"Retail of Chinese herbal medicines" means the selling of any Chinese herbal medicines to a person who obtains the same other than for the purpose of wholesale; and "dispense of Chinese herbal medicines" means the preparation and supply of Chinese herbal medicines on or in accordance with a prescription given by a registered or listed Chinese medicine practitioner.
Applicants who retail or dispense the Chinese herbal medicines must first obtain a retailer licence in Chinese herbal medicines.
Application forms and the Handbook of the Application for Chinese Medicines Trader Licences can be obtained from the Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office of the Department of Health or downloaded from this website.
Applicants are required to submit in person or by registered post the duly completed Application Form for Retailer licence in Chinese Herbal Medicines (Form 1A) with the Documentation Checklist - Application for Retailer licence in Chinese Herbal Medicines (Checklist 2A) accompanied by the required documents listed therein. The required documents include:
Copy of Business Registration Certificate
For limited company,
Copy of Certificate of Incorporation; and
Copy of Directors' List, such as Form NAR1 of the Companies Registry or a full set of Form NNC1 (in case of a newly established limited company) ; OR
For sole proprietorship, copy of Form 1(a) of Business Registration Office; OR
For partnership, copy of Form 1(c) of Business Registration Office
Name list of sole proprietor/partners/director(s) and key personnel (including full names in both Chinese and English, Hong Kong Identity Card numbers / Passport numbers and posts. In the case of a director being a corporation, please state the name and Company Number of the corporation)
Brief floor plan of business premises
* [According to section 114 of the Chinese Medicine Ordinance, an application for a retailer licence in Chinese herbal medicines shall include the nominations of a person who will be responsible for the supervision of the dispensing of Chinese herbal medicines and not more than 2 deputies. Each responsible persons nominated must comply with the minimum requirements regarding knowledge and experience as set out in section 1 of Schedule 1 of the Chinese Medicines Regulation.
According to section 32 of the Chinese Medicines Regulation, if the application states that no Chinese herbal medicine is to be dispensed in the premises to which the application relates, there will be no need to nominate any person who will be responsible for the supervision of the dispensing of Chinese herbal medicines. It is not required to submit information listed in no.5. ]
The Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office of the Department of Health will issue a letter of acknowledgement within 30 days upon receipt of an application form. The letter of acknowledgement will contain an application number. Any applicant who does not receive a letter of acknowledgement after the said 30 days shall contact the Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office of the Department of Health.
After receiving an application, the Department of Health will send officers to inspect the applicant's business premises and prepare a report for assessment by the Chinese Medicines Board. If the application is approved by the Board, the applicant will be required to pay the prescribed fee. Upon the receipt of the relevant fee, the Department of Health will send the licence to the applicant by post. If an application is refused, the applicant will be notified in writing thereof, and he may initiate a review or appeal against that decision. The duration of the licence will be shown on the licence, and shall be not more than two years.
For the required fees, please refer to Fees. Chinese Medicine Regulatory Office will issue a General Demand Note to the applicant. The applicant could make payment according to the payment methods stated in the General Demand Note.