Export document
FDA prior notice
Food imported into the United States has to be notified to the Food and Drug Administration before the consignment arrives. The notice is filed electronically and it is a condition of entry, so a shipment that turns up unannounced is a shipment that waits.
The essentials.
- What it is
- Advance electronic notification to the FDA of a food consignment arriving in the United States.1
- Who files it
- Any party with knowledge of the shipment, which in practice is the importer or their customs broker rather than the Indonesian producer.1
- When
- Before arrival, within the window set for the mode of transport. Late is treated as absent.1
Who asks for it.
Only these markets require it. Shipping the same goods anywhere else, the question does not arise.
What it does not cover.
It is not an approval
Filing a notice tells the authority a consignment is coming. It does not confirm the food is admissible, and it does not stop the shipment being examined or refused on other grounds.
It is separate from facility registration
US requirements also reach the facility that produced the food. Prior notice covers the consignment, registration covers the producer, and both have to be in order.
Questions buyers ask.
Does my Indonesian supplier do this?
Usually not. It is filed on the American side by the importer or the broker, from information the supplier provides. What the supplier owes you is accurate shipment data early enough for the filing to be made.
What happens if it is late?
The consignment is held until the position is resolved, with the storage and demurrage that come with it. For chilled or fresh product that delay can cost more than the goods.
Where this comes up.
Indonesian coffee
Arabica and robusta origins, wet-hulling, how the national standard grades a lot, packing, and the documents a buyer needs including EUDR.
Indonesian yellowfin tuna
Cuts, cold chain and the two EU requirements you cannot arrange late: a flag-state validated catch certificate and an approved processing plant.
Indonesian blue swimming crab
Caught, hand-picked and pasteurised. Why the picking stations between the boat and the exporter are the traceability problem the EU cares about.
Sources
- 1Prior notice of imported food shipments. US Food and Drug Administration. Checked 3 August 2026.
Need this document for a real shipment?
Tell us the product and the destination port. We come back with the full document set for that route, who issues each one, and how long it takes.