India and New Zealand sign a customs pact to exchange origin data electronically under their free trade agreement

21 October 2026

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs of India and the New Zealand Customs Service signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on 19 October 2026 for the electronic exchange of origin data on trade in goods. Shri Vivek Chaturvedi, Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, and Christine Stevenson, Comptroller and Chief Executive of the New Zealand Customs Service, signed the document. The arrangement provides for origin data to be exchanged in advance between the two customs administrations. The Memorandum was signed under the India-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, which entered into force on 20 October 2026. The stated purpose is to deepen customs cooperation, support trade facilitation, reduce information gaps and help eligible businesses in both countries receive agreement benefits with greater certainty.