Dehydrated onion and garlic from India can be imported into New Zealand, and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) regulates it, covering both biosecurity and food safety, with New Zealand Customs Service handling entry. What usually stops a shipment is not the onion itself but biosecurity: untreated wooden pallets, a dirty container, a product that does not match its listing, or an importer who is not registered to import food.
This guide sets out the two MPI layers, the tests, documents, duty under the new India-New Zealand trade agreement, and the shipping route.
Layer one: biosecurity
MPI's import health standard for stored plant products for human consumption sets the plant health rules for dried and processed plant foods. To see what applies to dried onion or garlic from India, search the commodity in MPI's Plants Biosecurity Index, which links each product to its import health standard. Commercially dried, processed products often need no phytosanitary certificate, but confirm this for your exact product and form before shipping, because the answer depends on how it is described.
Biosecurity also covers packaging and the container. Wooden pallets must be treated and marked under ISPM 15, and containers must be clean inside and out. MPI can inspect, treat or reject goods on arrival, and the cost falls on the importer.
Layer two: food safety
Under the Food Act 2014, a business importing food for sale must be a registered food importer with MPI, or use one. Some foods are classed as high regulatory interest and need food safety clearance at the border. Dried chilli, pepper and paprika are on that list because of salmonella risk. Onion and garlic do not appear in MPI's published examples, but a new Food Notice for registered food importers takes effect on 1 February 2027, so at the time of writing check the current notice for your product.
Labelling follows the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and must be in English.
Lab tests that matter
- Pesticide residues: New Zealand sets its own MRLs by Food Notice, and imported food may in many cases meet Codex limits instead. Ask the lab which reference it is reporting against.
- Microbiology: salmonella, E. coli, total plate count and yeast and mould. See how salmonella is controlled.
- Ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol: most New Zealand buyers specify ETO-free product. See why 2-chloroethanol is tested.
- Irradiation: only permitted where the Food Standards Code allows it, and it must be labelled. Steam sterilisation is the usual route. See steam sterilisation and flavour.
Documents
Expect to provide a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin or the proof of origin the trade agreement requires, a packing declaration covering wood and container cleanliness, lot-matched lab reports, and a phytosanitary certificate only if MPI's standard requires one for your product. Your customs broker lodges the entry with Customs and MPI.
Duty and the India-New Zealand FTA
Duty is set by the commodity code in New Zealand Customs' Working Tariff Document. The India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement entered into force on 20 October 2026, according to New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. To claim preferential treatment the goods must meet the agreement's rules of origin and carry valid proof of origin. Because the agreement is so new, confirm the procedure and the exact form with your broker. We do not quote rates.
What New Zealand buys
The market is small but steady. Powder and granules go to spice packers, seasoning blenders, meat and pie makers and snack producers. Minced and chopped onion go into soups, sauces and food service. Because volumes are modest, many buyers take mixed containers of several forms of onion and garlic, as in mixing forms in one container.
Ports and route
There is generally no direct service from Gujarat. Cargo from Mundra, Pipavav or Nhava Sheva usually transships at Colombo, Singapore or Port Klang, then sails to Auckland or Tauranga, with Lyttelton and other ports for the South Island. Transit is often around five to seven weeks, but check the schedule at booking.
Cities
Most food importers are around the country's largest city, so read Auckland for its ports, inland rail link to Tauranga and humid storage conditions.
How we help
We audit Indian plants, have every lot tested at an NABL-accredited lab against New Zealand limits, check pallets and packing at loading, supervise the stuffing of the container and check the documents before they go to your broker, for one written fee agreed in advance. See dehydrated onion and dehydrated garlic, read sourcing from India for New Zealand importers, or book a free sourcing review.