New Zealand – United Arab Emirates Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement
New Zealand and the UAE signed the NZ-UAE Free Trade Agreement (FTA), known as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on January 14, 2025. The CEPA enters into force on 28 August 2025.
The UAE’s dynamic and high-value market offers significant opportunities for export growth and diversification for New Zealand companies.
New Zealand producers will have the best-available access to the UAE market, with 98.5% of New Zealand goods exports able to access the market duty-free, rising to 99 percent in three years.
Goods and tariffs
Before the UAE CEPA, most New Zealand goods entering the UAE were subject to a tariff, which is a tax paid at the border in order to get goods into the market.
From the first day the FTA enters into force, most New Zealand goods entering the UAE will have these tariffs eliminated entirely.
You can check the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's Tariff Finder to work out the pre-FTA and FTA tariff rates for different goods.
Claiming preference under the UAE CEPA
Under the CEPA, a claim that goods are eligible for preferential tariff treatment is based on a certificate of origin issued by a competent body or a self-declaration from an approved exporter.
For goods from the UAE, the competent body is the Ministry of Economy. For New Zealand the competent bodies are an approved certifying body.
Self-declaration from an approved exporter is not available yet. This page will be updated when it is possible to apply to be an approved exporter.
The following information provides further guidance for understanding the rules of origin.
- Rules of Origin information (PDF, 241 KB)
Rules of Origin provisions
Rules of Origin (ROO) establish the level of processing that New Zealand exporters must do to be eligible for New Zealand tariff preferences under an FTA. This protects the integrity of goods by ensuring that tariff preferences given to a FTA member country will not be used by another country outside the FTA.
The rules determine origin based on a product being wholly obtained or meeting a proportional requirement, either on the basis of value added, a specified change in tariff classification requirement or a specified process.
There are also provisions for ‘cumulation’ of materials and processes, and certain ‘tolerances’ regarding the level of non-originating materials that may be used in a New Zealand-originating product.
You need to check if your goods meet the Rules of Origin in order to claim the tariff advantage. These are detailed in the links below.
Certification Bodies
Auckland Business Chamber
PO Box 47, Auckland 1140
09 309 610
documents@chamber.co.nz
aucklandchamber.co.nz
Trade Window Origin Limited
10 Bisley Road, Enderley, Hamilton 3214
0800 119 624 | 09 836 4200
originsupport@tradewindow.io
tradewindow.io/origin
Otago Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 5713, Dunedin 9058
03 479 0181
office@otagochamber.co.nz
www.otagochamber.co.nz
Canterbury Employers' Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 359, Christchurch 8140
03 366 5096
certs@cecc.org.nz
cecc.org.nz
New Zealand Chambers of Commerce Inc.
PO Box 47, Auckland 1140
Contact: Michael Barnett
09 302 9916
mbarnett@chamber.co.nz
aucklandchamber.co.nz
Wellington Chamber of Commerce
PO Box 1590, Wellington 6140
04 473 7224
certs@wecc.org.nz
www.wecc.org.nz
Further information
Visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade CEPA hub, which has a range of more detailed documents about the agreement.
You can also sign up to myNZTE, a free online portal for New Zealand exporters.