China's import registration certificate (进口登记证) for pet food
The import pet food registration certificate (进口登记证) is China's market-entry license for imported complete pet feed (宠物配合饲料) and pet additive-premix feed (宠物添加剂预混合饲料). Without it, import is prohibited.
Legal basis and who applies
Under MOA Announcement No. 20 (2018) — Pet Feed Administrative Measures, Article 14, an overseas manufacturer exporting these products to China must appoint its office in China or a Chinese domestic agent (境内代理机构) to apply to the competent agricultural authority under the State Council. Direct application by the foreign manufacturer is not provided for — a China-side representative is mandatory.
The approval timeline
Under the Feed and Feed Additive Administration Regulation (2017 revision):
- The authority reviews the application materials within 10 working days of acceptance.
- It sends samples to a designated institution for verification testing (复核检测).
- It issues the certificate within 10 working days after a satisfactory test.
So the clock is two 10-working-day steps (acceptance review, then issuance post-test), straddling the sample verification.
Validity and renewal
- The certificate is valid for 5 years.
- Renewal must be filed 6 months before expiry.
Label compliance
Imported complete pet feed labels must comply with the Pet Feed Labeling Rules, and in particular must show:
- the certificate number consistent with the import registration certificate,
- the manufacturer's name and address, and
- the legally registered sales entity in China (Labeling Rules Article 15).
Market scale (reference analysis)
Reference data (feed-china.cn analysis of MOA 2021–2025 registrations) records 2,564 imported pet-food registrations issued 2021–2025, representing 47.6% of all 5,384 import feed registrations and covering 22 countries/regions. This is third-party analysis, not statute, but it frames how concentrated the imported-pet-food registration pool is.
Sources
CN_imported_petfood_registration— MOA Announcement No. 20 (2018) Art. 14 (domestic-agent application), Feed and Feed Additive Administration Regulation (2017) 10+10 working-day timeline, 5-year validity / 6-month renewal, prohibition without cert, Labeling Rules Art. 15 certificate-number/entity requirements, and the 2021–2025 registration reference figures.