Tea and coffee: the products that require import permission

Apart from seeking FDA approval, there are some key points to consider when importing “tea and coffee”. 

Scope of Control:

• Coffee beans (roasted, decaffeinated, or not) and coffee husks/skins, including blends with coffee in any proportion.

• Tea leaves and tea powder.

Import Permit Is Required if imported from all countries that are not members of the WTO or parties to the GATT 1947.

• Coffee Beans require import permission.
• Tea requires import permission, and a portion of the imported tea must be compensated by purchasing domestically produced tea from the warehouse organization. The ratio of the compensation is specified as 60% for leaf tea and 50% for powder tea, based on the amount of tea allowed to be imported.

Importing from a group of countries requires various certificates, as follows:

Imported goods that originate and are sent from WTO member countries or GATT 1947 parties require the following certificate:

• A certificate demonstrating eligibility to pay taxes under the Agricultural Agreement within the WTO.
• Imported products that originate and are directly shipped from Australia under the Thai-Australian Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA) requires obtaining the following certificates:
• A certificate of origin.
• A certificate demonstrating eligibility to pay taxes under the agreement.

Imported products that originate and are directly shipped from New Zealand under the Thai-New Zealand Closer Economic Partnership (TNZCEP) requires obtaining the following certificate:

• A certificate of origin