A shipment of officially imported pet food doesn’t begin at the port; it starts months in advance, while the business is still reviewing factory documentation. This article reconstructs the Pet Food import process in chronological order, from supplier assessment to product placement on store shelves, to help pet shop owners understand why a stable supply is a matter of operational capability, not luck.
Step 1 of the Pet Food import process: factory assessment
The first thing to do is not ask about the price, but about the documentation. Before discussing discounts or minimum order quantities, importers must request that the factory send a complete set of original documents: a certificate of free sale issued by the competent authority of the exporting country or equivalent, a quality management system certificate such as ISO, GMP, or HACCP, a list of ingredients with quality indicators, a quality analysis report, and a sample product label. This set of documents is used throughout all subsequent steps, so missing even one at this stage will block the entire chain. A serious factory can send this complete set of documents within a few working days; evasive responses are a sign that the deal should be stopped. For distributors, the lesson is very direct: when choosing a distributor, ask directly if they have the complete set of original documents for each product line, because that is what determines whether the product can be legally sold in the long term.
Step 2: Announce product information and a twenty-day waiting period.
After obtaining the original documents, businesses submit product information declarations on the electronic portal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which are received by the Department of Animal Husbandry. The principle is very clear: products that have not had their information declared cannot be imported for business, except for a few exceptions in Article 41 of the 2018 Animal Husbandry Law, such as goods for fairs, exhibitions, research, analysis in laboratories, or processing for export, and all of these must be approved by the Minister. The processing time is approximately twenty days from the date the Department of Animal Husbandry receives a valid application, not including the time for amending the application if it is returned. This is the longest and most important step in the entire pet food import procedure, and it is a mandatory step that must be completed before placing an order. Dealers need to understand this to avoid creating unreasonable pressure: a new product cannot be on the shelves just a few weeks after you propose it.
Step 3: Sign the contract, finalize the HS code, and prepare the cost breakdown.
Once the product has been launched, a new foreign trade contract should be signed. At the same time, businesses must determine the HS code for each product line of dog and cat food, as this code governs both the tax and subsequent inspection procedures. Dog and cat food containing meat falls under HS code 23091010, while other types fall under HS code 23091090, both belonging to group 2309, which are preparations used as animal feed. Regarding financial obligations, the commonly used reference rates are a preferential import duty of 7% and a value-added tax of 5%; however, these rates change according to the tariff schedule and free trade agreements, so businesses must consult the current tariff schedule before finalizing the selling price. A complete cost breakdown also includes transportation costs, quarantine fees, quality inspection fees, warehousing and storage costs, and capital costs for the time the goods are in transit. Omitting these costs is the reason many new importers incorrectly calculate the floor price from the very first shipment.
Step 4: Register for animal quarantine before the goods leave the port of departure.
Alongside factory production preparations, businesses must register for animal quarantine with the Department of Animal Health before goods arrive, as pet food almost always contains ingredients of animal origin. The applicable regulations are Circular 25/2016/TT-BNNPTNT on the quarantine of terrestrial animals and animal products; for product lines with plant-based ingredients, the plant quarantine requirements under Circular 30/2014/TT-BNNPTNT are also considered. A key advantage is that fifteen veterinary procedures have been implemented through the National Single Window mechanism, meaning most documents are submitted and tracked online instead of being handled on paper between agencies. The order is crucial: registration must be completed before the goods arrive at the port, not when the container is already in storage. For distributors, this is why they always need to know your sales plan earlier than the market anticipates.
Step 5: Goods arrive at port, customs declaration is opened, and quality is checked.
Upon arrival, businesses open customs declarations and submit applications for quality inspection of animal feed to the inspection agency designated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which may be the Department of Animal Husbandry, the Department of Veterinary Medicine, or the Department of Plant Protection, depending on the nature of the goods. The inspection procedures vary for all goods: concentrated feed is subject to pre-clearance inspection, while traditional raw materials and complete mixed feeds, i.e., mostly dry grains and pate sold at pet shops, are subject to post-clearance inspection. The inspection content adheres to QCVN 01-78:2011/BNNPTNT for raw materials and QCVN 01-183:2016/BNNPTNT for complete mixed feeds and concentrated feeds, plus at least one indicator according to the standards the business has published. The response time for applications is approximately seven working days. Distinguishing between these two inspection procedures correctly determines whether the shipment proceeds directly to the warehouse or must wait at the port.
Step 6: Customs clearance for imported goods and affixing Vietnamese supplementary labels.
With the inspection results passing, the business fulfills its tax obligations and completes import customs clearance, bringing the container to the warehouse. However, the goods cannot be put on the shelves immediately. All products must retain their original labels and be supplemented with Vietnamese labels showing the product name, ingredients, quality standards, usage instructions, production date, expiration date, name and address of the organization responsible for the goods and their origin. The content of the supplementary label must match the information already published and cannot include any additional uses beyond what is stated in the documentation. This step may seem simple, but it takes a considerable amount of time for large shipments, as it requires manual labeling of each bag and can, and a thorough count. Distributors should take advantage of this detail when selling goods: a complete, correctly printed supplementary label clearly stating the responsible entity is the clearest evidence to convince customers that the product is legitimately imported, instead of having to explain at length about customs paperwork.
Step 7: Manage expiration dates and distribute goods to the dealer network.
Once goods enter the warehouse, the expiration date clock starts ticking faster than the seller perceives. A batch of pet food takes several months to announce, produce, transport, and inspect, so the remaining shelf life is much shorter than the number printed on the packaging. Therefore, distributors must manage inventory using the first-in, first-out principle, separating batches by production date, and allocating goods according to the actual sales rate of each point of sale instead of distributing them evenly. Fast-selling points receive new batches, slow-selling points receive smaller quantities, and are supported in handling near-expired goods before they become dead stock. Dealers should proactively share sales figures instead of hiding them, because distributors can only protect you from near-expired goods when they can see the true turnover rate. This is the final step, but also where the profit margin for the entire chain is most eroded.
Four vulnerable points in the Pet Food import process.
Goods held up at the port rarely have major causes, usually due to four recurring minor errors. First, incorrect HS code application, such as declaring goods containing meat under a different HS code, leading to incorrect taxes and the wrong inspection procedures. Second, incomplete or inconsistent documentation, where the product name on the contract, invoice, analysis report, and declaration does not match character by character. Third, mismatched labels, often due to the factory changing packaging design or adjusting the formula without prior notice. Fourth, expired export documents, typically a free sale certificate or quality management system certificate that has expired by the time the goods arrive. The preventative measures are the same: create a cross-checking checklist before each shipment, require the factory to commit to notifying all changes to packaging and formula, and monitor the expiration dates of each document as you would monitor the expiration dates of goods.
Why shouldn’t dealers place orders only when they run out?
Cumulatively, the time from deciding to produce a new product to it landing on the shelves is measured in months, not weeks: twenty days for information release, factory production time, sea freight time, and then about seven working days for quality control. For products already in stock, the cycle is shorter but still not instantaneous. This is why the habit of ordering when shelves are empty creates self-inflicted stockouts, and stockouts in this industry are very expensive because farmers can switch to a different type of grain and stick with it. Dealers should order based on forecasts, maintain safe inventory levels for best-selling products, finalize quarterly plans with distributors, and notify them early when planning to boost a product line. Official imports have increased by approximately 69% in five years, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, but abundant supply has not shortened the legal processing time.
What does Petkin see about the Pet Food import process?
With Petkin, the entire process described is not an administrative burden to endure, but rather a responsibility we take on so that our distributors don’t have to bear it. We are importers and distributors, not direct retailers, so all the value we create lies in ensuring our distributors receive goods on time, with the right documentation, and of the right quality. This means thoroughly vetting factories from the outset, completing information disclosures before committing to delivery dates, monitoring document validity according to schedule, and planning imports based on sales forecasts for each sales point instead of reacting to sudden orders. If you are a pet shop owner or distributor and have ever experienced stock shortages during peak season, take a look at where your supplier stands in this Pet Food import process. A stable supply is always the result of a disciplined supply chain.