A practical, Indonesia-specific walkthrough for getting a free D-U-N-S (UFI), matching your address so FDA accepts it, and updating or completing a foreign food facility registration the same day.
If you export fresh or frozen vegetables from Indonesia to the U.S., 2025 won’t be about new rule changes. It’ll be about execution. FDA still expects your foreign food facility registration to include a valid Unique Facility Identifier. In practice that means a D‑U‑N‑S Number from Dun & Bradstreet. The catch? Most delays happen because the DUNS address doesn’t cleanly match what FDA expects. We’ve seen too many shipments get held over fixable data issues.
This guide gives you an action-first playbook we actually use for Indonesian vegetable packers, cold stores, and processors. If you just need the quick answer: yes, a DUNS is required. Yes, you can get it for free in Indonesia. And yes, you can update or complete your FDA registration the same day once the DUNS is live and your U.S. Agent confirms.
2025 in one minute: what’s changed and what hasn’t
- FDA requires a UFI for all food facility registrations. D‑U‑N‑S remains the accepted UFI.
- Renewals still occur every even-numbered year (Oct 1–Dec 31). 2025 isn’t a renewal window, but you must update any changes promptly.
- The FDA online systems (FURLS) continue to validate the DUNS. If the address doesn’t match, you’ll see “invalid without UFI” or similar errors.
- Farms are exempt from registration. Mixed-type facilities that pack or hold food must register.
Practical takeaway: If you plan shipments of fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, or frozen vegetables this year, check your DUNS alignment now. Don’t wait for the next booking.
Is a DUNS number mandatory for Indonesian vegetable facilities in 2025?
Short answer: yes. If your entity manufactures, processes, packs, or holds food for U.S. consumption, FDA registration requires a UFI and that is the DUNS number. We’ve not seen FDA accept alternatives for Indonesian facilities.
How to get a free DUNS number in Indonesia (fast)
We’ve done this dozens of times for vegetable packhouses and cold storages.
- Gather the right documents. What works well in Indonesia:
- NIB (Nomor Induk Berusaha) and latest business profile from OSS
- NPWP company tax card
- Deed of establishment and latest amendment (Akta + SK Kemenkumham)
- Proof of facility location: lease agreement or land/building certificate
- Recent utility bill to the site, or photos of the building with signage
- A Google Maps link and GPS coordinates
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Request the DUNS. Use Dun & Bradstreet’s D‑U‑N‑S request portal. If your entity exists in their system, request an update. If not, request a new number. We submit in English and keep the address format consistent with how it’s used on shipping docs. Dun & Bradstreet D‑U‑N‑S Request
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Expect timing of 5–15 business days. We see 2–3 weeks for new sites if documentation is clean. It can be faster if D&B can verify by phone and Google Maps. It’s free. If someone tries to sell you an urgent paid DUNS in Indonesia, pause and verify you’re dealing with D&B or an authorized local partner.
Two non-obvious tips:
- Create a site-specific DUNS for each physical location that registers with FDA. Don’t reuse a head-office DUNS for a remote packing house.
- If your legal name includes PT and a trading name, record both with D&B. FDA will look for a match with the legal entity that controls the facility.
Make the DUNS match what FDA wants
Most failures are simple formatting mismatches. Here’s how we align Indonesian details so FDA accepts the UFI:
- Use the legal entity name from NIB. Example: “PT FoodHub Collective Indonesia.” Include punctuation exactly.
- Use the physical site address for the facility registration. FDA does not accept P.O. Boxes or just a city name.
- Standardize your address layers. We map Indonesia’s fields to FDA like this:
- Street address: Street, building/complex, RT/RW (if needed), village/kelurahan
- City: Kecamatan or Kota/Kabupaten. We usually put the immediate district (Kecamatan) in “City” and Kota/Kabupaten in “County/Province” depending on form options.
- State/Province: The Province name, spelled in English, e.g., West Java
- Postal code: 5 digits
- Keep one language consistently. We submit address in English with proper Indonesian names. Avoid mixing Bahasa abbreviations and English in different systems.
- Match postal code. If DUNS says 40153 and FDA says 40154, FDA may reject the UFI.
If your DUNS address doesn’t match your Indonesian license or actual warehouse location, update D&B first. Then update FDA. Changing FDA to match a wrong DUNS record is the long way around.
Add your DUNS (UFI) to a new or existing FDA registration
Whether you’re registering for the first time or fixing an “invalid without UFI” error, the steps are similar.
New registration in FURLS:
- Create or log in to your FDA Industry Systems account (FURLS/FFRM). FDA Industry Systems
- Start a food facility registration and enter your facility’s legal name and physical address. Use the DUNS address format.
- Enter your DUNS in the UFI field. If the system flags a mismatch, stop and verify the DUNS record.
- Enter your U.S. Agent. The agent must confirm by email.
- Submit. Watch for the PIN email to the U.S. Agent and any validation notices from FDA.
Updating an existing registration mid‑year 2025:
- Log in to FURLS and select “Update Facility Registration.”
- Add the DUNS in the UFI field and review all address lines.
- If you also change your U.S. Agent, a fresh confirmation is required. Without that confirmation, the registration will stay “incomplete.”
- Submit and download the confirmation once status shows “Active.”
Will my U.S. Agent need to confirm after I add the DUNS?
If you didn’t change the agent, usually no. If you changed U.S. Agent information or email, FDA will send a confirmation request. In our experience, 3 out of 5 delays happen because the agent didn’t see the email. Sit with them on a call and confirm live.
Can I submit my FDA registration without a DUNS and add it later?
Technically, the system may let you save or submit. Practically, FDA treats it as invalid until a UFI is provided. That means you shouldn’t rely on it for shipments. Add the DUNS upfront or as soon as it’s issued.
Do farms need a DUNS or FDA registration?
Regular farms are exempt from FDA facility registration. But many Indonesian exporters operate mixed-type facilities that wash, grade, pack, or cold-hold vegetables. Those facilities do need FDA registration and a DUNS. For example, a packhouse for Japanese Cucumber (Kyuri) or a cold store holding Tomatoes for export must register.
DUNS vs FCE/SID for canned or pickled vegetables
Different things. The DUNS is the UFI for your FDA facility registration. FCE and SID apply to low-acid canned foods (LACF) and acidified foods. If you process shelf-stable pickled chilies or canned corn, you may need FCE/SID. If you export fresh or frozen items like Red Cayenne Pepper (Fresh Red Cayenne Chili), Premium Frozen Sweet Corn, or Frozen Paprika (Bell Peppers) - Red, Yellow, Green & Mixed without canning, you won’t need FCE/SID, but you still need FDA registration with DUNS if you pack or hold the product.
Troubleshooting the errors we see most
- “Invalid without UFI” or “UFI not recognized.” Check that your DUNS is site-specific and active, and that the address and postal code exactly match.
- “Facility cannot be located” when validating. Update the DUNS with clearer mapping and a Google Maps link. Then re‑validate in FURLS after D&B confirms.
- DUNS shows head office, not warehouse. Ask D&B to add a new site location. Don’t try to force FDA to accept the HQ address for a remote cold store.
- Changed company name. Update D&B first using your Akta amendment and OSS records. Then update FDA.
- Want to change U.S. Agent after adding DUNS. Update in FURLS and ensure the new agent confirms promptly.
A quick real-world example
A West Java packhouse preparing Baby Romaine (Baby Romaine Lettuce) and Beetroot (Fresh Export Grade) had a DUNS for the Jakarta head office. FDA rejected the UFI. We helped them create a site DUNS for the packhouse, aligned the address to “Kecamatan” in the City field and spelled the Province in English, and fixed a one-digit postal code issue. The new DUNS validated the same day. Their U.S. Agent confirmed within 30 minutes, and the registration showed Active.
How long does DUNS take and is it really free?
Our experience shows 5–15 business days for Indonesia. It’s free through D&B’s standard request channel. Plan for 2–3 weeks if D&B needs extra verification.
What this means for your next shipment
- If you’re packing fresh Loloroso (Red Lettuce), holding Onion in cold storage, or exporting Purple Eggplant, make sure the facility’s DUNS is site-specific and matches your FDA record.
- For frozen lines like Premium Frozen Edamame, Frozen Mixed Vegetables, or Premium Frozen Okra, the same rules apply to your processing or holding site.
Need a second set of eyes on your DUNS and FDA alignment? We’re happy to review screenshots and spot the mismatch that’s blocking validation. If timing is tight on a live order, Contact us on whatsapp and we’ll walk through the fields with you.
Quick takeaways you can act on today
- Use a site DUNS for each facility. Don’t reuse HQ.
- Match legal name and postal code exactly across DUNS and FDA.
- Update D&B first when anything changes. Then update FDA.
- Don’t rely on a registration without UFI. FDA treats it as invalid.
- Confirm your U.S. Agent sees and clicks the confirmation email the same day.
If you’re aligning your registrations and also planning your 2025 sourcing, you can View our products to see what’s seasonal and export-ready. We keep our facilities registered, cold-chain tight, and data consistent so your U.S. entries stay smooth.