Thailand factory must apply for recommended registration to China Customs through Thailand’s Ministry of Agriculture.This process usually takes 2 to 3 months or even longer,and you must never attempt to "force clearance" without proper qualification.

In addition,the product formula must also comply with Chinese GB standards.For example,certain plant extracts or protein sources commonly used in Thailand,if not included in China’s Feed Raw Material Catalogue,the product cannot gain market access even if the factory holds valid qualification.We suggest submitting the formula sheet to a professional agency for pre-review before signing the purchase contract,to avoid finding the raw materials are non-compliant after production is completed.

II.Core Documents: Critical Rules for Certificate of Origin and Health Certificate

For Thailand pet food import,the accuracy of documents directly determines clearance speed and tax cost.There are two core documents that must be strictly verified: the health certificate and certificate of origin issued by authorized Thai government authorities.

The health certificate is the "pass" for customs clearance.In 2026,information verification on certificates at Shanghai ports has reached pixel-level accuracy.The product name,batch number and production date on the certificate must be 100% consistent with the physical labels,packing list and invoice,even a single punctuation difference may lead to document review failure.In particular,if Thai authorities modify dates by handwritten notes without an official seal for confirmation,the certificate will almost certainly be deemed invalid.

The certificate of origin is the "cost-saving tool".With the full implementation of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and RCEP,imported Thailand pet food is usually eligible for zero tariff or extremely low tariff.But in practice,we have encountered too many cases where the origin certificate was rejected.The most common cause is the "third-party invoice" issue.If there is an intermediary in the trade chain,and the consignor on the bill of lading is inconsistent with the applicant on the certificate of origin,while the third-party information is not noted in the remarks column of the origin certificate,Customs will question the authenticity of the origin and directly reject the tariff preference application.Zhongshitong’s standard operating procedure is to strictly audit the whole trade chain before shipment to ensure full logical consistency of all documents,or obtain official endorsement for relevant explanatory documents in Thailand in advance.

III.Label Rectification: Hard-core Details of Chinese Label Review

80% of cases where pet food is detained by Customs are caused by non-compliant Chinese labels.Many importers choose to have Thai factories stick labels directly to save trouble,but end up being required to carry out rectification as the labels fail to meet GB 4806.1 and relevant general label specifications.

Chinese labels must complete record-filing and review in China.We usually suggest clients design the label draft domestically first,get it pre-reviewed and approved by our team before sending it to the Thai factory for printing,or stick the labels before shipment.If you choose to carry out rectification after goods arrive at the port,you will not only face high rectification fees and storage charges,but also delay the product launch schedule.

The core label review checklist summarized by Zhongshitong is listed below,please check every item strictly:

• Product name reflects true attributes: You cannot only write "gourmet cat food",you must clearly mark "formulated pet feed" or "pet treat".
• Ingredient list order compliance: All raw materials must be listed in descending order by addition amount,and must use standard Chinese names,no direct transliteration from Thai or English is allowed.
• Guaranteed component values: Indicators such as crude protein,crude fat and moisture must conform to product standards,and the value rounding rule must meet national GB standards.
• Product standard code: The applicable national standard or product standard code (such as GB/T 31216,etc.) must be clearly marked.
• Importer information: The full name,address and contact information of the domestic importer must be clearly indicated.

IV.Shanghai Port Operation: Rhythm Control of Logistics and Customs Inspection

As the world’s largest container port,Shanghai boasts extremely high clearance efficiency,but its inspection intensity also ranks top nationwide.For Thailand pet food,animal and plant quarantine is a mandatory check item.In 2026,Customs’ quarantine instructions for inbound animal and plant products are more precise,and the system will arrange container unpacking inspection according to risk control instructions.

We usually suggest clients choose Yangshan Port or Waigaoqiao Port Area,as these two ports have the most complete supporting inspection equipment for frozen or chilled pet food.If the goods are selected for inspection,we will cooperate with Customs to complete sampling and testing.This is where the value of a professional agent is reflected: we will prepare sampling tools in advance,assist customs officers to conduct standardized sampling,send the samples to the designated laboratory immediately,and track the test report throughout the process to ensure completion within the promised clearance time limit.

In terms of logistics transportation,continuous temperature monitoring of the cold chain is critical for frozen pet food.We will require the shipping company to provide full-process temperature records,which serve as the most powerful evidence when you face subsequent cargo damage claims or Customs queries.

V.Risk Early Warning and Practical Case Review

To help you understand the risks more intuitively,I share a real case I handled last year.A cross-border e-commerce operator Ms.Long imported a batch of high-end cat cans from Bangkok,Thailand.To cut logistics cost,she chose EXW terms and found a freight forwarder by herself to arrange LCL shipment.

After the goods arrived at the port,problems emerged one after another: first,in the customs clearance documents,the consignor on the certificate of origin was the Thai factory,but the consignor on the bill of lading was the LCL company (freight forwarder),and no third-party explanation was made,resulting in complete cancellation of tariff preference and an extra 8% tariff supplement; second,for the Chinese labels,the Thai factory printed "best before taste period" instead of "shelf life",which failed to meet national GB requirements,and Customs ordered label rectification at the designated warehouse,generating high rectification operation fees and port detention charges.In the end,the profit of this batch of goods was almost completely eroded.

If Ms.Long had chosen FOB terms at the very beginning and entrusted Zhongshitong with full responsibility for logistics and customs declaration,we would have pointed out the potential risk of the certificate of origin before shipment and reviewed the label draft,all these losses could have been completely avoided.

VI.2026 Key Parameter Comparison for Thailand Pet Food Import

For different trade terms and logistics solutions,we have sorted out the following key parameter comparison table for your decision-making reference:

All in all,Thailand pet food import in 2026 no longer relies on information gap,but on compliance capability and professional risk control level.Leveraging the linkage advantages of Shanghai ports,Zhongshitong can closely connect Thai factories,shipping companies,Customs and domestic importers,and eliminate risks at the very initial stage.If you are planning to import pet food from Thailand,you must put "compliance" as the top priority,never lose big gains due to small petty gains.