Importing feed ingredients from Vietnam: the documents a buyer should expect

Group 1: documents that travel with every shipment

A note on the transport document. A negotiable bill of lading is also a document of title: whoever holds the original can claim the goods, which is why banks ask for it under a letter of credit. A sea waybill is not a document of title; the goods are released to the named consignee without presenting an original. Which one you need depends on how the sale is financed and who must control the goods in transit.

Group 2: documents issued when the product, market or contract requires them

Certificate of origin

The certificate of origin tells your customs authority where the goods come from. Under a free trade agreement, the right proof of origin can reduce or remove import duty, provided the goods meet the agreement’s rules of origin.

For the EU, the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) provides three forms of proof for products originating in Vietnam: a certificate of origin issued in Vietnam; an origin declaration made out by any exporter for consignments whose value does not exceed EUR 6,000; and an origin declaration by an exporter approved or registered under Vietnamese legislation, once Vietnam has notified the EU that such legislation applies [2, 3]. Which of these is available for a given consignment depends on the procedures in force at the time of shipment, so confirm with the exporter and your customs broker rather than assuming one form. Other destinations use the proof of origin required by the agreement that applies to them, or a non-preferential certificate where no agreement applies. Tell the supplier the destination before shipment so the right document is issued.

Phytosanitary certificate

A phytosanitary certificate is issued by the exporting country’s national plant protection organisation, following the international standard ISPM 12, to certify that a consignment meets the importing country’s phytosanitary requirements [1]. It is required only where the importing country regulates that commodity: many markets regulate dried plant products such as chips and pellets, while some highly processed products are treated as not capable of carrying pests and do not need one. Check your own country’s import conditions for the product and its level of processing, and whether an import permit or additional declarations on the certificate are needed.

Fumigation certificate

Containers of dried plant products are often fumigated after loading to control stored-product insects during the voyage, but this is not a default step for every shipment. It is done when the importing country, the buyer or the supplier’s pest-control plan requires it. The certificate states the treatment, dose, exposure time, date and container numbers. Check whether your market requires or restricts particular fumigants for feed, and whether a treatment certificate is needed at import.

Certificate of analysis

The CoA should refer to the specific lot in the container, not to a generic sample. Compare it line by line with the signed specification in your contract: the same parameters, the same units and the same test methods. For contaminants such as mycotoxins, heavy metals and pesticide residues, agree in advance whether third-party testing is required, which laboratory, and who pays.

Documents to ask for before the first order

These are not issued with every shipment, and not all apply to every product, but a buyer evaluating a new supplier normally asks for them:

• Signed product specification, with guaranteed limits and test methods.
• Safety data sheet (SDS), where your market or your own system requires one for the material.
• Process flow chart showing the critical control points.
• Food-safety or feed-safety certificates for the manufacturing site, if the site holds them — for example ISO 22000, HACCP or a GMP+ or FAMI-QS certificate — with a scope that names the product and a validity you have checked.
• Manufacturing declaration, for example single-ingredient status and no additives.
• Packaging declarations, where your market requires them. For the EU, the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (EU) 2025/40 sets requirements for packaging placed on the EU market, including packaging used in transport [5].

Import rules at your end

Documents from the exporter are only part of the picture. The importer is responsible for meeting the feed rules of the destination market. In the EU, for example, Regulation (EC) No 183/2005 on feed hygiene sets conditions for feed imported from outside the EU [4]. Check with your competent authority or customs broker which registrations, certificates and pre-notifications apply to your product.

Practical tips

1. Put the document list in the contract, including who issues each document, whether originals or copies are needed, and how many originals.
2. Check documents at two points. Before loading, ask for drafts and check names, addresses, HS codes, the product description, the planned quantity and the document requirements of your market. After the container is stuffed and sealed, and before the final documents are issued, check the lot, container and seal numbers and the actual quantity, and make sure they match on every document that carries them — those numbers only exist once the container is closed.
3. Tell the supplier your destination and any special wording needed on the phytosanitary certificate or proof of origin before the goods are stuffed.
4. Keep the lot number as the thread that links the CoA, the packing list and the goods in your warehouse. This is what makes traceability work if a question comes up later.