How long will it take to process?
According to the FDA, requests for cosmetic export certificates may take up to several weeks to process. Below is a list of potential factors that the Administration has put together for applicants to bare in mind in terms of process delays:
- For paper applications sent via mail, it takes time for them to be delivered to our review staff who then must manually record your request into the Certificate Application Process (CAP) system. For this reason, we recommend that you apply online.
- There may be a delay if your product appears not to be a cosmetic. FDA can only issue cosmetic export certificates for products whose intended use is solely cosmetic. If it is determined that a product is not a cosmetic, your request will be returned to you and you will have to submit a new request to the proper office.
- FDA’s regulatory workload when we receive your request may affect response time. FDA is not required to issue export certificates for cosmetics. Public health activities are our top priority and take precedence over processing certificates.
