Food Safety Eligibility Certificate for Establishments

Many establishment owners use the familiar term “food hygiene and safety license.” The official name is the Food Safety Eligibility Certificate. Not every food establishment must apply for this certificate, and the issuing authority depends on which sector manages the product.

Short answer: a food production or trading establishment must hold the Certificate while operating, except for the cases listed in clause 1, Article 12 of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP. The certificate is valid for 3 years. Before preparing a dossier, you need to determine three things: whether the establishment is subject to the Certificate, which sector manages it, and whether the facility already meets the conditions.

Which regulations apply in 2026?

In early 2026, the Government issued Decree 46/2026/ND-CP to replace Decree 15/2018/ND-CP. However, Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP dated 6 April 2026 suspended the effect of Decree 46/2026/ND-CP and Resolution 66.13/2026/NQ-CP, until the (amended) Law on Food Safety and its guiding decree take effect.

During the suspension, Decree 15/2018/ND-CP and its related guiding documents continue to apply. Dossiers filed before Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP took effect are also handled under Decree 15/2018/ND-CP.

The (amended) Law on Food Safety is still under development. Once the new law is passed, the procedure may change. It is therefore advisable to check the current regulations at the time of filing.

Which establishments must have it, and which are exempt?

Article 11 of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP requires a food production or trading establishment to hold the Certificate while operating, except for the cases in clause 1, Article 12. Cases not subject to the Certificate include:

Establishments not subject to the Certificate must still comply with the corresponding food safety conditions (clause 2, Article 12). “No certificate required” does not mean no inspection.

A commonly confused point: an in-house canteen that a factory runs itself is usually not subject to the Certificate; but if it hires a catering unit to supply meals, that unit is a food-service business and needs to be assessed separately.

Conditions for issuance

Under clause 1, Article 34 of the 2010 Law on Food Safety, an establishment is granted the Certificate when it meets both conditions:

1. It has adequate food safety conditions appropriate to its type of production or trading under Chapter IV of the Law.
2. It has registered a food-business line in its business registration certificate.

The second condition is often overlooked. A company should review its registered business lines before filing and add the missing line first if needed.

In practice, “appropriate to the type of operation” is usually assessed on points such as: location and surrounding environment; layout following the one-way principle (raw materials → processing → finished products); water source; equipment and tools in contact with food; storage areas; pest control; and the health status and food-safety knowledge of staff directly involved. Specific requirements are set by each ministry’s technical regulations and circulars.

Which authority issues it?

The Ministers of Health, Agriculture, and Industry and Trade prescribe issuing authority within their assigned sectors (Article 35 of the Law on Food Safety). In 2025, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was reorganized into the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment; where older documents cite the former ministry’s name, the function now belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. Assignment by product group is set out in Articles 37–39 and Appendices II, III, IV of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP; many cases are delegated to provincial authorities.

Principles when an establishment has multiple types of products (Article 36 of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP):

• Producing multiple types of products falling under two or more managing authorities: the authority managing the product with the largest output volume is the managing authority.
• Trading only (not producing) in multiple types of products across several sectors: managed by the Industry and Trade sector, except wholesale markets and agricultural produce auctions.
• Both producing and trading in multiple types of products: the establishment may choose which specialized managing authority to use.

Dossier and issuance procedure

Article 36 of the Law on Food Safety requires the dossier to include: an application; a copy of the business registration certificate; a description of facilities, equipment and tools; and documents on the health status and food-safety training of the owner and staff directly involved in production or trading. Each ministry sets the specific application forms and how health and training are documented. For example, in the sector managed by the Ministry of Health, Article 6 of Decree 67/2016/ND-CP (amended by Decree 155/2018/ND-CP) allows filing a list of trained staff certified by the establishment’s owner.

The certificate is valid for 3 years. To continue operating, an establishment must file for renewal at least 6 months before the expiry date (Article 37 of the Law on Food Safety).

Distinguishing this from product declaration

The Food Safety Eligibility Certificate is a certificate for the establishment. Self-declaration or registered declaration of a product is a separate procedure for each product (Chapter II of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP). A facility producing pre-packaged food usually needs both: the establishment’s eligibility certificate and the product’s declaration, together with a testing result issued by a testing laboratory.

Common issues and how to handle them

• No food-business line registered yet. How to handle it: add the business line first, then file the dossier.
• Facility layout not laid out one-way. Common when converting a residential building into a small workshop. How to handle it: redesign the raw-material-to-finished-product flow before investing in equipment.
• Unclear which sector manages the establishment. How to handle it: list the products and output volume for each, then check against Article 36 and the appendices of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP.
• Certificate nearing expiry. How to handle it: note the 6-month mark before expiry to file for renewal.
• Expanding the workshop at the same time as fire safety work. It is best to do both together to avoid renovating twice. See Fire safety for warehouses.

What Thái Tín can help with

Thái Tín takes in information about the establishment and its products, helps determine whether the Certificate applies, which sector manages it and what needs to be prepared; sets out a roadmap and connects the establishment with a suitable facility-conditions consultant and testing laboratory. Assessment, on-site inspection and issuance of the certificate are decided by the competent authority; Thái Tín tracks progress within the agreed scope.

Costs comprise the advisory service fee, testing fees (if any) and the state authority’s assessment fee (if any); a quote is given after reviewing the establishment’s type and current status. See also food safety and product legal services.

Keeping the establishment eligible after the certificate is issued

• Keep health and training records for staff directly involved; update when there are new staff.
• Record raw-material sources and production batches for traceability.
• Regularly self-inspect hygiene, pests and storage temperature on a fixed schedule.
• Consider building a HACCP or ISO 22000 system as the establishment grows — both for management purposes and as a basis for exemption from the certificate under point k, clause 1, Article 12. If a general quality-management system is also needed, see ISO 9001 Certification.

If you want to know what your establishment needs, send the type of product, scale and existing documents so we can check its current status.

Questions and answers

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