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 a food importer, and then annually after that.
The levy amount payable 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 than 118,501 kilograms 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.
