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Exporting pet food from Vietnam

Pet food leaving Vietnam meets animal quarantine where it is an animal product, Vietnam's feed import licence where feed is imported to make exports, origin rules for heading 2309 when a trade agreement is claimed, and the electronic export declaration on VNACCS.

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

Animal products
Registration, quarantine and a quarantine certificate before export
Feed imported for export production
Licence from the Department of Livestock Production where required
EU origin rule
Heading 2309: change of heading, wholly obtained meat and fish
Certificates of origin
MOIT's eCoSys system
Customs
Electronic export declaration on VNACCS

Before the goods leave

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

  1. 1Is the product an animal product that must be quarantined before export? Read more
  2. 2Is feed being imported to manufacture the exported product? Read more
  3. 3Does it meet the heading 2309 origin rule of the agreement claimed? Read more
  4. 4Is the export declaration ready, with the quarantine certificate it quotes? Read more

The rules, by area

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

Animal quarantine before export

The quarantine Vietnam applies to animals and animal products leaving the country.

  • MOIT's trade repository lists Circular 25/2016/TT-BNNPTNT (Thông tư 25/2016/TT-BNNPTNT) as requiring exported terrestrial animals and their products to be registered for quarantine, to undergo it, and to be presented with a quarantine certificate.
  • It lists Circular 26/2016/TT-BNNPTNT as setting the same for exported aquatic animals and their products, with samples tested.
  • The Department of Animal Health (Cục Thú y) of the agriculture ministry is the authority the repository names for animal quarantine.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the quarantine registration and certificate with the consignment they cover, dated, beside what the destination asks for. Ask about this

Feed imported to make exports

Licensing of feed brought in to manufacture or process products for export.

  • Decree 13/2020/ND-CP sets out the application to import feed used to manufacture or process exported products: an application on Form 07.TACN and the contract for manufacturing or processing feed for export.
  • Where the feed is not declared on the Ministry's web portal, the Department of Livestock Production issues the import licence within 15 working days of a complete application.
  • Materials imported for manufacture of exports are exempt from import duty under the Law on Import and Export Duties.

How we help: Compliant Always ties imported feed materials to the export lots made from them, so licences and duty records line up. Ask about this

Origin and trade agreements

Whether pet food qualifies for preferential duty in the destination, and the proof it needs.

  • Under the EVFTA rules in Circular 14/2026/TT-BCT, preparations for animal feeding of heading 2309 must change heading, and materials of Chapters 2 and 3 (meat and fish) must be wholly obtained.
  • Cereals and milling products of Chapters 10 and 11 and headings 2302 and 2303 may be no more than 20% of the weight; dairy materials each no more than 20%, sugar no more than 40%, and the two together no more than 50%.
  • Certificates of origin are issued through MOIT's eCoSys system by the Agency of Foreign Trade (Cục Xuất nhập khẩu) and organisations assigned by provincial People's Committees, under Decree 31/2018/ND-CP (Nghị định 31/2018/NĐ-CP) and Circular 40/2025/TT-BCT.
  • For the EU, the proof is a Form EUR.1 or, for consignments up to €6,000, the exporter's origin declaration; either is valid for 12 months.
  • Where no agreement is claimed, MOIT's regional offices have issued the non-preferential Form B, and certificates under the importing country's own rules, since 5 May 2025.

How we help: Compliant Always reads the recipe and the origin of the meat, fish, cereals and dairy in it against the rule for heading 2309, and keeps them with each batch. Ask about this

Export declaration

How goods are declared to customs on the way out of Vietnam.

  • The exporter registers the declaration on VNACCS (EDA), amends it if needed (EDB) and submits it (EDC); registered information is kept for up to 7 days.
  • The system routes the declaration to the green, yellow or red channel: no check, a document check, or a document check and physical inspection.
  • The file includes the commercial invoice where the buyer pays, any export licence and any inspection certificate the law requires.
  • Licences and inspection certificates sent electronically by the issuing authority through the National Single Window need not be submitted again.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the declaration with the quarantine certificate and certificate of origin for the shipment, in one dated record. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ExporterQuarantine registration, the certificate of origin application and the export declaration.Each consignment's certificates kept together, dated.
ManufacturerThe recipe and supplier records behind origin, and any feed import licence.Recipes, supplier documents and licences kept with the batches they cover.
Customs broker or freight forwarderLodging the VNACCS declaration.The documents the declaration needs, ready before the shipment.
Animal health authorityQuarantine of animals and animal products for export, and the certificate.What the certificate states, kept beside what the destination asks for.

Who issues what, and where

Under Circular 40/2025/TT-BCT, certificates of origin are issued by the Agency of Foreign Trade (Cục Xuất nhập khẩu) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and by organisations that provincial People's Committees assign to the task, each for the forms listed in the Circular's annexes.

MOIT's published procedure for a certificate of free sale for exported goods names the provincial People's Committee as the issuing body.

Export phytosanitary certificates are issued by the regional plant quarantine sub-departments and the plant quarantine stations at border gates.

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

Does pet food need a quarantine certificate to leave Vietnam?
Vietnam requires terrestrial and aquatic animals and their products to be registered for quarantine, quarantined and certified before export, under Circulars 25/2016/TT-BNNPTNT and 26/2016/TT-BNNPTNT. The Department of Animal Health can say whether a given pet food is covered.
Who carries out animal quarantine in Vietnam?
The Department of Animal Health (Cục Thú y) of the agriculture ministry, which MOIT's trade repository names as the authority for animal quarantine.
Do I need a licence to import feed for pet food made for export?
Decree 13/2020/ND-CP provides for an application on Form 07.TACN with the processing contract. Where the feed is not declared on the Ministry's portal, the Department of Livestock Production issues a licence within 15 working days.
Is imported material for export pet food duty-free in Vietnam?
Materials imported for manufacture of exports are exempt from import duty under the Law on Import and Export Duties.
What is the EVFTA origin rule for pet food made in Vietnam?
Preparations for animal feeding of heading 2309 must change heading, with wholly obtained meat and fish, cereals no more than 20% of the weight, and limits on dairy and sugar.
Which certificate of origin do I need to export pet food to the EU from Vietnam?
A Form EUR.1 issued through eCoSys, or the exporter's origin declaration on the invoice for consignments up to €6,000. Either is valid for 12 months.
Can I get a certificate of origin for a country with no trade agreement?
Yes. Since 5 May 2025, MOIT's regional import-export offices issue the non-preferential Form B and certificates under the importing country's own rules.
How is pet food declared for export from Vietnam?
Electronically on VNACCS, with the commercial invoice and any licence or inspection certificate required. The system assigns the green, yellow or red channel, which decides whether documents or goods are checked.
How does Compliant Always help with exporting from Vietnam?
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.

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