Thai Coffee Beans to the USA: FDA Registration, Prior Notice, Duty, and How Roasters Order Samples and Pallets

Does coffee from Thailand pay US import duty in 2026?

There is no duty for coffee from Thailand. Green coffee is HTS 0901.11.00 and roasted is 0901.21.00, both at General rate Free. The Section 301 tariff on products of Thailand, 12.5 percent since 24 July 2026, does not apply to either line.

The legal basis for the tariffs on Thailand changed in 2025 and again in 2026. Only the first two rows of the table apply to coffee today.

Sources: USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule, Revision 21 (2026); Executive Order 14360, 90 FR 54091; CBP CSMS #67834313; Proclamation 11012, 91 FR 9339.

The exclusion is in U.S. note 52(b) to HTS Chapter 99. Duties in headings 9903.05.20 to 9903.05.84, including Thailand heading 9903.05.77, do not apply to a list that includes 0901.11.00, 0901.12.00, 0901.21.00, 0901.22.00. The USTR notice records the policy.

Comments supported the exemption of coffee, mineral tars, certain copper products, iron oxides, coke, aluminum oxide, and coconut products.

Source: USTR Section 301 notice, 91 FR 47318, 28 July 2026, Federal Register.

The November 2025 exemption is history. It took coffee out of the IEEPA reciprocal tariff. On 20 February 2026 the Supreme Court held IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose tariffs.

Specifically, I have determined that certain agricultural products shall not be subject to the reciprocal tariff imposed under Executive 14257, as amended.

Source: Executive Order 14360, 90 FR 54091, 25 November 2025, govinfo.gov.

The Federal Register shows no USTR notice changing the Thailand rate between 28 July and 26 October 2026. That is a title search, not a guarantee. A courier parcel needs a customs entry at any value.

Guide: the suspended US de minimis exemption

Which Thai coffee businesses must register with the FDA?

The FDA requires registration for all facilities in Thailand that make, process, pack or hold food for US consumption. This includes Thai coffee roasters, packers and exporters. Coffee farms are exempt. Registration is free, needs a US agent and must be renewed every even year between 1 October and 31 December.

You must register your facility under this subpart if you are the owner, operator, or agent in charge of either a domestic or foreign facility, as defined in this subpart, and your facility is engaged in the manufacturing/processing, packing, or holding of food for consumption in the United States

Source: 21 CFR 1.225(a), eCFR, as of 21 October 2026.

For FDA registration a Thai facility gives the name, address, phone number and email of its US agent. The US agent must have a physical location in USA. They can not be a mailbox, answering machine or answering service.

Yes, 2026 is a renewal year.

FDA will consider the registration to be expired for any facility that fails to renew by December 31, 2026.

Source: FDA constituent update, 29 September 2026, fda.gov.

The FDA pages read do not mention coffee. Whether a wet mill, dry mill or cooperative is a farm or a registrable facility is a question for FDA. Food from a foreign facility that should be registered but is not is subject to being held at the port, 21 CFR 1.285.

Do coffee samples need FDA Prior Notice?

Yes. Prior Notice covers every food shipment, including gifts, trade samples and courier parcels, at any value. FDA must receive and confirm it before the coffee arrives, at least 4 hours before by air. A 5 kg sample box is covered like a pallet.

including food for gifts and trade and quality assurance/quality control samples

Source: 21 CFR 1.277(a), eCFR, as of 21 October 2026.

FDA guidance gives no exemption for small value or quantity, none for test-marketing samples. A narrow policy covers quality assurance, research or analysis samples, only when the entire sample is used up or destroyed. A sample kept, sold or sent to test the market is not covered.

Earliest filing: 30 calendar days before arrival through CBP's ABI/ACE system, 15 calendar days through the FDA's own web system. Source: 21 CFR 1.279, eCFR.

The prior notice can be submitted by anyone with the correct information. You can have another person send it for you. The booking indicates who is sending it. The prior notice includes the product code, common name and quantity, the grower's name and growing location for food in its natural state, or the manufacturer's name and registration number for food no longer in its natural state, then country of production, shipper, importer and arrival details.

For a courier package the express carrier's tracking number can replace the expected port, date and time of arrival. A courier is not international mail for FDA, so the postal rules do not apply. FDA examples of food no longer in its natural state are cooking, grinding and packaging, not roasting. The filer picks the data set.

If your Prior Notice is not submitted and confirmed the food is subject to refusal of admission.

If an article of food arrives at the port of arrival and no prior notice has been submitted and confirmed by FDA for review, the food is subject to refusal of admission under section 801(m)(1) of the act (21 U.S.C. 381(m)(1)).

Source: 21 CFR 1.283(a)(1)(i), eCFR. Coffee as a snack or gift is in the guide to shipping food and snacks from Thailand.

Guide: shipping food and snacks from Thailand

Who is the importer, and what is FSVP?

The importer is the US owner or consignee of the coffee. FDA's Foreign Supplier Verification Program, FSVP, applies to importers of all food, with listed exceptions. The importer's name, email and facility identifier go to CBP when the entry is filed.

Importer means the U.S. owner or consignee of an article of food that is being offered for import into the United States. If there is no U.S. owner or consignee of an article of food at the time of U.S. entry, the importer is the U.S. agent or representative of the foreign owner or consignee at the time of entry

Source: 21 CFR 1.500, eCFR.

The importer is normally the US owner, like a roaster that buys a pallet. With no US owner, the Thai seller appoints a US agent or representative as its importer. This is required for all food including coffee.

A small evaluation lot may fit the research exemption: not for retail sale, labeled Food for research or evaluation use, a small quantity for research or quality assurance, and an electronic declaration at entry. The exemption is only from the FSVP subpart. Prior Notice is still needed.

Does green coffee need a USDA permit?

There is no USDA permit required for green unroasted coffee. A copy of the "Letter of No Permit Required" is optional. Inspection will occur at the port. Hawaii and Puerto Rico have their own limits.

No permit is required for this commodity. Letter of No Permit Required is optional and may facilitate clearance of the commodity through the port of entry.

Source: APHIS ACIR, Coffee (Seed) Green, Unroasted from All Countries into All Ports except Hawaii and Puerto Rico, page dated 6/16/2025 in its header, read 26 October 2026.

The APHIS page lists no USDA PPQ 587 permit for green coffee. For Hawaii and Puerto Rico 7 CFR 319.73-2 prohibits unroasted coffee, other than a sample.

How much Thai coffee reaches the USA, and which kind?

Very little coffee from Thailand goes to the USA, and almost all of it is green arabica. Thai Customs counted 16,174,608 baht of coffee exports, HS 0901, to the USA in 2025. That is 2.0% of the 811,652,487 baht total. Green arabica was 98.6% of the US figure.

Source: Thai Customs Department export statistics by country, customs.go.th. Shares are calculated from the total.

Green arabica to the USA was 60,477 kg in 2025, about 1,008 bags of 60 kg, at 263.6 baht per kg FOB. January to August 2026: 49,137 kg. Roasted coffee to the USA was 237 kg in 2025, across three product lines.

Vietnam is by far the largest importer of Thai green robusta coffee. In 2025, 99.9% of Thai green robusta exports went to Vietnam, 1,853,656 of 1,854,887 kg. None was recorded to the USA. UN Comtrade shows US-reported imports of coffee from Thailand in 2025 of 94,918 kg and $712,821. The two counts use different methods and are not averaged.

Thailand grew 16,020 tonnes of coffee in 2025, per the Office of Agricultural Economics. 10,764 tonnes were arabica and 5,256 robusta. It imported 37,221 tonnes of coffee beans.

Two Thai names are protected geographical indications in the EU register, by regulations of 9 July 2015: Kafae Doi Tung, Kafae Doi Chaang. The Office of Agricultural Economics records the Chiang Mai arabica indication as registered in 2015. The US sources read do not make a geographical indication an entry requirement.

What do duty and fees cost on a 5 kg sample box and a pallet?

Duty is 0.00 dollars on all three rows. The CBP fee changes with the entry type: informal up to 2,500 dollars, formal above. Quantities and prices are assumptions. Freight, bond premium and broker fees are not included.

Sources: CBP fee schedule effective 1 October 2026, 91 FR 48398; 19 CFR 24.23, 24.24, 142.4 and 143.21, eCFR. Goods value excludes international freight and insurance.

The informal entry fee and the carrier fee are two separate charges, they are not added together. The informal entry fee does not apply if your shipment qualifies for the express consignment rule. No bond premium is shown as no source provides it. The $8/kg is based on the US-reported average CIF price of $7.86/kg for Thai green coffee in 2025 including shipping and insurance costs.

What moisture limit should a green coffee order state?

The purchase contract states the moisture band and the test method. The International Coffee Organization export standard is green coffee with not under 8 percent and not over 12.5 percent moisture, by ISO 6673.

for both Arabica and Robusta, not to have a moisture content below 8% or in excess of 12.5%, measured using the ISO 6673 method

Source: ICO document ED 1939/05, "OTA risk management: Guidelines for green coffee buying", International Coffee Organization, 18 January 2005. The same document suggests contract terms against condensation in containers: lined walls, a water-adsorbent sheet on top of the bags or a drying agent in the headspace.

How Dragon Courier ships coffee from Thailand to the USA

We send only by air, we handle customs clearance door to door. For the USA we run our own service to the destination, clear customs ourselves and hand the parcel to UPS on the Standard tier or UniUni on the E-commerce tier. It takes around 5 to 8 days door to door.

Coffee is food. Our published answer on food is that it depends on the market, please inquire. Before packing, three points need an answer from our team: whether coffee is accepted for the USA and on which tier, who files FDA Prior Notice, and whether the Importer of Record service covers FDA food, including the FSVP importer role.

For the USA we have one price for all customers, with no bulk discount. Insurance covers loss only. E-commerce tier cannot be insured. The general USA list of 21 October 2026, duty and tax inclusive and not a coffee quote, gives: Standard tier 2,729 THB at 5 kg, 4,731 at 10 kg. Maximum weight depends on the country, so a 60 kg bag or a pallet is a question for our team.

We will pick up on the date and time you specify. We can provide any invoice you require.

More: customs declaration and commercial invoice, prohibited and restricted items, USA destination page, DDP shipping

About Dragon Courier

Dragon Courier is a family owned and managed Bangkok courier with more than 30 years in logistics in Thailand. We send more than 20,000 shipments a month to over 200 destinations.

Contacts and drop-off

For pricing, message Justin with the items and weight on LINE or WhatsApp +66 6-5937-0812. The office is +66 2656 9019 and the email is info@dragoncourier.com.

You can drop off until 5pm Monday to Saturday at our Bangkok office, which is located at 217/3 Crystal Garden Building, 3rd floor, Sukhumvit Soi 4, Klongtoey 10110. For a pickup, give us the date and time.

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