FDA Food Facility Registration Renewal 2026: The October–December Window

Every food facility registered with the US FDA must renew its registration between 1 October and 31 December 2026. Registration renewal is biennial, falling in every even-numbered year. A facility that does not renew in this window has its registration treated as expired, and continuing to distribute or import food to the United States then becomes a prohibited act.

Instrument	Applies from	Who is bound	Action required
Biennial registration renewal, 21 CFR Part 1, Subpart H (under section 415 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act)	1 October 2026, 12:01 am to 31 December 2026, 11:59 pm (Eastern Time)	Every domestic and foreign facility that manufactures, processes, packs or holds food for human or animal consumption in the United States, unless exempt	Renew the registration through the FDA Food Facility Registration system; foreign facilities must also have their US Agent confirm the designation before renewal completes
Unique Facility Identifier (UFI)	Required on every renewal	All registering facilities	Supply a valid UFI — FDA recognises the DUNS number — that matches the facility name and address on file
US Agent confirmation (21 CFR 1.231)	Required before a foreign facility’s renewal is accepted	Foreign facilities only	Ensure the named US Agent responds to FDA’s verification request and confirms agreement to act

Who has to renew FDA food facility registration in 2026?

The duty falls on any facility that manufactures, processes, packs or holds food for consumption in the United States, whether the facility is located in the US or abroad, and whether the food is for people or for animals. “Food” here is broad: it includes dietary supplements, beverages, food additives, infant formula and animal feed, not only conventional groceries.

A limited set of establishments is exempt from registration altogether and therefore from renewal. These include farms, retail food establishments, restaurants, certain non-profit establishments that prepare or serve food directly to consumers, some fishing vessels, and facilities regulated exclusively by the US Department of Agriculture. A facility that does not fall within an exemption must renew, and it must do so even if none of its registration details have changed since the last cycle.

When is the 2026 renewal window?

Renewal opens at 12:01 am Eastern Time on 1 October 2026 and closes at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on 31 December 2026. The window is fixed by statute to the fourth quarter of every even-numbered year; there is no rolling deadline and no routine individual reminder to rely on. A registration that was first created earlier in 2026 still has to be renewed in this same window — initial registration and biennial renewal are separate obligations.

How is the renewal submitted?

Renewal is completed online through the FDA Food Facility Registration system, part of the FDA Unified Registration and Listing System (FURLS). The account holder logs in, selects the biennial registration renewal option, reviews each registration, updates any editable fields that have changed, and submits. Two elements cause more failed or delayed renewals than any other, and both are avoidable.

The first is the Unique Facility Identifier. Every renewal must carry a UFI that FDA recognises; FDA accepts the DUNS number issued by Dun and Bradstreet. FDA verifies that the UFI is valid and that the facility name and address attached to it match the registration before it will confirm the renewal. A DUNS number that is missing, inactive, or tied to a different address will stall the submission — and a new DUNS number can take time to obtain, which is time a facility may not have in late December.

The second applies to foreign facilities and is the single most common reason a renewal is left incomplete: the US Agent must confirm the designation. Under 21 CFR 1.231, FDA will not complete a foreign facility’s registration or renewal until the person named as US Agent confirms, in response to FDA’s verification email, that they have agreed to serve. If that email goes to an unattended inbox, a former agent, or a service that does not respond, the renewal does not complete — regardless of what the facility itself submitted.

What happens if a facility does not renew?

If a facility does not renew by 31 December 2026, FDA considers its registration expired and treats the facility as not registered under section 415 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Failure to renew is a prohibited act under section 301(dd), which exposes the responsible parties to enforcement including civil injunction in federal court and, in serious cases, criminal prosecution and debarment.

The practical effect is immediate at the border and in the market. Food offered for import from a foreign facility without a valid registration is subject to detention and possible refusal of entry. A domestic facility with an expired registration is operating outside the requirement that a registration be in place to introduce food into US commerce. Reinstating a lapsed registration is a re-registration exercise, not a quick fix, and any US Agent confirmation and UFI verification must be completed again before the facility is back in good standing.

Recommended actions

• Regulatory leads: confirm now, before 1 October, that you can access the correct FURLS account and that the log-in credentials for every registration are current and held by someone still with the business.
• Foreign facilities: verify that the named US Agent is correct, contactable, and expecting FDA’s confirmation request — and brief them to respond promptly, because the renewal will not complete without it.
• All facilities: check that the DUNS number on file is active and that the name and address it carries match the registration exactly; if a DUNS number is missing or wrong, start that correction immediately rather than in December.
• Multi-site businesses: build a single register of every registered facility, its registration number, its UFI and its US Agent, and renew early in October to leave room to resolve verification problems.
• Everyone: treat late October as the working deadline, not 31 December — the closer to the cut-off, the less time there is to fix a UFI mismatch or chase a US Agent confirmation.

CosmeReg registers and renews food facilities with the FDA and acts as US Agent for foreign food facilities, which means the confirmation step that stalls so many renewals is handled rather than left to chance. Our FDA food facility registration service covers new registrations, biennial renewals and the UFI checks, and our overview of FDA food regulations and registration sets out how these duties fit alongside other US requirements.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to renew even if nothing has changed?

Yes. Biennial renewal is required of every non-exempt facility in each even-numbered year, whether or not any registration details have changed. Renewal is a separate obligation from keeping your registration up to date. A facility that made no changes since the last cycle still has to actively renew between 1 October and 31 December 2026, or its registration will expire.

My facility only registered earlier in 2026 — do I still renew?

Yes. Initial registration and biennial renewal are distinct requirements. A facility first registered during 2026 must still renew in the 1 October to 31 December 2026 window. There is no exemption for facilities registered recently within the same even-numbered year, so build the renewal into your calendar regardless of when you first registered.

What is a Unique Facility Identifier and do I need one?

A Unique Facility Identifier (UFI) is a code FDA uses to verify a facility’s identity and address. FDA recognises the DUNS number, issued free by Dun and Bradstreet. Every registration renewal must include a valid UFI whose name and address match your registration. An inactive or mismatched DUNS number will delay your renewal, so confirm it well before October.

Why does my US Agent have to confirm the renewal?

Under 21 CFR 1.231, a foreign facility’s registration or renewal is not complete until the designated US Agent confirms to FDA that they agreed to serve. FDA sends a verification request to the agent, who must respond. If the agent does not confirm, the renewal fails even though the facility submitted it, which is why a responsive US Agent is essential in the renewal window.

What happens if I miss the 31 December 2026 deadline?

Your registration is treated as expired and your facility as not registered under section 415 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Failure to renew is a prohibited act, food imported from an unregistered foreign facility can be detained or refused, and reinstatement requires re-registration, including a fresh US Agent confirmation and UFI verification. Renew early to avoid a lapse.