FDA Prior Notice for Green Coffee: The US Import Walkthrough

Green coffee is one of the easier foods to import into the United States — no import licence, no quota, no tariff under normal conditions. But it is still an FDA-regulated food, and the paperwork has to be right or your container sits at port accruing charges. Here is the complete sequence, written for roasters importing their first container and for buyers who want to check their broker is doing it properly.

Who does what: the three-party split

• The exporter (us): FDA facility registration, accurate commercial documents, phytosanitary certificate, and timely data so your broker can file on schedule.
• Your customs broker: files the Importer Security Filing (ISF), Prior Notice, and CBP entry; almost every US coffee importer uses one.
• You (the importer): hold FSVP responsibility — verifying your foreign supplier — and arrange delivery from port.

Step 1 — FDA facility registration (exporter side)

Any foreign facility that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds food for US consumption must be registered with the FDA and must renew that registration every two years, in even-numbered years. The exporter also designates a US Agent. Before contracting, ask your supplier for their FDA facility registration number — a supplier who cannot produce one cannot legally ship food to the US. Ours is supplied with every US offer.

Step 2 — Importer Security Filing (ISF "10+2")

For ocean freight, US Customs and Border Protection requires the ISF to be lodged at least 24 hours before the container is loaded at the origin port — for Ethiopian coffee, that means before loading at Djibouti, not before US arrival. The filing needs ten data elements from the buyer side (seller, buyer, manufacturer, ship-to party, HTS code, container stuffing location, consolidator, and more) and two from the carrier. Late or missing ISF filings carry penalties of up to $5,000 per violation — the most expensive avoidable mistake in coffee importing. We supply our broker data pack the day the booking is confirmed.

Step 3 — FDA Prior Notice

Every food shipment entering the US requires a Prior Notice filed electronically with the FDA — for ocean cargo, no less than 8 hours before arrival at the US port (in practice your broker files it days earlier, usually together with the customs entry). It identifies the product (green coffee, HTS 0901.11), the manufacturer's FDA registration number, the shipper, the country of production, and the anticipated port and date of arrival. Without a confirmed Prior Notice number, the shipment can be refused entry or held.

Step 4 — FSVP: the importer duty most first-timers miss

Under the Food Safety Modernization Act, the US importer of record must operate a Foreign Supplier Verification Program — documented evidence that your foreign supplier produces food to US safety standards. For green coffee (a raw agricultural commodity that will be roasted), the practical FSVP file is light: a hazard analysis recognising that roasting is the kill step, supplier evaluation records, and evidence of the supplier's controls — our Q-grade certificates, moisture records, and lot documentation slot directly into it. FDA does audit FSVP files; "my broker handles it" is not a defence, because FSVP legally sits with the importer, not the broker.

Step 5 — Arrival: CBP entry, FDA review, exam risk

At the port, your broker files the CBP entry; FDA electronically screens the shipment and either releases it (the overwhelming majority of green coffee) or flags it for examination or sampling. Green coffee's main exam triggers are documentation mismatches — names or registration numbers that don't line up across the invoice, packing list, and Prior Notice. Consistent documents, prepared once and reused across filings, are the real secret to fast clearance.

What it costs and how long it takes

Ocean transit from Djibouti to US East Coast ports runs 25–35 days (see the Djibouti corridor guide); customs clearance for clean paperwork typically takes 1–3 working days. Budget for broker fees, ISF filing, customs bond, and drayage. There is no US duty on green coffee (HTS 0901.11 is duty-free), which surprises many first-time importers pleasantly.

The exporter-side documents we supply for every US shipment

• FDA facility registration number and US Agent details
• Commercial invoice and packing list with consistent party names
• Certificate of origin and ICO certificate of origin
• Phytosanitary certificate from Ethiopian plant health authority
• Bill of lading, weight note, and current-crop Q-grade certificate
• ISF data pack sent to your broker at booking confirmation

Importing into the US for the first time? Ask our export desk for the US import checklist with your samples — or read the full USA market guide.