Compliant Always
Get in touch

Exporting pet food from Taiwan

In Taiwan, pet food falls under the Animal Protection Act, administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, whose pet food vendors include exporters. Makers of dog and cat food report each product on the Ministry's system. Where an importing country asks, the exporter applies for an export animal quarantine certificate before shipping.

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

Law
Animal Protection Act, Chapter IV-1
Regulator
Ministry of Agriculture
Reporting
Dog and cat food, within 30 days of first manufacture
Quarantine
Export animal quarantine certificate where required
Exporter
Registered with TITA

Before the goods leave

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

  1. 1Has the manufacturer reported the product on the Ministry of Agriculture's pet food system? Read more
  2. 2Does the importing country ask for an animal quarantine certificate? Read more
  3. 3Is the exporter registered with TITA, and is the declaration ready? Read more
  4. 4Does the buyer need a certificate of origin? Read more

The rules, by area

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

Pet food under the Animal Protection Act

How Taiwan's pet food rules reach businesses that export.

  • A pet food vendor is a business that manufactures, processes, packages, sells, imports or exports pet food (Animal Protection Act, Article 3).
  • Pet food contaminated with pathogenic micro-organisms, over the safety limits for health hazards, past its expiry date, or with non-compliant, unclear or incomplete labelling must not be exported, among other activities (Article 22-4).
  • Containers or packaging that are poisonous, prone to undesirable chemical reactions or a health hazard must not be used or exported (Article 22-5).
  • Businesses that manufacture, process or import pet food report it to the central competent authority (Article 22-3).
  • Dog and cat food is reported on the Ministry's system within 30 days of first manufacture, with name, net weight, main ingredients and additives, nutrients, storage, species and packaging photographs, and quarterly totals after that (寵物食品業者申報辦法, Articles 2, 4 and 6).

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the product report, specifications and label proofs behind each pet food with the product, dated, and shows a quarterly total that is due. Ask about this

Export animal quarantine

When pet food needs an animal quarantine certificate to leave Taiwan.

  • The exporter applies for quarantine where the goods are designated quarantine objects, or where the importing country's competent authority asks for a Taiwanese animal quarantine certificate (Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Diseases, Article 36).
  • The goods may be exported only after inspection and the issue of an export animal quarantine certificate; applications in other cases are not accepted.
  • The certificate may be issued electronically where Taiwan and the importing country agree.
  • The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency handles export animal quarantine and publishes its recognised list for export animal quarantine.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the quarantine certificate with the shipment and reads it against what the destination asks for. Ask about this

Exporter registration and the export declaration

Who may export, when an export permit is needed, and what goes to Customs.

  • A company or business registered with the International Trade Administration (TITA, formerly the Bureau of Foreign Trade) as an exporter/importer may engage in export business; its English name is reviewed first (Foreign Trade Act, Article 9).
  • Registration is applied for electronically; TITA publishes the registration data online and transmits it automatically to Customs.
  • A registered firm exporting goods not on the List of Commodities Subject to Export Restriction needs no export permit; listed goods follow the regulations on that list (Regulations Governing Export of Commodities, Articles 5 and 6).
  • An export permit is valid for 30 days from licensing and cannot be extended (Article 19).
  • The exporter declares the trademark on the export declaration, or "without trademark" (Article 10).
  • Exporters declare goods to Customs before the clearance or departure of the means of transport, with the export declaration, loading list, booking note, packing list and any export permits (Customs Act, Articles 16 and 17).
  • Declarations, trade licensing, inspection and quarantine services run through the Customs-Port-Trade (CPT) Single Window, operated by the Customs Administration.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the exporter registration, any export permit and the export declaration with the shipment, dated, and shows a permit that will lapse before the goods leave. Ask about this

Origin marking and certificates of origin

How goods for export are marked with their origin, and how a certificate of origin is issued.

  • Goods for export are marked with the country of origin on the goods or their packaging, conspicuously and durably; goods made in Taiwan are marked "Made in Taiwan", "Made in Taiwan, Republic of China" or an equivalent (Regulations Governing Export of Commodities, Articles 14 and 15).
  • TITA, or a body it entrusts, issues certificates of origin and certificates of processing for exports (Foreign Trade Act, Article 20-2).
  • Goods originate in Taiwan if wholly obtained there, or if the last substantial transformation happened there: a change in the first six digits of the tariff number, or added value above 35% (Certificates of Origin Regulations, Articles 3 and 5).
  • Packing, re-labelling, simple assembly or mixing, and simple cutting do not count as substantial transformation (Article 5).
  • The applicant is the exporter on the export declaration, normally within 180 days after Customs releases the goods; the fee is NT$250 per certificate (Articles 11, 23 and 29).
  • The applicant keeps the documents proving origin for five years (Article 28).
  • Customs publishes the rules of origin for Taiwan's agreements, including ECFA, ANZTEC with New Zealand, ASTEP with Singapore, and the agreements with Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras, Paraguay and Eswatini.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the origin evidence behind each certificate with the lot, dated, and shows a certificate request coming up against its 180-day window. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ManufacturerReporting each dog and cat food product, and the quarterly totals, to the Ministry of Agriculture.Product reports and specifications kept with each product.
ExporterRegistration with TITA, the export declaration, any export permit, and the certificate of origin application.Registration, permits and certificates kept with each shipment, dated.
Customs broker or freight forwarderLodging the export declaration and its documents through the CPT Single Window on the exporter's behalf.The documents the declaration needs, in one place before the goods leave.
Certifying authorityThe Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency, for export animal quarantine certificates.Quarantine certificates kept beside the shipment they cover.

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

Which law covers pet food exported from Taiwan?
The Animal Protection Act, administered by the Ministry of Agriculture. Its definition of a pet food vendor includes businesses that export pet food, and its prohibitions on unsafe or mislabelled pet food name exporting.
Do I need an animal quarantine certificate to export pet food from Taiwan?
Where the goods are designated quarantine objects, or the importing country asks for a Taiwanese animal quarantine certificate. The exporter applies for quarantine, and the goods leave only after inspection and the certificate's issue.
Who issues export quarantine certificates for pet food?
The export animal quarantine authority, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Does a pet food manufacturer have to register its products in Taiwan?
Makers of dog and cat food report each product on the Ministry of Agriculture's system within 30 days of first manufacture, and report quarterly totals, under the pet food reporting regulations amended on 5 May 2026.
Can pet food with a non-compliant label be exported?
Article 22-4 of the Animal Protection Act lists export among the activities barred for pet food whose labelling is non-compliant, unclear or incomplete, along with contaminated or expired pet food.
Is pet food animal feed in Taiwan?
The Feed Control Act defines feed by reference to livestock, poultry and aquaculture animals, while pet food has its own chapter in the Animal Protection Act.
Do I need an export permit for pet food?
Not as a registered exporter, unless the goods are on TITA's List of Commodities Subject to Export Restriction. Listed goods follow the rules on that list.
How do I get a certificate of origin for pet food from Taiwan?
Apply through TITA's online system to TITA or an entrusted issuing body, as the exporter on the export declaration, normally within 180 days after Customs releases the goods.
How does Compliant Always help with exporting from Taiwan?
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 Taiwan 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