We want to import and sell a herbal tea. I understand that one needs to register with the Thai Food and Drug Administration and would appreciate any advice from anyone who has been this route. My wife is not much help with these sort of things. She is easily distracted.

This is a mission to nowhere. Navigating the web sites is bad enough. But trying to contact the FDA and getting the information is even worse. You get given telephone numbers to contact another number and finally one that just does not work or never gets answered,

 

I eventually found http://newsser.fda.moph.go.th/IAHCP/en/index.php/organization/contact-us

 

We were referred to an online form and what sounds like a very complicated application process.

 

I have also been referred to a local law firms web site and advised that the tea may have already be registered for commodity coding and import taxes by the other importers. How would one check to see if the product has been registered? I did find it in TOPS sometime ago. But no more.

 

That might be telling me everything I need to know.

 

Similarly I understand that if your item has an FDA in USA then the process of obtaining TFDA is a lot easier. How does one check if a product is registered for export to the States? It is beginning to look as if a simple innocuous web site and micro-orders using the mail system is the way to go.

You needs to turn up in person at the FDA and ask someone face to face. Like many government departments, it's the only way.