Who issues a Certificate of Free Sale in the U.S.?

A Certificate of Free Sale certifies that a product is freely sold on the U.S. market. Many countries request it to import food, cosmetics, supplements, medical devices or other products. The key question is: who issues it? The answer depends on the type of product.Certificate of Free Sale (certificado de libre venta) acredita que un producto se vende libremente en el mercado estadounidense. Muchos países lo piden para importar alimentos, cosméticos, suplementos, dispositivos médicos u otros productos. La pregunta clave es: ¿quién lo emite? La respuesta depende del tipo de producto.

There is no single authority

In the United States there is no single office that issues all Certificates of Free Sale. Depending on the product, it may be issued by a federal agency, a state agency or even the manufacturer itself through a statement that is then notarized.

Who typically issues it, by product

• Food, supplements, cosmetics and medical devices: often the FDA.
• Some products: a state agency (for example, a state Department of Agriculture).
• Other cases: a notarized manufacturer statement, when the country accepts it.

What about apostille or legalization?

Once issued, the certificate almost always must be authenticated for the destination country: an apostille if that country is in the Hague Convention, or consular legalization if it is not. A federal document and a state document may follow different authentication routes.

Because the issuer and the authentication route depend on the product and the country, it is best to confirm both before starting. We can help you identify them.