24-hour hotline : 23 922 922
e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk
Ref. : 101-002-001
101-002-007
20 March 2026
Dear Sirs,
Commercial Information Circular No. 255/2026
Chinese Mainland : The Centre for Food Safety of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to Waive All Fees Related to Certification of Food Products for Two Years Until 31 March 2028
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government announced on 18 March 2026 that the fees related to the certification of food products would be waived for two years to facilitate the trade to further expand into the Mainland and international markets. Please refer to the Appendix for the relevant press release.
2.The CFS announced that the relevant certificates include: (i) Food Inspection Certificate, its certified true copy and amendment certificate; (ii) Health Certificate for Foods of Animal Origin, its certified true copy and amendment certificate; (iii) Recommendation on Food Manufacturer Registration; and (iv) Advance Release Permission. The fee waiver for the above Food Inspection Certificate and the Health Certificate for Foods of Animal Origin, including their certified true copies and amendment certificates, will take effect from 1 April 2026 until 31 March 2028. The CFS had earlier waived the application fees for the Recommendation on Food Manufacturer Registration and the Advance Release Permission, and these waivers will remain in effect until 31 March 2028.
3. Applicants for the above certificates may proceed with the relevant applications during the aforementioned concession period at the CFS office, or through the CFS’s “Food Trader Portal”, without the need to pay the relevant fees.
4. In addition, the scope of Advance Release Arrangement (ARA) has been extended from the initial three categories of food products, namely beverages, pastries, and candies, to a total of six. The three newly added categories of food products are tea leaves, seasonings (ground) and noodles (without meat ingredient). Details of the ARA, including the relevant application form and the application guide, are available at CFS’s webpage.
ENQUIRIES
5. For details of applying for the above certificates, please contact the CFS (tel: 2867 5577). For other questions on this circular, please contact Mainland Branch (I) (tel: 2398 5444) of the Department.
Yours faithfully,
(Brian CHOI)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry
Note : While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the above information, the Department cannot guarantee this to be so and will not be held liable for any reliance placed on the same.