Cocoa is one of the natural products that are beneficial to human health. It is popular around the world and has become a key export item of Vietnam in recent years.
Knowing the HS code, you will know the regulations related to the export policy of the item, taxes, documents, procedures, … respectively.
HS Code Cocoa
According to Circular 15/2019/TT-BNNPTNT of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Section 9. HS code table for the list of objects subject to plant quarantine of Vietnam.
Regulations in Chapter 18. COCOA AND COCOA PRODUCTS.
Cocoa beans and cocoa preparations of the following codes
- 18010000: Dried cocoa beans
- 18031000: Cocoa paste, not skimmed
- 18040000: Cocoa butter
- 18050000: Cocoa powder
- 18060,000: Chocolate and other food preparations containing cocoa
To be able to bring cocoa powder products to the market, the product must first be announced to the competent state agency. This announcement represents the confirmation of the cocoa powder production and business establishment that its products meet the standards according to the relevant Vietnamese standards and regulations and conform to the standards announced by the establishment.
The procedure for announcing cocoa powder is a mandatory procedure for organizations and individuals that produce and trade in real food according to the provisions of Clause 1, Article 4 of Decree 15/2018/ND-CP. Except for products and raw materials for production or import that are only used for the production and processing of goods for export or for the internal production of organizations and individuals that are not consumed in the domestic market. product self-declaration procedures.
Dossier of carrying out procedures for announcing cocoa powder
– Self-declaration of products according to the form
– Certificate of business registration/Individual household business with food production and trading lines
– Certificate of food safety eligibility of the manufacturer (product processing contract – if any)
– The results of food safety testing of the product (designated testing laboratory or accredited testing laboratory in accordance with ISO 17025 including safety criteria issued by the Ministry of Health according to risk management principles) in accordance with international regulations or safety criteria according to relevant regulations and standards announced by organizations and individuals in the absence of regulations of the Ministry of Health)
– Product labels, product photos
Currently, cocoa powder is often tested for the following criteria:
* Contaminants limit for cocoa powder.
Target name Maximum limit
| Target name | The maximum limit |
| I. Heavy metal | |
| 1. Antimon (Sb) | 1 |
| 2. Arsen (As) | 1 |
| 3. Cadimi (Cd) | 0,5 |
| 4. Chì (Pb) | 2 |
| 5. Thủy ngân (Hg) | 0,05 |
| 6. Đồng (Cu) | 70 |
| 7. Kẽm (Zn) | 40 |
| II. Fungal toxins | |
| 1. Aflatoxin B1 | 5 |
| 2. Aflatoxin B1B2G1G2 | 15 |
Organizations and individuals self-publish their products on the mass media
– Immediately after self-announcing products, organizations and individuals are entitled to manufacture and trade products and take full responsibility for the safety of such products;
– In case the product has a change in product name, origin, and composition, the organization or individual must re-announce the product. In other cases of change, organizations and individuals shall notify in writing of the changed contents to competent state management agencies and may manufacture and trade products immediately after sending the notices.
Certificate of Free Sale – CFS (Certificate Of Free Sale) is a license issued by a competent state agency of the exporting country to a trader exporting the products or goods listed in the CFS to certify that the product, the good is produced and is allowed to circulate freely in the exporting country.
Dossier of application for a certificate of free sale (CFS) of cocoa powder products
- An application for a certificate of free sale for cocoa powder; (follow the sample)
- Having announced applicable standards in accordance with current law provisions.
- The self-declaration of the product with the expression; (on goods labels or on goods packages or documents accompanying products and goods).
- Other documents depending on the specific requirements of the agency issuing the certificate of free sale;
Implementation time at the Ministry of Industry and Trade: 05 working days;
The validity period of the Certificate of Free Sale (CFS) is 2 years (from the date of issue).
Health Certificate – HC (Health Certificate)
Apply for a Health Certificate – HC (Health Certificate) for cocoa powder products based on Circular 52/2015/TT-BYT stipulating the state inspection of food safety for imported foods and documents. Documents and procedures for issuing certificates for exported food under the management of the Ministry of Health
Dossier of application for a medical certificate (HC)
- Application for medical certificate (HC) cocoa powder products;
- The test results of the export shipment may show the batch number, NSX-HSD; (made at a center recognized/designated by the Ministry of Health)
- Product label templates; (Copy certified by the organization or individual).
- Certificate of business registration; Certificate of food safety eligibility at the place of production; product self-declaration (Copy certified by the organization or individual).
Implementation time at the Ministry of Health: 10 – 12 working days;
The validity period of the Medical Certificate (HC) for cocoa powder products is 02 years (from the date of issue).
To be able to clear goods, businesses need to have a phytosanitary certificate.
Enterprises need to carry out plant quarantine at the request of the importing country
Quarantine procedures are issued by the quarantine agency in accordance with current regulations of law.
Send the quarantine certificate to the buyer (importer) according to the signed commercial contract.
The General Department of Customs is responsible for updating the list of countries with quarantine requirements for channeling and controlling shipments.
Phytosanitary Cocoa
- Requirement: Documents needed to transmit PQS (PLANTS POSITIVE registration software)
- Commercial contract, purchase and sale of goods
- Bill of Lading (provided after the vessel runs)
The plant quarantine process is as follows:
- Step 1: Export the application for plant quarantine registration with the shipment information entered from the PQS software to be sent to the consignee for signature and stamp.
- Step 2: Bring the dossier to the Plant Quarantine Sub-department to register for quarantine
- Step 3: Quarantine agency conducts quarantine samples
- Step 4: After the ship runs, the bill of lading will be added to the Plant Quarantine Sub-department to issue and print a certificate of plant quarantine if the shipment meets the standards.
Profile and steps to implement plant quarantine you can see on the screen
Certificate of Fumigation
In order to prevent bacteria, mold, and termites when exporting goods, each shipment of cocoa needs to have a certificate of fumigation. A dossier for issuance of a fumigation certificate includes the following documents:
– Sea waybill
– Commercial invoice
– Detailed list of goods list
Usually this is usually done at the port and the fumigation time is 24 hours before the ship runs, so businesses need to calculate the Cut Off time of the shipping line to not drop the ship.
Customs procedures when exporting cocoa
The cocoa export customs dossier includes the following documents:
- Commercial Invoice (Commercial Invoice)
- Packing List
- Goods input documents (invoices, purchasing statements)
- Documents and requirements from the importing country
- Bill of Lading (Bill of Lading)
- Phytosanitary certificate
- Fumigation certificate
- Certificate of Origin (C/O if any)
- Other relevant documents
With cocoa products, export procedures are not too “difficult”. Moreover, Vietnam has been participating in many free trade agreements, so cocoa export procedures have become “easier” for businesses.
