How to Export to Southeast Asia (ASEAN): A Market-by-Market Guide

What the seven markets have in common

Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Cambodia all require each cosmetic to be notified before it is imported or sold, and only a local company can file. A foreign brand works through its importer, distributor or a local subsidiary, usually authorising it with a letter of authorisation or appointment; that company holds the notification and is named on the label. The notification belongs to it, not to you: in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines a new distributor must notify the products again, so agree in the distribution contract who holds each notification.

All seven apply the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive annexes (prohibited and restricted substances, permitted colourants, preservatives and UV filters) through their own notices and deadlines, and claims to treat or prevent disease are not allowed. The annexes were last updated in June 2026, when clotrimazole and other antifungals were added to the prohibited list and limits were set for kojic acid. In most of these markets the local holder also keeps a four-part product information file (PIF) and must produce it on request, so agree that your manufacturer supplies the technical parts.

For other products, ask the importer which licences, permits and labels the goods need before you quote; the trade steps in this note (tariff code, origin, documents and customs) apply to any product. Label languages for cosmetics:

• Vietnam: a Vietnamese sub-label with the mandatory content, added before sale without covering the original label.
• Thailand: a Thai label showing the Thai FDA notification number.
• Indonesia: benefits, directions and warnings in Bahasa Indonesia, with the notification number and a 2D barcode; an added sticker is allowed.
• Malaysia: Bahasa Malaysia and/or English, with the notification holder's name and address.
• Philippines: English and/or Filipino; the brand and product name must match the notification exactly.
• Singapore: English, with the name and address in Singapore of the company responsible.
• Cambodia: the mandatory information in Khmer, plus the Ministry of Health notification number.

Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia

Vietnam: a Vietnamese company with cosmetics in its business scope notifies the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV), online through the National Public Service Portal, for VND 500,000 per product. A complete dossier gets its receipt number within 3 working days, valid for 5 years. You supply a letter of authorisation and usually a Certificate of Free Sale (CFS), both legalised unless an exemption applies; products made in a CPTPP country or already notified in another ASEAN country need no CFS. The Apostille Convention has applied to Vietnam since 11 September 2026 (not with Germany, Austria or Czechia), but the cosmetics rules still refer to consular legalisation, so confirm with DAV. At import, customs checks the notification number electronically.

Thailand: under the Cosmetics Act B.E. 2558 (2015), a company registered in Thailand, whose place of import has passed a Thai FDA inspection, files in the FDA e-Submission system with a Thai Digital ID. A compliant filing gets its receipt in about 3 working days, valid for 3 years. You supply a letter of authorisation and the manufacturer's formula with INCI names, percentages and functions; the FDA criteria do not list a CFS. For each shipment the importer files a License per Invoice (LPI) through the National Single Window and presents the goods at the Food and Drug Checkpoint.

Cambodia: Sub-Decree No. 122 of 2008 requires a Ministry of Health (MOH) notification number for every cosmetic traded, shown on the label. A Cambodian importer registered with the MOH files through CamPORS, the online system of the Department of Drugs and Food; fees, processing times and validity are not published online, so get them from your importer in writing. Cambodia is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so documents that must be legalised usually go through a Cambodian embassy or consulate. Prakas No. 0064 and a 2022 notice from the Ministry of Commerce's CCF require Khmer labelling, and the importer declares the goods in ASYCUDA.

Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore

Indonesia: an Indonesian importer with a business identification number (NIB) and BPOM's recommendation as a notification applicant files each product in BPOM's Notifkos system, for IDR 1,500,000 per item made outside ASEAN or IDR 500,000 per item made in ASEAN (PP 15/2026); a notification is valid for 3 years. You supply a letter of appointment with at least 6 months of validity left, a cooperation agreement, GMP evidence and, for products made outside ASEAN, a CFS. From 18 October 2026 cosmetics, imported ones included, must be halal certified or, if made from non-halal materials, carry a non-halal statement. Each shipment needs an SKI Border from BPOM, applied for in e-BPOM, which connects to Indonesia's National Single Window.

Malaysia: a company registered with SSM files as Cosmetic Notification Holder in NPRA's QUEST3+ system, for RM 50 per product or variant, valid for 2 years. Halal certification is voluntary, and NPRA issues no separate import permit; customs duty and sales tax are assessed at import on the HS code. The Philippines: a Philippine company holding an FDA License to Operate (LTO) for cosmetics files a Certificate of Product Notification (CPN) in the FDA ePortal, for PHP 500 per year of validity (1, 2 or 3 years), in about 23 working days. At import the importer needs its LTO, a valid CPN for each product and Bureau of Customs (BOC) accreditation.

Singapore: a company registered with ACRA notifies the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) in PRISM, for S$13 or S$28 per product; the acknowledgement is automatic, and the notification must be renewed every year. HSA issues no import licence for cosmetics: the importer's declaring agent obtains an import permit in TradeNet before the goods arrive, and cosmetics pay no customs duty but 9% GST on the CIF value. Singapore is a common hub for ASEAN distribution: goods imported solely for re-export fall outside HSA's cosmetic rules and can be stored in a free trade zone, but a Singapore notification covers Singapore only.

Tariffs: RCEP and other trade agreements

Duty is charged on the destination's national tariff code. The first 6 digits of the HS code are international, but each country adds its own digits and rates, so confirm the full code and rate in the importing country's tariff. Most cosmetics fall in HS Chapter 33, with skin care in 3304.99, while surfactant face washes usually go to 3401.30 (see Triplicate's note on HS codes for cosmetics). Singapore charges customs duty only on liquor, tobacco, motor vehicles and petroleum products.

RCEP covers the 10 ASEAN members plus Australia, China, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. It has applied to Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam since 1 January 2022, Malaysia since 18 March 2022, Indonesia since 2 January 2023 and the Philippines since 2 June 2023; ask the importing country's customs before claiming it on goods to or from Myanmar, and note that India is not a party. A good qualifies if it is wholly obtained, made only from originating materials, or meets the product-specific rule for its HS 2022 code, most often a change in tariff classification, such as a change of heading (CTH), or a regional value content of at least 40% (RVC40). Packing or labelling alone does not give origin, and originating materials from any RCEP party count as originating in the party where they are used.

RCEP runs alongside older agreements between the same countries, such as the ASEAN-China FTA (ACFTA), the ASEAN-Korea FTA (AKFTA), the ASEAN-Japan agreement and bilateral FTAs, each with its own rates, product rules and proof of origin; a Form RCEP supports only an RCEP claim. Compare the rate for the exact HS code under each agreement in force, and for the year of import, since many RCEP rates fall in stages, then choose the lowest one whose rule you can meet and document. China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam set different RCEP rates for some goods by partner, so the RCEP country of origin must be shown on the proof (see Triplicate's note on RCEP rules of origin).

Certificates of origin: Form RCEP, Form E and who issues them

A non-preferential certificate of origin (C/O) only states where the goods were made: it is needed when the importing country, the contract or a letter of credit asks for one, and gives no duty reduction. A preferential proof claims an agreement's rate and works only for that agreement. Under RCEP the importer claims with a Certificate of Origin (Form RCEP) from the exporting party's issuing body or a declaration of origin by an approved exporter; declarations by any exporter or producer currently work only among Australia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. In Korea, for example, customs and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry issue Form RCEP.

Form RCEP is valid for one year from issue and carries the HS code, the origin criterion, the RCEP country of origin and the invoice number and date. It can be issued retroactively, no later than one year after shipment, for involuntary errors, omissions or other valid causes, and no proof is needed if the customs value is no more than USD 200, or a higher amount set by the importing party. Under the ASEAN-China FTA the proof is Form E from the exporting party's issuing authority, with a 6-digit HS code, an origin criterion and boxes for third-party invoicing and retroactive issue.

Issuers differ within the region. In Vietnam the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has issued both preferential and non-preferential C/Os through its eCoSys portal since 5 May 2025, taking over from VCCI, and since 6 May 2025 Malaysia's MITI has issued non-preferential C/Os on request for shipments to the US. Copy descriptions, HS codes, quantities and the invoice number from the final invoice onto the C/O, and keep origin records for at least three years under RCEP (see Triplicate's note on certificates of origin).

Documents, single windows and pre-shipment checks

The core documents are the same in every market: a commercial invoice, a packing list and the bill of lading or air waybill, plus the proof of origin when the importer claims a preferential rate. Keep product names identical on the invoice, packing list, label and notification, because the importer's filings and the border checks are matched against them.

Before booking, check three more points. Indonesia's BPJPH Regulation 4/2026 adds a halal check before the import declaration, with inspection at the loading warehouse by an appointed surveyor; how it applies to cosmetics was still being settled in late September 2026, so confirm with your importer. The land crossings between Thailand and Cambodia closed during the 2025 border conflict and were still closed in mid-2026, so plan sea or air transport for Thai-made goods to Cambodia. And an RCEP preference survives transit through a non-party hub such as Hong Kong only if the goods stay under customs control there with no more than unloading, reloading, storing or operations to preserve them; in an RCEP party such as Singapore, the issuing body or an approved exporter can issue a back-to-back proof of origin. Rules change often, so confirm with the regulator, your local holder or a licensed customs broker before you ship.

At the border, the importer's per-shipment steps run through national systems:

• Vietnam: customs checks the DAV notification number electronically; the paper notification is no longer presented.
• Thailand: an LPI through the National Single Window, then inspection at the Food and Drug Checkpoint.
• Indonesia: an SKI Border in e-BPOM; some cosmetic HS codes also need a surveyor report before shipment (Trade Minister Regulation 23/2025).
• Malaysia: no NPRA permit; customs duty and sales tax are assessed on the HS code.
• Philippines: the importer's LTO, the CPN and BOC accreditation; cosmetics above personal-use quantities without FDA clearance are seized.
• Singapore: an import permit in TradeNet before arrival, with the importer's UEN and activated Customs account; keep trade documents for 5 years.
• Cambodia: a declaration in ASYCUDA by the importer or its customs broker.