Importing Seafood from Vietnam into the EU: Certificates and Lists

A frozen seafood container from Vietnam clears the EU when four things line up: the packing plant is on the EU list of approved establishments, an official health certificate travels with it, the importer pre-notifies the border control post through a CHED-P in the EU's TRACES system, and wild-caught lines carry an IUU catch certificate. Farmed pangasius and vannamei are exempt from that last one.

What does an EU border control post check on Vietnamese seafood?

Every consignment of fishery products enters through a border control post. Regulation (EU) 2017/625 sets the pattern: the importer gives prior notice of arrival in a common health entry document (CHED-P for products of animal origin, filed in TRACES), and officials then run a documentary check on every consignment, plus identity and physical checks based on risk. The same CHED records the result and is what the importer uses to clear customs.

The practical point for a buyer is timing. The CHED is filed before the vessel arrives, so the health certificate, invoice and packing list need to match before the container leaves Vietnam. A mismatch in net weight or species name shows up at the documentary check, and the container waits.

What has to be in place before the first order?

Three conditions sit upstream of any single shipment. The European Commission's guidance on fishery imports sums them up: the product must come from an approved third country and an approved establishment, and aquaculture products must come from a country with an approved residue control plan.

For a Vietnamese supplier, that means asking for the plant's EU approval number and checking it on the EU list before you sign. TBESFOOD's number is published on our quality page. If a supplier trades product from several plants, name the packing plant in the contract, because the certificate will name it too.

Does farmed pangasius or shrimp need an IUU catch certificate?

No. Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 requires a catch certificate for fishery products imported into the EU, but its Annex I excludes "aquaculture products obtained from fry or larvae". Farmed pangasius and farmed vannamei fall under that exclusion.

Wild-caught products are different. Squid, cuttlefish, octopus and wild fish need a catch certificate validated for the vessel that caught them. Buyers who mix farmed and wild lines in one reefer should plan the paperwork line by line: no catch certificate for the pangasius and shrimp, a validated one for each wild product.

Which documents travel with the container?

• Health certificate issued by Vietnam's competent authority, in the EU model for fishery products.
• Certificate of origin (form EUR.1) for the EVFTA preferential rate.
• Commercial invoice and packing list, with species, net weight and lot numbers matching the certificate.
• Bill of lading.
• IUU catch certificate for wild-caught lines only.
• Laboratory reports on request, for example microbiology or residues agreed in the contract.

What must the label tell an EU consumer?

Retail packs follow Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013. Article 35 asks for the commercial designation and scientific name, the production method such as "farmed", the catch or farming area, whether the product has been defrosted and, where relevant, the date of minimum durability. For farmed fish, Article 38 says the label names the country where the product reached more than half its final weight. For pangasius and vannamei raised in Vietnam, that country is Vietnam.

Agree the label text, including the commercial name in each target language, before bags and cartons go to print. Changing artwork after production costs a reprint.

Buyer checklist before you confirm the order

• Packing plant's EU approval number checked on the EU list.
• Species, net weight and lot numbers identical on the health certificate, invoice and packing list.
• CHED filed in time with your border control post.
• Catch certificate arranged for every wild-caught line, none needed for farmed pangasius or shrimp.
• Certificate of origin (form EUR.1) requested for the EVFTA rate.
• Retail label text approved: commercial and scientific name, "farmed", country of production, defrosted status.
• Glaze and net weight written the same way on the label and the documents. Our guide to cooked vannamei specifications covers how to state them.

TBESFOOD packs white, well-trimmed pangasius fillets from ASC-certified farms, raw and cooked vannamei and squid for European importers from an EU-approved plant. Our EU and UK market page lists what European buyers order from us.

FAQ

Does pangasius from Vietnam need a catch certificate for the EU?

No. Farmed pangasius is an aquaculture product obtained from fry, which Annex I of Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 excludes from the catch certificate requirement.

Who files the CHED?

The operator responsible for the consignment, usually the importer or its customs agent, gives prior notice to the border control post through the CHED before the goods arrive.

What country of origin goes on a pangasius label in the EU?

For farmed fish, the label names the country where the fish reached more than half its final weight. For pangasius farmed in Vietnam, that is Vietnam.

Can TBESFOOD pack under my own label?

Yes. Send the label text, languages, pack sizes and destination port, and we will reply with a spec sheet and the document list for that shipment.

Sources

• EUR-Lex: Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 on IUU fishing, Article 12 and Annex I
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on official controls, recitals 57 and 60
• EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) No 1379/2013 on the common organisation of the markets in fishery and aquaculture products, Articles 35 and 38
• European Commission: Guidance document for veterinary controls on consignments of fishery products from third countries (SANCO/10949/2010)