

The NOAA Seafood Inspection Program certifies U.S. seafood products for export to any country requiring health certification. Get country and jurisdiction-specific instructions and requirements for export.
Certification Requirements
Certification for Great Britain, Jersey, Guernsey, or Isle of Man is no longer requested under the United Kingdom.
U.S. Facilities should be in good standing with the USFDA and appear under Shipments bound for Great Britain, Jersey, Guernsey, or Isle of Man.
Certifying officers should verify that all foreign-sourced material should be from manufacturing facilities listed.
The certificate must be issued before the consignment to which it relates leaves the control of the competent authority of the country of dispatch. Therefore the health certificate must be issued after all the products in the consignment have been produced but before the consignment leaves the country, ideally when the product leaves the dispatch establishment.
Certification Requirements
Fish and fish products exported to Guatemala require a Guatemala Export Health Certificate.
Exporters should contact the issuing authority for United States, USDC NOAA Seafood Inspection Program, prior to export to arrange certification.
Neither facility registration for Guatemala, nor USDC Approved Establishment status is required to obtain certification.
Acts and Regulations
Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Safe Food and Public Health
Tolerances or Guidelines
Metal |
Applicable Fish Products |
Maximum level permitted |
---|---|---|
Antimony |
All fish products excluding molluscs and crustaceans other than crab, oyster, prawn and shrimp |
1 |
Arsenic |
All fish products (excluding mollusks and crustaceans) in solid form |
6 |
Arsenic |
All fish products in liquid form |
0.14 |
Arsenic |
All shellfish products (mollusks and crustaceans) in solid form |
10 |
Arsenic |
Marine mammals (seals) |
1.4 |
Cadmium |
All fish products excluding mollusks and crustaceans other than crab, oyster, prawn and shrimp |
2 |
Cadmium |
Marine mammals (seals) |
0.2 |
Chromium |
All fish products excluding mollusks and crustaceans other than crab, oyster, prawn and shrimp |
1 |
Lead |
All fish products in liquid form |
1 |
Lead |
All fish products in solid form |
6 |
Mercury |
All fish products |
0.5 |
Tin |
All fish products |
230 |
The following hormones are prohibited for use in all fish products: dienoestrol, diethylstilboestrol, hexoestrol and oestradiol.
Fish products exported to Hong Kong cannot contain preservatives or antioxidants unless specified in the following table.
Fishery Product |
Preservative |
Maximum level permitted |
---|---|---|
Fish ball, fish cake, and dried shredded fish |
|
1000 ppm |
Fish sauce |
Sulphur dioxide/Sulphurous acid/Sodium sulphite/Sodium hydrogen sulphite/Sodium metabisulphite/Potassium sulphite/Potassium metabisulphite/Calcium sulphite/Calcium hydrogensulphite |
350 ppm |
Fish sauce |
|
800 ppm |
Gelatin |
Sulphur dioxide/Sulphurous acid/Sodium sulphite/Sodium hydrogen sulphite/Sodium metabisulphite/Potassium sulphite/Potassium metabisulphite/Calcium sulphite/Calcium hydrogensulphite |
1000 ppm |
Gelatin capsules |
Sorbic acid/Sodium sorbate/Potassium sorbate/Calcium sorbate |
3000 ppm |
Oyster sauce |
|
1000 ppm |
Prawn, shrimp and scampi |
Sulphur dioxide/Sulphurous acid/Sodium sulphite/Sodium hydrogen sulphite/Sodium metabisulphite/Potassium sulphite/Potassium metabisulphite/Calcium sulphite/Calcium hydrogensulphite |
200 ppm (in the edible part) |
Shrimp paste |
|
1000 ppm |
For more information please contact the importer/client in Hong Kong. Further details on the restrictions concerning the sale of food containing preservatives or antioxidants are available from the Hong Kong Food and Environmental Hygiene Department
Certification Requirements - None specified.
As a country that signed the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement, Iceland has adopted the certification and import requirements in place for the European Union (EU). Consult the European Union certification requirements for certification of product exported to Iceland.
NOAA SIP Guidelines for the Export of Fishery Products to EFTA Countries
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is an intergovernmental organization set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration to the benefit its four Member States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland.
Guidance on the completion of the model health certificate for imports of fishery products intended for human consumption to EFTA countries.
The following guidance is provided to assist with the completion of the model health certificate for imports of fishery products intended for human consumption as laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2074/2005 (1) as amended.
It incorporates the notes for guidance listed on the certificate itself and the explanatory notes found in Commission Decision 2007/240/EC (2).
In addition, guidance has been obtained from the texts of the international standard- setting body Codex Alimentarius. In the Guidelines for Design, Production, Issuance and Use of Generic Official Certificates (CAC/GL 38-2001(3) issued by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (4), replacement certificates are foreseen for certain administrative corrections or if the certificates were lost or damaged.
All certification should be done via the NOAA SIP online certificate system. Only as an option when the system is down or unavailable, a PDF version is used. The directions below are guidance for both the system completion and the PDF certification for information required in fields located on the documents.
Certifying officers must verify that all firms that handled, processed or stored the product and its ingredients are listed as current approved shippers to the EU.
U.S. facilities should appear on European Union Approved list.
Certifying officers should verify that all foreign-sourced material should be from manufacturing facilities listed.
The certificate must be issued before the consignment to which it relates leaves the control of the competent authority of the country of dispatch. Therefore the health certificate must be issued after all the products in the consignment have been produced but before the consignment leaves the country, ideally when the product leaves the dispatch establishment.
The original version of the certificate must accompany consignments on entry into EFTA country (original signature of an authorized officer, the name in capital letters, the qualification and title, and original stamp of the competent authority).
The EFTA countries have elected to use the EU model health certificate with public and animal health attestations. All intentions of the attestations must be met including approved facility listings and raw material sourcing requirements.
Certification Requirements - None specified.
India export health certification for fishery by-products not intended for human consumption will be provided to requesting facilities that are USDC Approved Establishments for Fishery By-products that are in good standing with program requirements and have had their product tested within the last 12 months.
Certification Requirements
A health certificate for fishery products intended for human consumption exported to the Republic of Indonesia is required for each consignment. Exporters should contact the issuing authority for United States, USDC NOAA Seafood Inspection Program, prior to export to make arrangements to obtain certification. All products certified to Indonesia must be of US origin and may not involve Product Registration. There is a limit of one product per certificate, and the certificate must be requested before the product leaves the United States.
Indonesia export health certification for fishery by-products not intended for human consumption will be provided to requesting facilities that are USDC Approved Establishments for Fishery By-products and are up to date on their audits.
Acts and Regulations-None specified.
Tolerances and Guidelines-None specified.
Certification Requirements
Certification is not required; however, USDC can provide General Health Export Certificate and Fish Certificate of Origin.
Certification Requirements
Israel has elected to use the EU model health certificate with public and animal health attestations. All intentions of the attestations must be met including approved facility listings and raw material sourcing requirements. Israel is not a participant of the Veterinary Equivalence Agreement between the U.S. and EU, therefore all product exported to Israel requires physical inspection.
If the product is produced in a USDC HACCP QMP facility a lot inspection is not required. All documentation verification must still be done for each consignment.
If the product is produced in a USDC resident inspection facility physical consignment by consignment inspection is required prior to certification.
U.S. Facilities should appear on both the domestic FDA List and the European Union Approved list.
Certifying officers should verify that all foreign-sourced material should be from manufacturing facilities listed.
All firms requesting an export certificate must be listed as an approved establishment in the USDC Seafood Inspection Program. All consignments must have been produced in an approved facility, have a USDC SIP lot inspection and a USDC SIP Export Health certificate unique to the product and shipment.
The certificate must be issued before the consignment to which it relates leaves the control of the competent authority of the country of dispatch. Therefore the health certificate must be issued after all the products in the consignment have been produced but before the consignment leaves the country, ideally when the product leaves the dispatch establishment.
The original version of the certificate must accompany consignments on entry into the Israel (original signature of an authorized officer, the name in capital letters, the qualification and title, and original stamp of the competent authority).
Tolerances or Guidelines
TBA (value): 2.5
TVBN: 30 mg/100 g
Mercury: 1.0 ppm
Histamine: 200 ppm
Labeling
Labels for fish products must include—in both Hebrew and English—the name of the product, the name of the fish from which the product was prepared, the name and address of the producer, the name and address of the importer, and the word "KOSHER" if the owner or importer is in possession of a certificate from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, or the words "NOT KOSHER" if the producer or importer is not in possession of such a certificate.
All manufactured and processed foods must be labeled with nutritional information according to guidelines set by the Israeli Health Ministry. Unprocessed fish is exempt from this requirement. Exporters should consult with their importers for further details concerning Israeli labeling requirements.
Acts and Regulations
Canned fish is subject to product specifications under the processed-food law.
Labeling and Marking Standards:
Further information regarding these requirements may be obtained from:
Ministry of Industry, Commerce & Tourism
Kingston, Jamaica.
Tolerances or Guidelines
Radioactivity content must be below the following maximum levels:
Certification Requirements - None specified.
Certification requirements
Effective December 1, 2022 the following species being exported from the United States to Japan will require our Certificate of Legal Harvest in order to address the issue of IUU Fishing. Japan will require Class II Aquatic Animals and Plants to be subject to a Catch Documentation Scheme by the exporting nation. These species are recognized by Japan to be particularly vulnerable to IUU Fishing by foreign flagged vessels under foreign laws or international conservation and management measures and will be managed by their import regulation.
Squid and cuttlefish
Pacific saury (Cololabis spp/)
Mackerel (Scomber spp.)
Sardine (Sardinops spp.)
Of those derived from the fish species listed above, organs, roes, flours, fishery products not fit for human consumption, oils, extracts, etc. are excluded from the scope of the catch documentation scheme. Tuna and other fish species for which import regulation with a view to prevent IUU fishing is already in place under other programs are excluded from Japan’s catch documentation scheme.
Beginning July 2, 2020, US exporters to Japan are required to obtain a specialized Health Certificate for exports of live raw oysters intended for human consumption. Based upon the 1962 bilateral shellfish agreement and Japan’s Food Sanitation Law, which evaluates oyster management programs in the US on a state by state basis, Oysters from Oregon, Washington, Connecticut and New York are eligible for export to Japan. The specialized certificate is only intended for use with live raw oyster shipments harvested from Oregon, Washington, Connecticut and New York. The specific Harvest/Growing State and Location information must be provided in Box I.28 of the export health certificate. The ICSSL approval number must be included in box I.28 under manufacturing plant.
U.S exporters of cooked Crab are required to obtain a Legal Harvest Certificate for exports of US or foreign harvested consignments. Shippers of foreign sourced product are required to provide valid documentation from country of origin to receive legal harvest certification.
Exports of live raw oysters require an export health certificate to enter Japan. Based upon the 1962 bilateral shellfish agreement and Japan’s Food Sanitation Law which evaluates oyster management programs in the US on a state by state basis, Oysters from Oregon, Washington, Connecticut and New York are eligible for export to Japan. The specific harvest/growing State and location information must be provided in Box I.28 of the export health certificate. The ICSSL approval number must be included in box I.28. This certificate is intended to certify live raw oysters harvested from Oregon, Washington, Connecticut and New York.
In addition to certificate issuance, for each consignment, USDC Inspection staff will submit an attached copy of the issued certificate to the Japanese authorities via the following email address:
General Requirements for the export of live (Homarus americanus) lobsters and lobster products containing tomalley to Japan
This document applies to exporters who ship live lobsters and lobster products containing tomalley to Japan. Japan has a standard for PSP in the hepatopancreas of lobsters of 80 µg/100g and tests imported lobsters to verify compliance with Japanese Food Sanitation Law. The following sets out the requirements for a plan to manage shipments of lobsters to markets requiring enhanced controls for PSP in lobster hepatopancreas.
The NOAA Seafood Inspection Program (SIP) is the authority that will issue an export health certificate if one is required. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the federal authority charged with determination of the acceptability of seafood for human consumption. Federal regulations do not permit food that is not fit for human consumption to be exported without very specific conditions including the agreement of the receiving country.
Firms must participate in the NOAA Seafood Inspection Program (SIP) as Quality Management Program (QMP) Approved Establishments. Controls of top management, food safety, plant hygiene, quality management, documentation and records, and corrective action are described in the SIP Manual under Policies, Procedures, and Requirements for the Approval of Facilities and Systems.
A PSP Control Plan must be put in place by the firm to check lobsters for the presence of PSP. Testing and monitoring may be performed by the exporter or by a third party. The firm’s procedures must clearly specify what is being tested or monitored, how, at what frequency, and by whom. The frequency must be sufficient to control shipments to satisfy the importing country´s PSP standard.
The procedures for PSP control in lobsters should consider factors, such as, but not limited to:
Exporters may wish to consider arrangements with other parties to enhance their knowledge about PSP and lobsters as part of their efforts for continuous improvement of their testing procedures.
PSP Control Plan Requirements
Each participating firm must provide a PSP control plan which provides a full description of the type of lobsters being exported:
The plan must provide a full description of the controls for incoming live lobsters to ensure that they were harvested, handled and transported to the establishment under sanitary conditions.
The plan must describe the process to control each list before shipping to verify that it will meet the importing country’s standard for PSP. This control must include testing to check lobsters for the presence or absence of PSP. Testing may be performed by the exporter or by a third party. The testing procedures must clearly specify what is being tested, how it is being tested, at wheat frequency, and by whom. The frequency must be sufficient to control shipments to satisfy the importing country’s PSP standard.
Exporters may supplement product testing with additional controls. Examples may include, but are not limited to, checking:
Any supplemental controls and supporting documentation must be listed in the firm’s control plan and submitted to SIP.
The objective of this control is to provide exporters with the means to continuously gather and review information about the levels of PSP in lobsters in order to prevent the shipment of lobsters with unacceptable levels of PSP. The assessment and control strategy will be provided to the SIP for tracking purposes.
Corrective actions must include steps to notify SIP of any consignments of lobsters that are refused entry into the importing country because they exceeded the PSP standard. Corrective actions must also include procedures to segregate lobsters that do not meet an importing country’s requirement and records that document these corrective actions and any changes to the control plan.
While under the control of the exporter, consignments are transported and stored under secure conditions to prevent product loss or substitution.
Designation and Control of Harvest Areas
Most harvest areas for lobsters are within the control of the State authority with some Federal permits issued for lobster harvest. The respective State will make the determination as to area designation and acceptability of harvest in waters under State control. SIP, in consultation with FDA will monitor the applicable Federal waters. SIP will periodically monitor State waters if necessary, especially in those cases where the State program for designation of harvest area requires augmentation.
Acceptability of harvest will be determined using appropriate PSP testing and opening/closing criteria. If a harvest area has been closed for molluscan shellfish harvesting due to PSP, a known harmful algal bloom, or other evidence the lobsters may be affected, product from that area will not be certified. Any State or federal closures for these concerns (biotoxins) are consolidated on our website at: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/seafood-commerce-certification/fishery-closures-state
SIP will periodically monitor lobster harvest areas by taking samples and testing for PSP. Testing for monitoring by SIP (or the State if they perform the monitoring) will be on the body, the edible meat, and the hepatopancreas to provide the maximum data possible for risk assessment. If this testing indicates a problematic harvest area, the lobsters from this area will not be certified for export.
Verification
SIP will audit the firm’s procedures, including their PSP control as well as any affects from the chain of custody. SIP will review all records of the firm’s PSP Control Plan and any appropriate information from the State authority during this audit including a back tracing of any certificates issued from the previous audit.
Official samples may be taken from the same lots for export simultaneous to those taken and tested by the firm as a means of confirmation of process. If lot testing indicates the levels of PSP exceed acceptable limits, the lot will not be certified. In addition the system will be evaluated to determine the firm’s continued capability to remain listed for shipment.
Tolerances and Guidelines
Japan export health certification for fishery by-products not intended for human consumption will be provided to requesting facilities that are USDC Approved Establishments for Fishery By-products in good standing with SIP program requirements, and have had their product tested within the last 12 months.
Certification Requirements
Certification is not required; however, USDC can provide General Export Health Certificate.
Acts and Regulations
Product Specification Standards/Labeling & Marketing Standards/Packaging Standards:
Tolerances or Guidelines
Piperonyl Butoxide: for dried codfish |
1.0 ppm |
Pyrethrin : for dried codfish |
0.1 ppm |
Certification Requirements
All fishery products must, before entering Kenya, be lot inspected for health and quality conditions and must be accompanied by an Export Health Certificate proving this inspection has been undertaken.
Certification Requirements
The following products for human consumption require a health certificate:
Normal inspection procedures apply to these fishery products, e.g. lot inspection, in-plant inspection, or a current HACCP QMP system.
In addition to certification, South Korea also has a pre-registration requirement. For regular (non-by-product) fishery products, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has a mandatory pre-registration process for overseas manufacturing facilities via the MFDS system (accessed at https://impfood.mfds.go.kr/) by either an importer or an exporter 7 days before the import declaration.
South Korea requires export health certificates for by-products including frozen cod heads, tuna heads, southern hake heads, visceral by-products such as edible fish roe, Pollock entrails, hard roe and the nidamental gland of squid.
For firms that ship by-products, South Korea also requires that U.S. exporters be on a list of approved facilities. Facilities shipping fisheries by-products to South Korea must be approved establishments in the Seafood Inspection Program and must appear on the South Korea Approved Shippers List.
Normal inspection procedures apply to these by-products, e.g. lot inspection, in-plant inspection, or a current HACCP QMP system. All frozen fish heads must be cut so the head with pectoral and ventral fins are attached and the frozen edible parts, e.g. meat from the neck, lower jaw, and cheek, are included. Cod heads must be of U.S. origin, caught in the Pacific (Gadus macrocephalus).
If you are interested in being placed on the South Korea Approved Shippers List, please contact Consumer Safety Officer HQ staff at Shelley.Davis@noaa.gov.
Other Information
Tolerances or Guidelines
Antibiotics are prohibited.
Food Additives Approved
Further information is available from the Korean Food and Drug Administration.
Export health certification for fishery by-products not intended for human consumption will be provided to requesting facilities that are USDC Approved Establishments for Fishery By-products, are in good standing with SIP program requirements, and have had product tested within the last 12 months.
Acts and Regulations - None specified.
Tolerances and Guidelines - None specified.
Certification Requirements
Certification is not required; however, USDC can provide General Health Export Certificate and Fish Certificate of Origin.
Certification Requirements
Each shipment of fish and seafood products exported to Kuwait must be accompanied by the following two certificates:
As a country that has signed the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement, Liechtenstein has adopted the certification and import requirements in place for the European Union (EU). Consult the European Union certification requirements for certification of product exported to Iceland.
NOAA SIP Guidelines for the Export of Fishery Products to EFTA Countries
The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is an intergovernmental organization set up for the promotion of free trade and economic integration to the benefit of its four Member States: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland.
Guidance on the completion of the model health certificate for imports of fishery products intended for human consumption to EFTA countries.
The following guidance is provided to assist with the completion of the model health certificate for imports of fishery products intended for human consumption as laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 2074/2005 (1) as amended.
It incorporates the notes for guidance listed on the certificate itself and the explanatory notes found in Commission Decision 2007/240/EC (2).
In addition, guidance has been obtained from the texts of the international standard-setting body Codex Alimentarius. In the Guidelines for Design, Production, Issuance and Use of Generic Official Certificates (CAC/GL 38-2001 (3) issued by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (4), replacement certificates are foreseen for certain administrative corrections or if the certificates were lost or damaged.
All certification should be done via the NOAA SIP online certificate system. Only as an option when the system is down or unavailable, a PDF version is used. The directions below are guidance for both the system completion and the PDF certification for information required in fields located on the documents.
Certifying officers must verify that all firms that handled, processed or stored the product and its ingredients are listed as current approved shippers to the EU.
U.S. facilities should appear on European Union Approved list.
Certifying officers should verify that all foreign-sourced material should be from manufacturing facilities listed.
The certificate must be issued before the consignment to which it relates leaves the control of the competent authority of the country of dispatch. Therefore the health certificate must be issued after all the products in the consignment have been produced but before the consignment leaves the country, ideally when the product leaves the dispatch establishment.
The original version of the certificate must accompany consignments on entry into EFTA country (original signature of an authorized officer, the name in capital letters, the qualification and title, and original stamp of the competent authority).
The EFTA countries have elected to use the EU model health certificate with public and animal health attestations. All intentions of the attestations must be met including approved facility listings and raw material sourcing requirements.
Tolerances or Guidelines - None Specified.
Certification Requirements - None specified.
Certification Requirements
Tolerances or Guidelines - None Specified.
Internet sites for information on exports to Macedonia: Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and Agency for Food and Veterinary Macedonia.
Certification Requirements
Each shipment of fish and seafood products exported to Malaysia must be accompanied by Export Health certificate and Certificate of Origin.
Acts and Regulations
Ministry of Trade and Industrial Development
Mexican Official Standard BILL
Regulations of the General Health Law on the Control of Activities, Establishments, Products and Services (Official Gazette of January 18, 1988):
Labeling
All labels on prepackaged products (excluding bulk) must appear in Spanish and must be at least the same size as those in other languages.
All labels must indicate the:
The expiry date of prepackaged products must be indicated with the words "Expiry date_____" "Expiry_____ " or "Exp. date_____" followed by the corresponding date.
Chilled product labels must also indicate:
Frozen product labels must also indicate:
Canned product labels must also indicate:
Exporters should consult with their importers for further details concerning Mexican labeling requirements.
Cartons of molluscan shellfish (fresh, refrigerated or frozen) must indicate:
Tolerances or Guidelines
Food in lead-soldered cans is not permitted.
Fresh-chilled and frozen product:
Salted fish must either:
Salted fish which does not meet this standard may be further tested for microbiological contaminants and if found to be unsatisfactory, could be rejected.
Fresh-chilled and frozen product and canned crustaceans:
The following food additives are permitted for frozen fish:
The following food additives are permitted in canned crustaceans with a maximum level indicative of good manufacturing practices:
pH regulators:
Flavour enhancers:
Humidity retainers:
Certification
Each shipment of fish and seafood products exported to Mexico must be accompanied by Export Health Certificate and Commodity Specific Certificate of Origin.
Acts and Regulations
Fishery products must be in compliance with the requirements of the sanitary regulations of the European Union.
Tolerances and Guidelines - None specified.
Certification Requirements - None specified.