🇳🇿 New Zealand · FOOD ENTRY
Can I bring tea into New Zealand?
Check tea and herbs for original packaging and plant ingredients.
Personal travel baggage. Mail and commercial imports require separate checks.
Last checked · Official sources
Before you pack
- Unground tea, herbs and roots require commercial, original unopened packaging
Processed plant food without meat or egg: 2 kg per product
Seeds, citrus and protected plants need additional checks.
Check every condition against your package, then follow the declaration guidance.
Which products does this cover?
Plain tea leaves differ from blends with seeds, fruit peel or herbs.
You can find this guide using: tea · green tea · black tea · herbal tea.
Check your actual package
- Exact ingredients and manufacturing origin
- Processing, original packaging and storage label
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 tea into New Zealand?
Check tea and herbs for original packaging and plant ingredients. Unground tea, herbs and roots require commercial, original unopened packaging
Do I need to declare tea?
△ 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?
Seeds, citrus and protected plants need additional 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.