DUNS Number FAQ for Foreign Food Exporters: Common Questions Before FDA Registration

The DUNS number is the single most frequently asked-about prerequisite for FDA food facility registration among foreign food manufacturers. Questions about the process, the cost, the timing, and what happens when things go wrong come up in almost every registration engagement. This FAQ addresses the questions that come up most consistently.

Is a DUNS number free to obtain?

Yes. Dun & Bradstreet issues DUNS numbers at no charge when applied for directly through their official application portal. There is no fee for the standard application. D&B does offer paid business credit and verification services alongside the free DUNS number, and their website includes options to purchase additional services — but the DUNS number itself is free. The standard processing time for a free application is five to ten business days. D&B also offers an accelerated processing option for a fee if the number is needed sooner.

Does a company with multiple facilities need a separate DUNS for each?

Yes. The DUNS number is assigned to a specific business entity at a specific physical location. A company that operates three food manufacturing facilities at three different addresses needs three separate DUNS numbers — one for each facility — if all three facilities will be independently registered with the FDA. A single DUNS number cannot be used to register multiple facilities. The FDA food facility registration is facility-specific: each physical manufacturing location that meets the registration requirement must be registered separately, with its own DUNS number, its own US Agent designation, and its own FEI number.

What happens if the DUNS information does not match the FDA registration?

If the business name or address in the D&B DUNS record does not match what is entered on the FDA registration form, the FDA's validation system will reject the submission or flag it for correction. The most common mismatch is a difference in how the business name is formatted — for example, the D&B record shows the full legal name including a country designation while the FDA form uses a shortened version, or vice versa. To prevent this, the DUNS record should be retrieved and the exact name and address text copied directly into the FDA registration form without modification.

Can the DUNS number expire?

The DUNS number itself does not expire. Once issued to a business entity, it remains assigned to that entity permanently. However, the D&B record associated with the DUNS number can become outdated if the business information changes and the record is not updated. A DUNS number with outdated information — old address, old legal name — is technically still valid as a number, but the associated information will not match an FDA registration that uses the current business details, causing a validation failure. Keeping the D&B record current is important for facilities that update their information over time.

Does the DUNS number appear on product labels or shipping documents?

No. The DUNS number is an administrative identifier used in the FDA registration system and in certain US government procurement and grant applications. It does not appear on food product labels, and it is not a document that accompanies individual shipments. What appears on shipping and customs documents is the Prior Notice confirmation number, the product's FDA registration reference, and the facility's FEI number — not the DUNS number. The DUNS is used once during the registration filing and is stored in the registration record; after that, the FEI number is the identifier used in day-to-day import operations.

How FDABridge handles DUNS for its clients

FDABridge manages DUNS acquisition and verification as part of our food facility registration service. We check existing records, correct mismatches, and time submissions to avoid validation errors. Visit fdabridge.com/food or fdabridge.com/apply/food to start the registration process.