🇳🇿 New Zealand · FOOD ENTRY
Can I bring kimchi into New Zealand?
Check identifiable processed-vegetable conditions and seafood additions.
Personal travel baggage. Mail and commercial imports require separate checks.
Last checked · Official sources
Before you pack
- Processed so plants cannot be grown from it; free of contamination
Processed plant food without meat or egg: 2 kg per product
MPI lists kimchi among processed plant foods. Seafood additions need their own checks.
Check every condition against your package, then follow the declaration guidance.
Which products does this cover?
Distinguish refrigerated kimchi, shelf-stable products and recipes containing seafood.
You can find this guide using: kimchi.
Check your actual package
- Refrigeration label
- Shrimp paste and fish sauce
- Homemade versus commercially packaged kimchi
New Zealand food declaration
Declare all food, including small snacks, in your NZTD and present it for biosecurity checks on arrival.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) ↗Common questions
Can I bring kimchi into New Zealand?
Check identifiable processed-vegetable conditions and seafood additions. Processed so plants cannot be grown from it; free of contamination
Do I need to declare kimchi?
△ Declare. Declare all food, including small snacks, in your NZTD and present it for biosecurity checks on arrival.
Does putting it in checked baggage change food-entry rules?
Food-entry checks still apply to baggage entering the country. Follow the conditions above; airline and airport-security baggage rules are a separate check.
What distinction matters for this food?
MPI lists kimchi among processed plant foods. Seafood additions need their own checks.
Official rule & review date
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)
Check official rules ↗MPI — What food you can bring to NZLast checked: 2026.10.03
Entry rules can depend on ingredients, origin, processing and current biosecurity conditions. The destination authority makes the final decision.