Korean seafood importers › Export guide
How to export seafood to South Korea
Korea imports frozen shrimp, squid, pollock, salmon, crab and much more every month. Your Korean buyer (the importer) files the paperwork, but several steps depend on you. Here is the order, with official sources.
The short version
- Find a Korean importer. The importer files the import declaration with MFDS (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety).
- Register your processing plant with MFDS at least 7 days before the import declaration. Registration is valid for 2 years.
- Health certificate: required only if your government has a sanitary arrangement with Korea (12 countries, including China, Vietnam, Russia, Norway, Ecuador, Chile and Peru).
- Korean label: product name, importer, manufacturer, dates, allergens and more. A Korean sticker is allowed.
- Inspection: the first shipment of a product gets a laboratory test (up to about 10 days). Later shipments are usually document or field checks.
- Duties: look up your 10-digit HSK code. Frozen shrimp is 20% without an FTA; FTAs can lower it with a certificate of origin.
1. Register your plant with MFDS (before anything ships)
Every overseas facility that manufactures or processes the food must be registered with MFDS at least 7 days before the import declaration. If it is not, the import declaration is rejected. Registration is valid for 2 years; renew at least 7 days before it expires. [1]
Either the Korean importer or the company that owns or runs the facility can register, online at the MFDS system "Imported Food Information Maru" (impfood.mfds.go.kr). [1][3] Processing usually takes about 3 working days. [4]
- Facility name, address, representative, phone and email
- Business type and food types produced
- Whether a food safety management system (such as HACCP) is applied
- Consent to an on-site inspection by MFDS
- Confirmation that the facility operator agreed to the registration
Countries with a sanitary arrangement (for example Norway) may also list plants through their own authority. Ask your competent authority and your Korean importer which route applies. [5]
2. Health certificate: only for some countries
A government health (sanitary) certificate for fishery products is required only from countries whose government has an arrangement with Korea. [6] As of October 2024 these were 12 countries: [7]
| Health certificate required | Countries |
|---|---|
| Yes (sanitary arrangement) | China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Ecuador, Chile, Norway, Philippines, Peru, Argentina, Spain |
| Electronic certificate (eCert) in use | Chile, Philippines, Norway, Peru [4][9] |
| Other countries | Not required by this rule. Confirm with your importer before shipping |
Send the original certificate with the shipment. For Norway a certificate is required with every shipment. [8]
3. Korean label
Products sold in Korea need a Korean-language label. A Korean sticker is fine if it is not easily removed and does not cover the original label. Whole frozen fish without a container or package is exempt. [4]
- Product name and food type
- Contents and ingredients
- Importer name and address
- Foreign manufacturer name
- Manufacture date and use-by or best-before date
- Allergens — crab, shrimp, squid, mackerel and shellfish are on the Korean list
- Return/exchange address and cautions
Country of origin is checked at customs clearance, and in distribution imported fish is labeled with the customs-clearance origin country under the Act on the Origin Labeling of Agricultural and Fishery Products. [4][10]
4. Import declaration and inspection
The Korean importer files the import declaration with MFDS (it can be filed in advance). MFDS chooses the inspection type based on risk. [1][6] The first time a product is imported it gets a laboratory inspection and is cleared only after it passes. [2] After that, arrival lab testing is usually waived for 5 years, except random sampling. [4]
| Inspection | Legal processing time |
|---|---|
| Document review | 2 days |
| Field (sensory) inspection | 3 days |
| Random sampling | 5 days |
| Laboratory (precise) inspection | 10 days |
Source: MFDS import declaration form (version of 30 Sept 2026). [6] Plan cold storage at the port for these days, especially for the first shipment.
5. Live and some chilled or frozen items: quarantine
Live fish, shellfish and crustaceans, eggs, and unprocessed frozen or chilled abalone, oyster and shrimp also go through aquatic animal quarantine by NFQS (National Fishery Products Quality Management Service). An original quarantine certificate from your government is required. Lab quarantine can take up to 15 days. [11]
6. Japan: special restrictions
Korea has banned all fishery products from 8 prefectures — Fukushima, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba — since September 2013, and the ban was still in place in June 2026. [12][13] Seafood from other prefectures is tested for radioactivity at import; if any is detected, additional certificates are required. [12]
7. Import duties and FTAs
Duty depends on the 10-digit HSK code. Look it up in the Korea Customs Service tariff portal (unipass.customs.go.kr/clip) or ask your importer. A valid certificate of origin is needed to use an FTA rate. [14]
| Example | What we found |
|---|---|
| Frozen shrimp (no FTA) | 20% [15] |
| Frozen shrimp from Vietnam | 15,000 t per year duty-free quota under the Korea–Vietnam FTA; 20% outside the quota [16] |
| Ecuador | Korea–Ecuador agreement signed in 2025 but not yet in force (as of Sept 2026); a 10,000 t duty-free shrimp quota starts when it takes effect [15][17] |
Rates for other species change by product form and FTA. Always check the current rate for your exact code.
8. Find the right Korean importer
Korean importers usually buy a narrow range of products. Danganote shows which Korean companies imported your product in the last months, from public import declaration data, and you can send us a price offer to share with importers who already buy it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to register my factory before exporting seafood to Korea?
Yes. The overseas facility must be registered with MFDS at least 7 days before the import declaration, or the declaration is rejected. Registration is valid for 2 years.
Who registers the foreign facility, the exporter or the importer?
Either. The Korean importer or the company that owns or runs the facility can register online at impfood.mfds.go.kr.
Does my seafood need a health certificate for Korea?
Only if your government has a sanitary arrangement with Korea for fishery products. As of October 2024: China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Russia, Ecuador, Chile, Norway, Philippines, Peru, Argentina and Spain.
How long does Korean import inspection take?
By law: document review 2 days, field inspection 3 days, random sampling 5 days and laboratory inspection 10 days. The first import of a product gets a laboratory inspection.
Can Japanese seafood be exported to Korea?
Not from Fukushima, Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma or Chiba (banned since 2013, still in force in 2026). From other prefectures it is tested for radioactivity at import.
This guide summarizes public sources for orientation only. It is not legal or customs advice, and rules change. Confirm with your Korean importer, MFDS or a Korean customs broker before shipping.
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Sources
- MFDS — Imported food: foreign food facility registration and import inspection
- MFDS — Import inspection (first import: laboratory inspection)
- MFDS Imported Food Information Maru (registration system)
- USDA FAS GAIN report KS2026-0007, Food and Agricultural Import Regulations and Standards – Korea (7 May 2026)
- Norwegian Seafood Council — New listing of producers for export to South Korea (2024)
- Korea Enforcement Rule of the Special Act on Imported Food Safety Control, Form No. 25 (import declaration, version of 30 Sept 2026)
- Money Today — Korea’s fishery sanitary arrangements with 12 countries (8 Oct 2024, Korean)
- MFDS — Health certificate for Norwegian fishery products (2020)
- MFDS — Electronic certificate for Peruvian fishery products (2025)
- NFQS — Origin labeling of fishery products
- NFQS — Aquatic animal quarantine
- Korea Biomedical Review — Korea keeps ban on seafood from 8 Japanese prefectures (24 Aug 2023)
- Adnkronos / Jiji — Japan promotes food safety in Seoul (18 Jun 2026)
- Korea Customs Service — Certificate of origin
- Primicias — Ecuador trade agreements roadmap (7 Sept 2026, Spanish)
- Vietnam Agriculture — Proposal to abolish quotas on Vietnamese shrimp to Korea (25 Jan 2025)
- Radio Puntual — Korea agreement needs more than ratification (24 Sept 2026, Spanish)