Once a Chinese supplier and their quote check out, there is one set of questions many NZ and AU buyers leave until after payment: can these goods actually enter your country cleanly, and will the paperwork the supplier produces satisfy customs? Import and documentation problems discovered after goods arrive are among the most expensive to fix. This guide covers what to confirm on the compliance and documentation side before funds move.
Import requirements for NZ and AU
Check whether your product requires any compliance documentation for import into NZ or AU. Common requirements include:
- Country of origin labelling
- Product safety and electrical compliance (for appliances and electronics)
- Biosecurity declarations (for wood, leather, or agricultural products)
- MPI requirements for goods from China into NZ
- ACCC requirements for goods into AU
Problems with import requirements discovered after goods arrive in NZ or AU are expensive — quarantine, treatment, re-labelling, or destruction of goods are all possible outcomes.
Before paying, it is worth confirming three further points with a customs broker or directly with the regulator:
- Tariff classification and duty treatment. Ask your broker to classify the product before you commit. Duty and GST are calculated from the classification and declared value, and both NZ and AU have free trade agreements with China that can reduce duty — but only if the supplier can produce the right certificate of origin.
- Electrical and safety marks. For AU, electrical products generally need to meet the recognised compliance mark requirements before sale; confirm the supplier can supply genuine test reports, not just a logo on the datasheet.
- Restricted or high-risk materials. Wood, bamboo, untreated timber packaging, leather, food-contact materials and children’s products all attract extra scrutiny. If your product or its packaging contains any of these, confirm the treatment or certification requirements before production starts — not at the wharf.
Freight and customs documentation
Before goods ship, confirm that the commercial invoice, packing list, and bill of lading are accurate and consistent. The commercial invoice value must reflect the actual transaction value — undervaluation to reduce duties is illegal in both NZ and AU.
The full document set to agree with the supplier before payment:
- Commercial invoice — correct buyer and seller names (matching the verified company, not a third party), accurate description, quantity and value.
- Packing list — consistent with the invoice and the physical shipment; discrepancies trigger inspections.
- Bill of lading or air waybill — confirm who is named as consignee and who controls release of the goods.
- Certificate of origin — required if you intend to claim preferential duty under the China FTA with NZ or AU; agree before payment that the supplier will provide it, because it is difficult to obtain retrospectively.
- Treatment or fumigation certificates — wooden packaging must meet ISPM 15; untreated pallets are a common cause of biosecurity holds.
Also agree the incoterm in writing before paying. Whether the price is FOB or CIF changes who books freight, who insures the goods in transit, and where the supplier’s responsibility ends — a mismatch here is a common source of disputes.
Checks covered in detail elsewhere
This guide deliberately covers only the import and documentation side. The other pre-payment checks each have a dedicated guide:
- Verifying the supplier itself — Chinese supplier verification checklist
- Final payment and payee checks — supplier checks before payment
- Evaluating product samples — how to evaluate product samples
- Spare parts and after-sales planning — spare parts planning in China sourcing
Summary checklist
- Product’s import requirements for NZ or AU confirmed, including labelling, safety and biosecurity
- Tariff classification and duty/GST treatment confirmed with a customs broker
- Certificate of origin for FTA preferential duty agreed with the supplier in writing
- Commercial invoice, packing list and bill of lading requirements agreed before shipping
- Wooden packaging treatment (ISPM 15) confirmed
- Incoterm agreed in writing, with freight and insurance responsibility clear
If you want these confirmed independently before you pay, Contact ANZSBS — we run China-side checks for NZ and AU buyers before funds move.