With the continuous deepening of global trade, food safety has become an important issue in international trade. As an important member of the Asian economy, South Korea places great emphasis on the safety management of imported food. Since 2015, South Korea has implemented stricter registration requirements for overseas production enterprises based on the "Special Act on imported Food Safety Control" to ensure the quality and safety of imported food.

Necessity of Enterprise Registration

The South Korean government requires that all overseas production enterprises or operators of foreign factories for imported food must complete registration before importing declaration. Products from unregistered enterprises will not be accepted for import declaration, which means that registration is a prerequisite for entering the South Korean market.

Qualifications and Requirements for Enterprise Registration

Q1. Which enterprises need to register?

Enterprises producing general food (excluding agricultural products, livestock products, and aquatic products), food additives, materials in contact with food, health food production enterprises, as well as ships engaged in the production and processing of aquatic products, can register as overseas production enterprises on their own.

Livestock product (such as meat, eggs, milk) and aquatic product production enterprises must apply for registration through the exporting country's government to South Korea.

Q2. Selection of the registration location for overseas production enterprises

Overseas production enterprises should register the location where the final production process of the product is completed (including setting the shelf life, production date, quality management, and other key aspects) as the overseas production enterprise.

Q3. Circumstances for changing the registration

If there is a change in the registered information, such as a change in the administrative region or modification of the name, but the factory facilities have not been relocated, a change in registration is required. If the factory facilities are relocated, re-registration is necessary.

Q4. Circumstances for renewing the registration

The validity period of overseas production enterprise registration is 2 years. Enterprises should submit an application for renewal of registration within 7 days before the expiration of the validity period.

Professional Services and Support

Foodmate, with its professional services and rich experience, provides efficient and convenient registration services for export enterprises and helps enterprises avoid export compliance risks, ensuring that products meet South Korea's food safety standards and regulatory requirements. For enterprises that need to register as an overseas production enterprise in South Korea, please contact Foodmate via global_info@foodmate.net, and we will provide comprehensive support and assistance.