FDA requires that imported dairy products be pasteurized in accordance with US standards or produced under an equivalency arrangement. Importers typically must provide certificates from the exporting country's competent authority attesting to pasteurization compliance, and the producing facility must be on FDA's approved list for dairy imports.

Fresh dairy products like fluid milk face stricter shelf-life and cold-chain constraints that make long-distance importation commercially limited, while processed forms such as UHT milk, aged cheese, or dried milk powder are more commonly traded internationally. The processing method also determines which HTS heading and TRQ category applies, affecting the applicable duty rate.