Bhutan - Apply for Food Handler License

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Procedure

• A candidate shall check with their respective state, province or municipality on the latest updates and regulations on getting a food handler certificate.
• The applicant may be asked to provide the blood sample along with the X-ray at the respective office for processing or the applicant may be asked to submit the blood report and X-ray as per the respective department norms.

Apply In-Person:

1. In order to obtain a food handler certificate, the candidate shall apply with the respective office of the “Bafra Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA)” (Food Quality And Safety Division (FQSD)).
2. Contact Link AND Link1
3. The candidate shall use the contact numbers from the given page as appropriate to find the respective office to apply for this certificate.
4. The candidate shall visit the respective office and meet the concerned authority. Don’t forget to take the required copy of documents along with originals to the office.
5. The applicant shall follow the guidelines of the department authority to apply for this certificate.
6. Please collect the application form from the concerned authority or write on a plain A4 sheet as advised.
7. Please use the following link to download the application form link
8. Please complete the application form with mandatory details. Attach the documents as per the “Required Documents” section of this page and submit it to the designated receiving authority.
9. The applicants are advised to pay the required fees as per the authority’s advice.
10. The authority will check the submitted application form and the attachments. If all are in place, the application will be considered for further processing. The applicants are advised to follow the guidelines of the authority.
11. The department may send updates and notification on the process through “SMS” or through a phone call as applicable. Please follow the notification on regular basis.
12. The applicant should attend an interview followed by training on food safety and signing an undertaking.
13. If required the applicant may have to take a written test and go through a screening process (to check for any communicable infection or disease or skin rashes and also to check the country the applicant visited last where a disease of concern is prevalent). interview, training on food safety, and signing an undertaking
14. Once the above steps are completed, the department will assess the outcome of the above said activities and the application to decide on the approval of the application as per norms.
15. On approval, the department will grant a food handler’s certificate/licence/permit in the prescribed form within 7 to 14 working days or as per the timeline provided by the authorities. In certain cases, the process can be completed within 2 days or immediately as per the need.
16. The candidate will get notification/intimation about the sanction of certificate. The department issues the certificate by hand or by post as per the delivery norms.

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Required Documents

• Application form link
• Format for medical certificate Link
• Valid citizen proof (respective ID’s issued by respective nation)
• Applicant’s proof of identity (identity card / passport / driving licence)
• A photocopy of the original certificate denoting completion of food handler’s course
• Copy of fitness and medical certificate from a medical practitioner
• Copy of blood test report
• X-ray as per requirement
• Passport size photograph (taken not more than three months from the applying date - 6 copies)
• Copy of passport
• A self-addressed envelope with or without stamps (as per requirement)
• Copy of the police record of the applicant as per requirement

Note: Apart from the above documents, the authorities may ask for additional information or documents. Please provide them for processing.

Office Locations & Contacts

Bafra Agriculture and Food Regulatory Authority (BAFRA),
Post Box: 1071,
Thimphu, Bhutan.
Phone: +975-02-327031/325790
Fax: +975-02-327032/335540
Contact Link

Eligibility

• All food handlers are eligible to apply.
  
• Any individual whose main duty involves preparing food, like a chef or cook or server, packing and labelling of food packets and bartenders are eligible to apply.
  
• The establishment owners of a food handling business are also eligible to apply.
  
• Those who are 18 years (or as per the age limit set by the department) and above are eligible to apply.
  

Fees

• The applicant shall pay the fee as per the authority’s advice.

Validity

• The certificate shall be valid for 2-3 years or as per the date mentioned on the certificate. The certificate needs to be renewed on regular basis as per the respective department norms.

Documents to Use

• Please use the following link to download the application form link

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing Time

• Once the application is accepted, the certificate can be obtained within 7 to 14 working days or as per the timeline provided by the authorities.
• In certain cases, the process can be completed within 2 days or immediately as per the need.

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications.
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type='website'>video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the '&' inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver,
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url 'http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M' Video ID is 'Y0US7oR_t3M'.

Instructions

• A valid certificate holder is advised to undergo health examination by a registered medical practitioner once in every six months or as per the timeline fixed by the respective department.
• If the results of a medical examination indicates that the handler is suffering from a disease likely to contaminate food, the employer shall prohibit that person from being employed as a food handler.
• If the food handler is found by a medical practitioner to be suffering from a communicable disease, the department will suspend or revoke a food handler certificate.
• A valid certificate holder who prepares street food shall grant access to the premises in which the street food is prepared for the purposes of inspection.
• If the information given by the food handler in relation to his or her application has been found to be false in any material particular, the department will suspend or revoke a food handler certificate.
• If there are grounds to believe that the food handler poses a risk to food safety, the department will suspend or revoke a food handler certificate.
• A food handler certificate should be displayed at a prominent place and need to be presented when requested during the course of his/her duty.
• Please fill the candidate’s details as per the ID proof submitted.
• Don’t forget to take all the originals of the document along with a copy for applying.
• Incomplete application will be rejected.
• Avoid spelling mistakes while filling the application form.

Required Information

• Name of the applicant
• Valid citizen proof number (respective ID’s issued by respective nation)
• Passport number
• Address of the applicant
• Postal code
• Email ID
• Mobile number
• Date of the application
• Signature of the applicant

Need for the Document

• A food handler certificate is required to legally operate any business that handles or processes or serves food.
• Having a food handler certified staff in required numbers as per the respective area norms is mandatory to operate the business without any worry of fine, legal action and for a happy customer base.

Information which might help

• A food handler certificate is also often referred to as a food handlers licence, food handlers card, or food handlers permit.

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

• Please use the following link for additional information Link AND Link1

Others

More information which might help people.