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BBoreal Trade

Market · Thailand

Exporting Canadian food to Thailand

Agreement status and duty implication

Not in force: in negotiation. Global Affairs Canada records the Canada–Thailand Free Trade Agreement as “In negotiations”: a Notice of Intent to enter into negotiations was tabled on 24 November 2025, and public consultations ran from 13 December 2025 to 27 January 2026. Thailand is not a CPTPP party. A Canada–Thailand Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement has been in force since 24 September 1998, but it governs investment, not tariff treatment.

Thailand is not covered by the same agreement architecture as several of the other markets on this site, so the duty position here is more often a most-favoured-nation question than a preferential one. That makes tariff classification the variable that matters most: the line your product falls under determines the rate, and a plausible-looking neighbouring line can carry a materially different one. We publish the classification and the duty position per product with the source and the date. Where they read "available on request", we have not yet verified that line and will not estimate it.

Registration pathway

  1. 01 · Classify the product under Thai FDA categories

    Thai FDA

    Category determines whether a food serial number or a full registration is required.

    Typical duration: On request

  2. 02 · Appoint a Thai importer of record

    Commercial arrangement

    The Thai FDA licence is issued to a locally registered importer, not to the exporter.

    Typical duration: On request

  3. 03 · Importer obtains a food import licence

    Thai FDA

    A prerequisite to filing any product registration.

    Typical duration: On request

  4. 04 · Compile and file the product dossier

    Thai FDA

    Specification, process description, certificate of free sale and CFIA export certification.

    Typical duration: On request

  5. 05 · Thai-language label approval

    Thai FDA

    Label content and format are approved as part of the registration.

    Typical duration: On request

  6. 06 · Customs clearance and first import

    Thai Customs

    Duty treatment depends on tariff classification and any applicable preference.

    Typical duration: On request

Available on request: send your specification and destination and we'll confirm within five working days.

Who holds the registration

In Thailand the licence sits with the importer, not with you. A Thai FDA food import licence is issued to a locally registered importer, and product filings are made against it, which means the entity you appoint as importer is the entity holding the regulatory relationship with the authority. That has a direct commercial consequence: your route to market and your regulatory standing are bundled into the same counterparty, and separating them later is harder than structuring them correctly at the start. Before you appoint, ask what happens to the product filings if you change importer, and get the answer in the agreement rather than in an email.

Logistics

Main ports: Laem Chabang, Bangkok Port (Khlong Toei)

Transit from Vancouver: On request

Transit from Montreal: On request

Sources

Last reviewed: September 1, 2026