Not every e-commerce parcel undergoes specialised inspection — but three goods groups are always in the border inspection authorities’ sights: cosmetics, food and electronic devices. Each group has a different mechanism: cosmetics are managed by a product notification dossier before circulation, electronics by conformity certification, and food by State food-safety inspection right at the import stage.
Cosmetics: the condition is a notification dossier, not per-lot testing
Cosmetics placed on the Vietnamese market must have a receipt number for the Cosmetic Product Notification Dossier under Decree 93/2016/ND-CP on cosmetics management — the organisation or individual placing cosmetics on the market is responsible for notification and for the product’s safety and quality. This mechanism is documentary pre-control: a product without a valid notification number may not be circulated, and when customs or market management discovers imported cosmetics without notification, the goods can be held for handling.
For retail purchases via e-commerce for personal consumption, management practice distinguishes goods imported for business — requiring notification and full labelling — from small personal parcels through express channels. But this boundary is no safe zone for organised cross-border sellers: systematically selling cosmetics into Vietnam via platforms and domestic warehouses is placing products on the market, and the notification duty belongs to the subject doing so. Individual buyers should also understand that unnotified cosmetics have no subject responsible for their quality in Vietnam when a skin incident occurs.
Electronic devices: conformity certification by managed lists
Electrical and electronic equipment in the goods lists subject to specialised quality management — typically devices with radio transmission and reception functions and electrical and electronic products on the conformity certification and declaration lists of the competent State authority — must complete conformity certification and bear the conformity mark before circulation; at import, customs reconciles goods against the lists and requires conformity documents for managed consignments.
The practical consequence for e-commerce: wifi and bluetooth transmitters, phones and broadcast devices bought from abroad are the group most often asked for documents, because conformity certification attaches to the device model and cannot be inferred automatically from the device being lawfully sold in another country. A single personal device for one’s own use is handled more flexibly in clearance practice, but resale or commercial quantities attract the full conformity duty.
Food: State food-safety inspection at the import stage
Food imported into Vietnam is subject to State food-safety inspection under Decree 15/2018/ND-CP in three modes — tightened, normal and reduced inspection — applied by the goods’ risk level and the importer’s compliance history; some groups such as health supplements must additionally register a product declaration dossier before circulation. Goods of animal or plant origin subject to quarantine must also pass animal or plant quarantine under veterinary and plant protection law before clearance.
On the current instrument framework, all three points must be stated correctly: Decree 46/2026/ND-CP on food safety has had its effect suspended by the Government’s Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP dated 6 April 2026; during the suspension, food safety procedures in practice still follow Decree 15/2018/ND-CP; and this suspension lasts until the amended Food Safety Law and its new guiding decree take effect. Any advice citing Decree 46/2026 as currently applicable to a food consignment lacks this mandatory caveat. Food bought online from abroad therefore still passes safety inspection and quarantine like ordinary imports when in managed scope.
How long until goods held for inspection are received?
There is no single number, because “held for inspection” comprises different layers: held for document inspection — conformity or notification papers — usually processed within clearance once documents are completed; held for sampling and quality or food-safety laboratory analysis — duration follows the laboratory’s analysis time; and held because goods are prohibited or import-ineligible — in which case the goods are not received at all but re-exported or destroyed by handling decision.
For retail buyers, the point to know is that inspection holding time does not automatically create a right to cancel and refund — that right comes from the platform’s policy and Consumer Protection Law No. 19/2023/QH13 where goods are not delivered as committed. For cross-border sellers, the way to minimise holds is to prepare specialised dossiers per goods group in advance — cosmetics notification, conformity certification, food safety files — and declare the goods’ nature correctly so the risk system does not push the consignment into deep inspection for declaration reasons.
Frequently asked questions
Must cosmetics bought from abroad undergo quality inspection?
Cosmetics placed on the Vietnamese market must have a receipt number for the Cosmetic Product Notification Dossier under Decree 93/2016/ND-CP — a documentary pre-control mechanism, not per-lot quality testing at the border. Cosmetics imported for business without valid notification can be held and handled when discovered. Small personal purchases via express are handled more flexibly in practice, but organised cross-border selling of cosmetics into Vietnam is placing products on the market and requires notification by the responsible subject.
Do electronic devices imported via e-commerce need conformity certification?
Yes, for devices on the managed lists. Electrical and electronic equipment on the lists of goods subject to conformity certification and declaration — typically devices with radio transmission and reception functions and electrical and electronic products in the competent State authority’s management lists — must complete conformity and bear the conformity mark before circulation in Vietnam; certification in the origin country does not automatically substitute Vietnamese conformity. A single personal device is handled more flexibly, but commercial import or resale must comply in full.
Is food bought online from abroad subject to quarantine?
Yes, in two layers. Imported food undergoes State food-safety inspection under Decree 15/2018/ND-CP in one of three modes — tightened, normal or reduced; food of animal or plant origin in quarantine scope additionally requires animal or plant quarantine. Note that Decree 46/2026/ND-CP on food safety is currently suspended by Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP and procedures in practice still follow Decree 15/2018/ND-CP until the amended Food Safety Law and new guiding decree take effect — buying online creates no exception to these inspections.
How long until I receive goods held for inspection?
It depends on the inspection layer. Held for document inspection: processed right within clearance once documents are completed. Held for sampling and quality or food-safety analysis: extended by the laboratory analysis time, usually considerably longer than document inspection. Held because goods are prohibited or ineligible: the goods are not delivered but re-exported or destroyed. The law fixes no single number of days for all cases; for buyers, cancellation and refund rights on late delivery belong to the platform’s policy and Consumer Protection Law No. 19/2023/QH13.
This article has been quality-reviewed by the FLAW AI Legal Council