What our fees cover
The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) calculates fees on a cost-recovery basis.
Activities and services we charge for include:
- import permits
- border clearance inspections
- food safety clearance for foods of high or increased regulatory interest
- inspection and sampling of imported food, associated with obtaining a food safety clearance.
Note, not all the fees on this page may apply to you and there could be other charges not listed here – like transport, storage, treatment or laboratory costs.
Import permit
Some processed foods need a permit before they can be imported into New Zealand. The import health standards (IHS) will tell you if a permit is needed, and which one to use for your food type.
Check the IHS for your processed food
| From 1 July 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fee type | Fee (excl GST) | Fee (incl GST) |
| • Permit to import animal products • Permit to import plant material for processing and consumption • Permit to process plant products and stockfeed |
$233.25 | $268.24 |
| * If processing your application takes longer than one-and-a-half hours, additional time will be charged at an hourly rate of $155.50 excluding GST or $178.83 including GST. | ||
Food importer levy
The food importer levy is payable by all registered food importers for each registration that they hold.
From 1 July 2024, the levy is payable on registration as food importer, and then annually after that.
The amount of the levy will depend on the volume of food imported each year:
| Amount of food imported | Levy (excl GST) | Levy (incl GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Up to and including 118,500 kilograms per year | $67.50 | $77.63 |
| More 118,501 kilograms or more per year | $67.50 for importing 118,500 kilograms, plus $0.00057 for each additional kilogram imported | $77.63 for importing 118,500 kilograms, plus 0.0006555 for each additional kilogram imported |
Border clearance charges
MPI may charge you for costs related to inspecting your processed foods when they arrive in New Zealand.
The fee is $155.50 ($178.83 including GST) per hour for biosecurity inspectors.
You may also be charged extra fees if MPI's inspector has to:
- travel to inspect your goods
- wait before inspection can start
- work outside of normal hours.
