Documents and procedures for registering foreign rice export business

Procedures for registering rice export business: business registration certificate, rice export business license, plant quarantine certificate, MSMV registration, product declaration, trademark protection registration, customs procedures.

What is rice export business?

International rice export business is a commercial activity involving the sale and transportation of rice from producing countries (exporting) to other countries (importing).

Rice export is an important part of the global agricultural trade, especially for large rice producing countries such as Vietnam, China, and India.

Join Online Accounting to learn more about the procedures for applying for a rice export business license in the section below.

Procedures for applying for a rice export business license

Rice export business is a conditional industry, so before carrying out business registration procedures, organizations, enterprises and traders need to learn about the conditions for operating this industry in the article: Conditions for rice export business.

1. Procedures for applying for a rice business registration certificate

Depending on the scale and development orientation, you can choose to establish a rice exporting enterprise or household. The implementation process is as follows:

Note:

To avoid wasting time when applying for a certificate of eligibility for rice export business (sub-license), businesses/business households need to fully register related industry codes at this step.

>> Look up rice business industry at: Look up information on Vietnam industry codes.

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In addition, you can also refer to the business registration certificate application service at fdiinvietnam.com to optimize time and cost:

>> Rice trading company establishment service;

>> Rice business establishment service.

2. Procedures for applying for a certificate of eligibility to export rice (sub-license)

➧ Application for certificate of eligibility for rice export business

According to the provisions of Article 6 of Decree 107/2018/ND-CP, the application for a certificate of eligibility for rice export business is according to the following table.

➧ Submit application to competent authority

The Ministry of Industry and Trade will receive and process applications for rice export business licenses for businesses. You can submit your application in one of three ways:

1. Submit online via the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Public Service Portal;
2. Submit by post via VNPost service;
3. Submit directly to the Ministry of Industry and Trade at:
   • Address: No. 54, Hai Ba Trung, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi City;
   • Phone: 024 2220 5395;
   • Email: hotro@moit.gov.vn.

➧ Application processing time

• Within 15 working days from the date of receiving a complete and valid dossier, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will issue a certificate of eligibility for rice export business;
• Within 7 working days, if the application is invalid, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will respond in writing and state the reasons.

Note:

The certificate of eligibility for rice export business is valid for 5 years from the date of issue. To continue doing business, you need to carry out the procedure for re-issuance of the certificate within 30 days before the certificate expires.

>> See details: Procedures for applying for a certificate of eligibility to export rice.

3. Procedures for applying for a phytosanitary certificate for export

➧ Application for export plant quarantine certificate

➧ Submit application to plant quarantine agency

The Plant Protection Department – ​​Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will receive and check the validity of the application. You can submit an application for plant quarantine for export in 1 of 3 ways:

1. Submit online via the National Single Window Portal;
2. Submit by post via VNPost service;
3. Submit directly to Plant Protection Department – Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

➧ Application processing time 

Based on the results of the document inspection, the plant quarantine agency will decide on the quarantine location at the production facility, place of departure, place of rice storage or at the export border gate and arrange for civil servants to inspect the rice batch exported abroad. 

Time for issuing certificates is as follows:

• Within 24 hours of the start of quarantine, if the rice batch meets the phytosanitary requirements of the importing country, the quarantine agency will issue a phytosanitary certificate;
• If it takes longer than 24 hours due to technical requirements, the plant quarantine agency must notify or respond in writing stating the reasons;
• In case the rice batch is found to not meet the plant quarantine requirements of the importing country, the plant quarantine agency will refuse to issue the certificate and specifically notify the rice export business establishment.

4. Procedures for registering barcodes for exported rice

➧ Application for certificate of right to use codes and barcodes 

➧ Submit application to competent authority

The General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality – Ministry of Science and Technology will receive, process the application and issue the certificate of right to use codes and barcodes.

➧ Application processing time 

• Within 5 working days, if the dossier is invalid, the competent authority will notify the rice export business to submit the dossier for revision and supplementation;
• Within 20 working days, if the application is valid and all required fees have been paid, the competent authority will issue a certificate of code and barcode.

Note:

The validity period of the certificate of registration of codes and barcodes shall not exceed 3 years from the date of issue.

>> See now: Code and barcode registration service – Only 3,000,000 VND/100 codes.

5. Product quality declaration procedures

➧ Declaration of rice products for export abroad

(*): Food safety test results of exported rice must:

• Guaranteed validity for 12 months;
• Issued by a designated testing laboratory or a recognized testing laboratory in accordance with ISO 17025 including safety standards issued by the Ministry of Health.

Note:

All documents in the self-declaration file must be presented in Vietnamese. If there are documents in a foreign language, they must be translated into Vietnamese and notarized.

➧ Procedures for self-declaration of rice products

Step 1: Prepare the self-declaration documents according to the instructions above;

Step 2: Upload the application to your address and that of the receiving agency;

>> Self-declared rice export records will be posted on:

• Mass media/website or public posting at the headquarters of the rice business establishment;
• Announcement on the updated data information system on food safety.

>> If there is no food safety data information system, rice businesses must submit their application directly or by post to the competent state agency designated by the People’s Committee of the province/city directly under the Central Government to:

• Perform record keeping;
• Post the name of the business establishment and self-declared rice products on the website of the receiving agency.

Step 3: Get results

Immediately after self-declaring exported rice products, the facility is entitled to produce, trade and take full responsibility for the safety of those types of rice.

You may be interested in:

>> Food safety license application service;

>> ISO 22000:2018 certification service;

>> Product quality standards declaration service.

6. Procedures for registering trademark protection

To increase brand recognition, limit counterfeiting and unfair competition in the international market, rice export businesses should register for trademark and brand protection.

➧ Trademark and brand registration application

(*): The rice trademark sample to be protected must satisfy the following requirements:

• Size larger than 2 x 2cm, not larger than 8 x 8cm;
• Specify color if color label.

Note:

In case the rice brand to be registered is a collective trademark or a certification trademark, additional documents and papers must be provided according to legal regulations.

>> See details: Application for exclusive trademark protection.

➧ Submit application to competent authority

The Intellectual Property Office will receive, process the application and issue a certificate of trademark registration. You can submit your application in one of two ways:

1. Submit directly to the Department of Intellectual Property;
2. Submit online via the Intellectual Property Office’s online public service portal.

➧ Application processing time 

The process of examining and handling trademark registration applications at the National Office of Intellectual Property is prescribed as follows:

• Formal assessment time: 1 month;
• Time for publication of application: within 2 months from the date the trademark application is accepted as valid;
• Time for content examination: no more than 9 months from the date of application publication.

Note:

In fact, the time for the National Office of Intellectual Property to complete the examination and grant of a trademark protection certificate will last from 16 to 18 months or even longer, because the number of trademark registration applications is always overloaded.

To save maximum time performing complicated procedures yourself, you can consider using the service at Online Accounting:

>> Trademark and exclusive brand registration service – Service fee from only 1,000,000 VND.

7. Customs procedures for exporting foreign rice

➧ Customs registration documents for exporting rice abroad

➧ Submit application to competent authority

The Customs Department will receive, compare documents, inspect imported goods and confirm customs clearance. You can submit documents in 1 of 2 ways:

• Submit directly at the Customs Branch;
• Submit online via VNACCS/VCIS System.

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To simplify procedures and customs clearance time, rice exporting businesses can carry out online customs declaration procedures using digital signatures, the implementation sequence is as follows:

Step 1: Declare customs information

Make declarations, submit export declarations and customs documents through the VNACCS/VCIS System – Automatic customs clearance system and National Single Window Mechanism.

Step 2: The system performs customs declaration classification

Wait for feedback on the classification results via the VNACCS/VCIS System. Specifically:

• Stream 1: Goods are accepted for customs clearance according to information in the customs declaration and move to step 3;
• Stream 2: Waiting for checking related documents in customs dossiers sent through the system:
  • If the profile is suitable, go to step 3;
  • If the documents are inconsistent or questionable, the customs authority will decide to transfer the declaration to lane 3 and conduct a physical inspection of the goods.
• Stream 3: Physical inspection of goods, the implementation process is as follows:
  • The system will send notifications, forms, and levels of actual inspection of goods notified by the customs authority via the system;
  • Register the location and time of physical inspection of goods with customs authorities.

Step 3: Pay taxes and fees as prescribed

Step 4: Customs clearance

Print the list of containers and list of goods at the Customs Electronic Portal or the declaration system of the customs declarant and provide it to the Customs Sub-Department managing the port area, warehouse, yard, or location for customs clearance. 

➧ Application processing time 

• Time limit for receiving and checking documents: Immediately after submitting the documents, if the customs registration documents for rice export are in accordance with regulations;
• Time limit for completing physical inspection of goods and means of transport:
  • No later than 8 working hours for exported rice batches in the form of physical inspection of a portion of goods based on probability;
  • No later than 2 working days for exported rice batches in the form of physical inspection of all goods. In case the exported rice batches have large quantities and the inspection is complicated, the inspection period may be extended, but not more than 8 working hours.

Questions related to rice export business registration

1. What is rice export business?

Rice export business is a commercial activity involving the sale and transportation of rice from a producing country (exporting) to other countries (importing).

>> See more: Conditions for exporting rice business.

2. What license is required to export rice?

To trade and export rice abroad, traders and organizations need to carry out the following 7 procedures:

• Apply for business registration certificate;
• Apply for certificate of eligibility for rice export (sub-license);
• Apply for export phytosanitary certificate;
• Register barcode number for exported rice;
• Product quality declaration;
• Register for trademark protection;
• Register customs for foreign rice export.

>> See details: Procedures for registering rice export business.

3. Is it difficult to apply for a rice export business license?

The process of applying for a certificate of eligibility for rice export business includes the following steps:

• Step 1: Prepare documents for rice export business license;
• Step 2: Submit application to the Ministry of Industry and Trade;
• Step 3: Wait for rice export business license.

>> See now: Procedures for applying for a rice export business license.

4. Cost of applying for a rice export business registration certificate?

Currently, Online Accounting provides services for establishing businesses and rice exporting households with costs:

• Rice business registration service – Service fee from only 250,000 VND;
• Service of establishing individual business household – Full package 1,500,000 VND.

When using the registration service at fdiinvietnam.com, you will receive 100% free consultation on relevant legal information as well as the procedures for applying for the 6 types of licenses mentioned above.

Call us at  0978 578 866 (North)  –  033 9962 333 (Central)  –  033 9962 333 (South)  for support.