MARA Registration Requirements for Imported Feed and Feed Additives What Foreign Manufacturers Should Know

Regulatory Update | September 2026

For foreign manufacturers eyeing China's feed, feed-additive, or pet-food market, regulatory preparation needs to begin well before the first shipment.

A September 2026 regulatory guide from Cisema outlines the requirements for Imported Feed and Feed Additive Registration under China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) covering product eligibility, technical documentation, local representation, testing, and how MARA registration relates to customs requirements.

China requires foreign manufacturers of covered products to secure registration before entering the market. MARA's own materials confirm that imported feed and feed additives must meet safety, efficacy, quality, and environmental standards backed by supporting documentation and product samples.

For companies considering China market entry, understanding this pathway early is essential.

What Products Are Covered?

Not every feed-related product follows the same registration route. The framework covers:

• Single feeds

• Additive premixes

• Concentrate feeds

• Compound feeds

• Supplementary feeds

• Feed additives

• Pet compound feeds

• Pet additive premixes

Some products may fall outside the registration requirement depending on classification and the applicable Chinese catalogues. For single feeds specifically, manufacturers should check whether the ingredient appears in China's Feed Ingredients Catalogue, and review the Feed Additive Varieties Catalogue to confirm permitted use.

Bottom line: product classification and formulation assessment should be your first step not an afterthought.

MARA Registration ≠ Customs Clearance

One of the most important distinctions for foreign manufacturers: MARA registration and GACC requirements are separate processes.

Authority Focus

MARA |Product regulatory compliance and registration |

GACC (General Administration of Customs) | Import facility and customs requirements |

Getting a MARA registration certificate doesn't mean you've cleared every requirement for shipment into China. Both processes need to be planned together, not treated as sequential or unrelated tasks.

Choosing the Right Registration Pathway

Standard Imported-Feed Registration

For products fitting within China's existing framework requiring administrative documentation, technical information, product samples, and verification testing. MARA's requirements cover composition, manufacturing process, quality standards, inspection procedures, intended use, labelling, packaging, and shelf life.

New Feed / New Feed Additive Evaluation

A more extensive pathway applies when a product involves:

• An ingredient or additive new to the Chinese market

• Expansion of an existing additive's approved scope of use

• Significant changes to manufacturing processes

These cases can require additional safety, efficacy, stability, residue, and environmental data.

Why this matters: getting the pathway assessment wrong at the start can mean extra documentation, testing, and delays later. Determine the correct pathway before building your dossier.

You'll Need China-Based Representation

Foreign manufacturers cannot submit registration filings directly from overseas. You'll need a China-based representative either an established China branch or an authorised domestic registration agency.

A local representative typically supports:

• Dossier preparation and submission

• Chinese-language documentation

• Sample handling and testing coordination

• Communication with Chinese authorities

• Registration maintenance and renewal

Choosing the right representative is a strategic decision, not just an administrative one.

What Goes Into the Registration Dossier?

Exact requirements vary by product and pathway, but MARA's framework generally expects:

Administrative documentation:

• Registration application

• Authorization for the appointed representative/agent

• Evidence of approval for production/sale in the country of origin

• Registration or approval information from other markets

Product and manufacturing information:

• Product name, category, composition, and ingredients

• Manufacturing source and process

• Physical/chemical characteristics

• Intended use and target species

• Recommended dosage

• Quality standards and analytical/inspection methods

Labelling and supporting data:

• Product labels and usage information

• Safety, stability, feeding-trial, or efficacy data where required

Key principle: consistency. Product names, manufacturer details, composition data, technical reports, and labels must align across the entire submission.

Samples and Verification Testing

Product samples are a core part of the registration process. After the initial application review, verification testing may be carried out through designated laboratories.

Practical takeaway: don't leave lab preparation until the last minute and make sure submitted samples accurately reflect what's described in your technical documentation.

Registration Isn't the Finish Line

Once registered, your product remains subject to ongoing regulatory oversight. Changes to key characteristics manufacturing site, quality standard, process, or scope of application may trigger additional regulatory action or a new registration. Other changes, like company or trade name updates, may follow a separate change-registration process.

Set up a system to monitor product and manufacturing changes after registration, not just before.

Pet Food Needs Careful Classification

Pet compound feeds and pet additive premixes can fall under MARA registration — but standard treats and snacks may be classified differently depending on formulation and claims.

Don't assume every "pet food" product follows the same regulatory pathway. Assess formulation, category, ingredients, intended use, and claims before determining requirements.

Why Early Regulatory Assessment Matters

China's system doesn't simply translate an existing foreign registration into a local one it requires independent assessment against Chinese catalogues, permitted uses, quality standards, and testing expectations.

Approval elsewhere does not guarantee approval in China.

Before building a dossier, answer these questions:

1. Is the product eligible?

2. Is the formulation compliant with China's catalogues?

3. Which registration pathway applies?

4. What technical evidence is required?

5. Who will act as your China-based representative?

6. What GACC requirements must be addressed alongside registration?

ARQon Regulatory Insight

China's feed market illustrates a broader principle in international market access: regulatory approval is only one piece of the puzzle.

Success requires understanding product classification, aligning formulation with Chinese requirements, preparing the right technical evidence, establishing local representation, and coordinating registration with import/customs requirements all at once, not sequentially.

Our take: regulatory strategy should start with product assessment, not the application form. A well-planned entry strategy identifies barriers early, confirms the right pathway, and aligns regulatory, quality, and commercial teams before the product ever reaches the border.

What Foreign Manufacturers Should Do Now

1. Assess the product: confirm regulatory category and verify ingredients against Chinese catalogues.

2. Confirm the pathway: standard registration vs. new-feed/new-additive evaluation.

3. Review your technical dossier: identify gaps in composition, manufacturing, quality, testing, and labelling data.

4. Establish local representation: select a China-based representative early.

5. Plan MARA and GACC together: build one unified market-entry strategy, not two separate projects.

Key Takeaway

Approval in another market doesn't guarantee approval in China. Covered feed, feed-additive, and pet-food products may require MARA registration, alongside separate GACC requirements for commercial importation.

The most effective approach: assess the product, confirm applicable requirements, prepare the technical dossier, and coordinate local representation and import requirements from day one.

Market access starts with regulatory readiness.

How ARQon Can Support You

• Regulatory intelligence and monitoring

• China market-entry strategy

• Product regulatory pathway assessment

• Regulatory gap analysis

• Registration and technical-documentation planning

• Local regulatory representation strategy

• Cross-border market access

• Regulatory and commercialisation planning

  
  

Stay Ahead. Stay Compliant. Stay Informed.

With ARQon Regulatory Intelligence.