An FEI is not the same as an EIN, the IRS employer identification number written NN-NNNNNNN. Suppliers sometimes put the EIN on documents where the FEI is expected; the lookup explains an EIN-shaped number instead of searching it.
Independent public-data guide · not affiliated with FDA
What is an FEI number?
The FDA Establishment Identifier explained in plain terms: what it identifies, how many digits it has, what it is not, and where a device or drug facility's FEI can be checked in public FDA data.
Establishment registration only. This does not verify device clearance, approval, authorization, quality or import admissibility. Verify in FDA's official database.
Quick answer
An FEI is FDA's identifier for a facility, not a licence and not an approval.
The FDA Establishment Identifier (FEI) is a number FDA assigns to a physical facility — a plant, warehouse, laboratory or office — and uses across its programs to track that facility's registrations, inspections and imports. Older FEIs have 7 digits; most assigned since the 2000s have 10 digits and start with 30. One company can hold many FEIs, one per site. Having an FEI says nothing about whether a product is cleared, approved or even currently registered.
What an FEI is not
A DUNS number has 9 digits and belongs to Dun & Bradstreet. A device establishment's registration number is a separate FDA field, although for many establishments it carries the same digits as the FEI; the lookup shows both.
Food facility registration numbers have 11 digits and FDA does not publish them, so they cannot be looked up here or anywhere public. A drug or device FEI has 7 to 10 digits.
Where a FEI can be looked up — and where it cannot
- Medical-device establishments: FDA's public Registration & Listing data carries the FEI, the registration number, roles and the U.S. Agent. This lookup searches the latest openFDA snapshot by FEI, registration number or legal name.
- Drug establishments: FDA publishes its Drug Establishments Current Registration Site (DECRS) as a daily file with each establishment's FEI, address, operations and registration expiry. After a device-registry miss, this lookup checks a dated copy of that file and says so on the result.
- Everything else: food facilities, cosmetics and many other FDA records have no public FEI directory. If you are the firm, your FEI appears on FDA correspondence and in your registration account; a third party can only ask the firm or check the program-specific public data above.
Data timing: the device data is the latest available openFDA snapshot (monthly cadence); the drug file is dated on every result. Confirm time-sensitive decisions in FDA's official databases.
Who uses a FEI, and for what
To match the manufacturer named on shipping and entry documents to an FDA facility record before goods arrive, and to spot a supplier who quotes another company's number.
To keep a supplier file with the facility's FEI, registration status, roles and the snapshot date of the record, and to re-check it before a purchase or an audit.
To quote the right number on certificates, labels and correspondence, and to check what the public record says about their own site.
Questions
What is a FEI number?
The FDA Establishment Identifier is a unique number FDA assigns to a physical facility and uses across its programs to track that facility's registrations, inspections and imports. It identifies the site, not the company as a whole and not any product.
How many digits does a FEI number have?
Seven to ten. Older identifiers have 7 digits; most assigned since the 2000s have 10 digits and begin with 30. An 11-digit number is usually a food facility registration number, which FDA does not publish, and a number written NN-NNNNNNN is an IRS EIN, not a FEI.
How do I find a company's FEI number?
Ask the supplier for it, then check it against public FDA data: device establishments appear in FDA's Registration & Listing data (searchable here by FEI, registration number or legal name) and drug establishments in FDA's DECRS file, which this lookup checks after a device-registry miss. There is no general public directory for every FDA-regulated facility.
Does a FEI number mean the company is FDA approved?
No. A FEI only identifies a facility. Registration is a separate, renewable status, and device clearance or approval, drug approval and import admissibility are decided product by product. Verify each claim in the official FDA source.
Is the FEI the same as the device registration number?
Not always. They are separate fields in FDA's device data, and for many establishments they carry the same digits. The lookup shows both so you can compare them with the supplier's documents.