An apparatus for the continuous preparation and packing of freeze-dried material, having a horizontally movable web and successively disposed forming, freezing, freeze-drying, heat-sealing, punching and transport devices. The freeze-drying devices consist of two successively disposed freezers having separate refrigerant circuits, and a primary drying tunnel and a secondary drying tunnel having separate evacuating and heating systems and hermetically closable air locks located ahead of the primary drying tunnel, between the primary and secondary drying tunnels, and at the end of the secondary drying tunnel the air locks comprise compressible and expandable walls, retractable tables and upwardly and downwardly opening slide valves for sealing the primary drying tunnel hermetically from the secondary drying tunnel. An advancing mechanism is coupled to the air locks and movable in the horizontal direction for advancing the movable web in conjunction with the expansion and compression of the air lock walls.