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Exporting pet food from Japan

Japan issues pet food export documents when the destination asks. MAFF's regional offices issue free sale certificates; MAFF certifies plants making pet food for the UK, the EU and Norway after a FAMIC inspection and listed in TRACES and IPAFFS; and the Animal Quarantine Service issues export quarantine certificates.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Free sale certificate
Regional Agricultural Administration Offices, under rule ZZ-F1
Plant notification needed
Pet Food Safety Act, Article 9
UK, EU and Norway
Certified plant, listed in TRACES and IPAFFS
Plant certification valid
3 years from listing
Export quarantine certificate
Animal Quarantine Service

Before the goods leave

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1Does the destination's government ask for a free sale certificate? Read more
  2. 2Is it going to the UK, the EU or Norway, which need a certified plant? Read more
  3. 3Does the destination ask for an export quarantine certificate? Read more
  4. 4Who declares it to Customs, and with which documents? Read more
  5. 5Is the export permit kept for the consumption tax exemption? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Free sale certificates for pet food

A certificate that pet food made in Japan is sold, or can be sold, there.

  • The rules cover feed, pet food and feed additives made or processed in Japan.
  • The product must be sold or saleable in Japan, not subject to a sales ban, disposal or recall order or a voluntary recall, and unopened since it left the maker.
  • For pet food, the manufacturing site must have been notified under Article 9 of the Act on Ensuring the Safety of Pet Food.
  • It is issued only where the destination's authorities ask for it, to an exporter with an address in Japan, by the Regional Agricultural Administration Office.
  • Applications go per manufacturing site with the invoice, production and shipping records and the domestic package; export-only products also need the maker's explanation of differences.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the certificate with the lot and invoice it covers, dated, and shows which shipments still need one. Ask about this

Pet food for the UK, the EU and Norway

Plants making pet food with animal-origin materials for these destinations are certified and listed before export.

  • The manufacturer applies to MAFF's Animal Products Safety Division, which asks FAMIC to inspect the plant against the certification criteria.
  • Certified plants are entered in MAFF's register and notified to the EU's TRACES and the UK's IPAFFS; MAFF publishes the list.
  • Certification lasts 3 years from registration.
  • Products made at the plant after notification are exported with an export quarantine certificate issued under Article 45(3) of the Act on the Prevention of Infectious Diseases in Livestock.
  • Separate certificate forms apply to canned pet food, other processed pet food and dog chews, for the EU and Norway and for the UK.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the plant's certification and renewal date with each product, and the quarantine certificate with each consignment. Ask about this

Animal quarantine

Export inspection where the destination asks for a certificate that the product does not spread animal disease.

    • The Animal Quarantine Service inspects products when the importing government requires its certificate.
    • The application goes to the Animal Quarantine Service, or through NACCS, with documents such as proof of proper processing under Japanese law or, for retail products, a sales certificate.
    • Its certificate states only that the product will not spread animal infectious disease.
    • Some destinations suspend imports of Japanese animal products during disease outbreaks; no certificate is issued for a suspended item.
    • FAMIC inspects export feed plants at the Animal Quarantine Service's request.

    How we help: Compliant Always keeps the quarantine certificate with the consignment it names, and shows which shipments are still waiting for one. Ask about this

    Export declaration and customs clearance

    Goods leave Japan on an export declaration to Customs and an export permit, with the permits other laws require.

    • Exporters declare the goods to the Director-General of Customs and obtain an export permit, after any physical examination (Customs Act, Articles 67 and 70).
    • The declaration gives the goods' code, name, quantity and price, the destination, the consignor and the carrier, and is lodged with an invoice; a packing list and permits under other laws may be needed.
    • The exporter or a customs broker acting for it files the declaration; goods are usually permitted once in the hozei (bonded) area.
    • Where another law requires a permit, approval or inspection, Customs does not permit export until it is shown (Customs Act, Article 70).
    • Exporters keep books and documents, such as contracts, invoices and packing lists, for 5 years from the day after the export permit.

    How we help: Compliant Always keeps the invoice, packing list and export permit with the shipment and lot, dated, and shows what is missing before the goods are declared. Ask about this

    Consumption tax exemption on export

    Sales that are exports are exempt from consumption tax, on proof of export.

      • When a sale is an export transaction, consumption tax is exempted; input tax on purchases for that export can still be credited.
      • Proof is needed: for goods given an export permit, the export permit (a document certified by the Director-General of Customs), kept for 7 years.
      • Postal exports of 200,000 yen or less use Japan Post's receipt and dispatch slip instead.

      How we help: Compliant Always keeps each export permit with the sale it proves, dated, and shows which shipments still lack one. Ask about this

      Who answers for what

      WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
      ManufacturerThe Pet Food Safety Act notification, plant certification for the UK, EU and Norway, and the records behind it.Notifications and certifications kept with each product, with renewal dates.
      ExporterApplying for certificates where the destination asks, and the accuracy of the application.Certificates and invoices kept with each shipment, dated.
      Customs brokerThe export declaration, with the invoice and any permits.The shipment's documents in one place before the declaration.
      Certifying authorityMAFF's regional offices, FAMIC for plant inspections, and the Animal Quarantine Service.Each certificate read against what the destination asks for.

      Where certificates are issued

      Most export certificates for food are applied for at MAFF's Regional Agricultural Administration Offices, the Hokkaido Regional Agricultural Administration Office or the Okinawa General Bureau; some are issued by prefectures or cities with public health centres, or by registered issuing bodies.

      Liquor certificates are issued by the regional taxation bureau for the brewery's location. Plant and animal export inspections are done by the Plant Protection Station and the Animal Quarantine Service at ports and airports.

      Where are the goods going?

      Most of what pet food have to meet is set where they are sold. Each guide sets out the rules on arrival, with the official source for each.

      Questions businesses ask

      Do I need a certificate to export pet food from Japan?
      Only if the destination asks for one. MAFF issues free sale certificates on request, and the Animal Quarantine Service issues export quarantine certificates where the destination requires them. The UK, the EU and Norway also require a certified plant.
      Can I get a free sale certificate for pet food made in Japan?
      Yes, from the Regional Agricultural Administration Office, where the destination's authorities ask for it. The pet food must be made in Japan, sold or saleable there, not under a recall, and made at a site notified under the Pet Food Safety Act.
      What do I send with a pet food free sale certificate application?
      The application and a pledge, invoice and packing list copies, production and shipping records, and the domestic package. For export-only products, the maker explains how they differ from domestic ones.
      What do I need to export pet food to the EU or UK from Japan?
      A plant certified by MAFF after a FAMIC inspection and listed in TRACES and IPAFFS, products that meet the export requirements, and an export quarantine certificate from the Animal Quarantine Service with each consignment.
      How long does certification for EU pet food plants last?
      Three years from the date the plant is entered in MAFF's register. A manufacturer whose plant no longer meets the criteria notifies MAFF, which removes it from the register, TRACES and IPAFFS.
      Who inspects pet food plants for export in Japan?
      FAMIC, the Food and Agricultural Materials Inspection Center. It inspects plants for UK and EU pet food certification, plants for some other certificates under the Export Facilitation Act, and export feed plants at the Animal Quarantine Service's request.
      When does pet food need an Animal Quarantine Service inspection?
      When the destination requires a certificate that the product will not spread animal disease. Apply to the Animal Quarantine Service early; some certificates need prior checks.
      Can pet food be exported during an animal disease outbreak in Japan?
      Some destinations suspend imports of Japanese animal products during outbreaks such as classical swine fever or avian influenza. The Animal Quarantine Service cannot issue a certificate for a suspended item.
      Is consumption tax charged on pet food exported from Japan?
      No, export sales are exempt from consumption tax. The exporter keeps the export permit, certified by Customs, for 7 years as proof.
      How does Compliant Always help with exporting from Japan?
      Our team reads the rules for the routes you ship. Compliant Always shows which export documents apply to your product, keeps them with the shipment beside what the destination asks for, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

      Sources

      Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

      Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

      Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Japan and what your paperwork needs to show.

      Get in touch

      No card, no account, and no call to book. Tell us what you make and where you sell it, and we will come back to you.

      Get in touch