Certificate of Free Sale for Food Products

A Certificate of Free Sale is a document required by certain countries or foreign governments for commodities which certifies that the imported food items are normally and freely sold in New York State and are approved for export.

In New York, a Certificate of Free Sale is a document prepared by the Department containing information about a product’s regulatory or marketing status. This certificate is for food and dairy products that may be legally marketed in the United States.

Benefits

In many cases, foreign governments want a Certificate of Free Sale because they are seeking official assurance that products exported to their countries can be marketed in the United States or meet specific US regulations, like current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations. Review of a Certificate of Free Sale may be required to register or import a product into another country.

Requirements

In order to be issued a Certificate of Free Sale, a manufacturing firm must have a valid license on file with the Department and have passed their most recent inspection conducted within the past year.

Pet food items must hold a current product registration and be made in New York State. In-State Commercial Feed Manufacturers must hold a current Commercial Feed License. A label or tag representing the pet food or feed/feed ingredient must accompany the Certificate of Free Sale request.

In order to request a Certificate of Free Sale, a written request must be made to the Department and payment must be received.

Please note some answers to frequently asked question about Certificate of Free Sale requests.

• Certificates of Free Sale are good for a single shipment. The Department does not issue "open ended" Certificates of Free Sale.
• There is no limit of commodities per Certificate as long as the products are going to the same country.
• Please allow up to two weeks for a request to be processed.

Written Request

The written request must be made on the requesting company’s letterhead and must include the name of the country receiving the product being exported from New York State and the list of products being exported. The Certificate of Free Sale will only be issued for products that are manufactured under the jurisdiction of the Department. See a sample Letter of Request below.

Payment

An establishment is assessed a fee of $50 for each Certificate of Free Sale.

Payment must be received in the form of check or money order made out to the “Department of Agriculture and Markets” and mailed to one of the addresses below.