ONCB Kratom Export Licensing & Compliance
Exporting raw kratom leaf from Thailand requires an ONCB export license, and then an ongoing per-shipment compliance obligation that many exporters underestimate. DeeMED manages both the license itself and the recurring notification burden that comes with every shipment.
Last reviewed: July 2026
The license: a one-time application, a recurring obligation
The ONCB export license runs 5,000 THB and is valid for 5 years, renewable at the same fee. A replacement for a lost or damaged license costs 1,000 THB. This fee structure is set under the Ministerial Regulation on the Application for Permits and Notifications for the Importation and Exportation of Kratom Leaves B.E. 2568 (2025), a bylaw of the Kratom Plant Act B.E. 2565, and the license itself takes roughly 30 business days to process. But holding the license is only half the compliance picture: every individual shipment also requires its own pre-shipment notification, filed through the ONCB's National Single Window system, at least 7 business days before the intended export date, stating quantity, lot numbers, port of exit, and vessel or flight details.
Why the recurring step catches exporters off guard
A trading company that secures its ONCB export license and treats the job as done runs into trouble at the first shipment: without a filed and accepted National Single Window notification tied to that specific lot, the shipment doesn't clear customs, regardless of how valid the underlying license is. Upon accepting a notification, the ONCB issues a notification receipt code within roughly three business days, which functions as the shipment's clearance reference and should be kept alongside the commercial invoice and packing list. This is a recurring administrative obligation, not a one-time filing, and it needs to be built into the operational rhythm of the business, not treated as an afterthought once the export license is in hand. Exporters scaling volume beyond what was declared in their original 12-month forecast should expect closer scrutiny at this stage, or amend the forecast proactively rather than let actual shipments drift far from what was filed.
The third document: a phytosanitary certificate
The ONCB license and the per-shipment notification aren't the whole picture. As an agricultural product, kratom leaf also needs a phytosanitary certificate from Thailand's Department of Agriculture, issued through the same National Single Window infrastructure and linked internationally to the IPPC's ePhyto hub. This certificate is a general agricultural export requirement that applies on top of, not instead of, the ONCB license and notification, and the specific documentation a destination country expects can vary. Exporters who line up the ONCB license and notification but never touch the phytosanitary layer are the ones who find a shipment held at the border over a document they didn't know they needed.
Raw leaf export is a separate track from finished-product sales
This ONCB licensing track governs raw, unprocessed kratom leaf. If your business, or a downstream partner, plans to have that leaf processed into capsules, tablets, or extract and sold as a finished food supplement, that's an entirely separate regulatory track under Thai FDA, with its own registration process. See our Thai FDA food supplement registration page for that track; ONCB clearance on raw material does not satisfy it.
DeeMED manages ONCB export licensing, the ongoing per-shipment National Single Window notification, and the phytosanitary certificate that has to line up alongside both for kratom exporters. Talk to us before your first shipment, or if a shipment has already stalled at customs over a missing notification or certificate.
