FDA food facility registration renewal: October 1 to December 31, 2026

When is the 2026 renewal period?

Food facilities renew their FDA registration every other year, from October 1 to December 31 of each even-numbered year (21 CFR 1.230(b)). For 2026, FDA accepts renewals from 12:01 a.m. on October 1 to 11:59 p.m. on December 31.

A renewal is not the same as an update. During the renewal period, the FDA system does not show the Update option for a registration until you renew it.

Who must renew?

Every facility that must register must also renew. That is a domestic or foreign facility that manufactures, processes, packs or holds food for consumption in the United States (21 CFR 1.225). The owner, operator or agent in charge is responsible for it.

Food has a wide meaning here. It includes beverages, bottled water, dietary supplements, food ingredients and additives, and animal feed and pet food (21 CFR 1.227).

These facilities do not register, so they do not renew (21 CFR 1.226):

• Farms
• Retail food establishments and restaurants
• Nonprofit food establishments that prepare food for consumers or serve it to them directly
• Fishing vessels that do not process fish beyond what holding on board needs
• Facilities that only USDA regulates, for meat, poultry or egg products
• A foreign facility whose food another foreign facility processes or packs further before export. Labeling or a similar small step does not count.

An importer registers only a facility that it owns or operates, where food is made, packed or held. The warehouse that holds your food registers its own facility.

What happens if we do not renew?

FDA considers the registration expired (21 CFR 1.241(b)), and FDA cancels it (21 CFR 1.241(c)). FDA's renewal guide says that an expired registration is removed from your account.

FDA then treats the facility as a facility that failed to register. Failure to register or to renew is a prohibited act under section 301(dd) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 CFR 1.241(a)).

For imports, the risk shows at the port. Food from a foreign facility that is not registered is subject to hold (21 CFR 1.285). It stays at the port or in a secure facility. To release it, the facility must register and give FDA a valid registration number.

The prior notice for imported food also names the manufacturer, usually with its registration number (21 CFR 1.281). A facility that missed the renewal must register again.

Why does FDA ask for a DUNS number?

Since October 1, 2020, each registration must include a unique facility identifier that FDA recognizes (21 CFR 1.232(a)(2)). FDA recognizes the DUNS number, which Dun & Bradstreet assigns and manages.

When you add or change the DUNS number, FDA checks it. FDA also compares the address on the DUNS record with the facility address in the registration. FDA does not confirm the registration until the two match (21 CFR 1.231(a)(3)).

Check the DUNS record before you renew. An old address, a different street spelling or a missing unit number can delay the confirmation. Dun & Bradstreet corrects the record, not FDA.

What does a foreign facility need from its U.S. agent?

A foreign facility must name a U.S. agent in its registration (21 CFR 1.232(c)). The agent is a person who lives or keeps a place of business in the United States. A mailbox, an answering machine or an answering service cannot be the agent (21 CFR 1.227).

The U.S. agent is the link between FDA and the facility for routine and emergency communications. FDA treats information given to the agent as information given to the facility.

When you name a new U.S. agent or change the agent's details, FDA contacts that person. FDA does not confirm the registration or the renewal until the agent confirms that they agreed to serve (21 CFR 1.231(a)(5)). Tell your agent to watch for the FDA email.

FDA does not set the agent's fee. FDA says that the fee is a matter between the facility and the person who agrees to serve as its agent.

Does FDA charge a fee or issue a certificate?

FDA charges no fee to register or to renew (21 CFR 1.231(c)). You do not have to use a third party. FDA says that private registration businesses are not affiliated with FDA and do not act for it.

FDA does not issue a certificate of registration. FDA also does not recognize a certificate that a private business issues. Your proof is the FDA registration number and the FDA confirmation.

How do I renew?

1. Log in to the FDA Industry Systems account that holds the registration. Keep the registration number and the PIN private.
2. Choose the biennial registration renewal. The system lists the registrations that are due.
3. Review each section. Correct what changed, for example the U.S. agent, the emergency contact or the food product categories.
4. If nothing changed since the last submission, use the abbreviated renewal (21 CFR 1.230(c)).
5. Submit the renewal. If another person submits it for you, FDA asks you to confirm that you authorized it.
6. Keep the FDA confirmation with your records.

A change between renewals needs an update within 60 calendar days (21 CFR 1.234). A new owner is different: the former owner cancels the registration, and the new owner registers the facility.

What does Allied do, and what does it cost?

Allied files FDA food facility registrations and 2026 renewals for $145 each. There is no FDA fee. We check that the facility must register and compare the DUNS record with the facility address.

Then we file in the FDA system as the person you authorize. You get a confirmation summary with the registration number and the date that FDA confirmed it. See our FDA registration page for the details.