Can I send food to Nepal?
Yes, with conditions.
Send only sealed, commercially packed food, and declare it. Plant and animal products need quarantine clearance. Family gift boxes can hold up to 10 kg of food, and returning travelers can carry 7 kg duty-free.
For every Onvoyo box: Only sealed, shop-bought, shelf-stable food. Express couriers don't carry perishable food: nothing fresh, frozen, meat, dairy or produce.
More rules for Nepal
Allowed with conditions
- Animals and animal products, including meat, dairy, wool, and skins
- Must enter through an animal quarantine checkpoint and may be held for testing. Without health and disease-free certificates from the country of origin, the quarantine officer can refuse entry, send the goods back, or have them destroyed.
- Gifts over USD 500 or beyond personal quantities
- The family gift rule covers household-type goods worth up to USD 500 in personal quantities, such as one of each appliance, up to five of each clothing or cosmetic item, and up to 10 kg of food. Bigger or commercial shipments may need an import permit and a customs agent.
Quantity limits
- Food and medicines (travelers only)
- Returning Nepalis: 7 kg of food duty-free, and patients' medicines after treatment abroad. Foreigners: medicines up to NPR 10,000 (about $65), food up to NPR 5,000, and fresh fruit up to NPR 2,000.
Before you ship to Nepal
- Tax-free limit
- Nepal has no general duty-free allowance for courier boxes. Goods that someone living abroad sends to family in Nepal, in personal quantities and worth up to USD 500 (about NPR 76,800), can be cleared on paying the normal duty and VAT. A box worth more than USD 500 that is declared lower can be confiscated, or released only after a fine equal to the excess value plus duty. Declarations for goods worth up to NPR 5,000 (about $33) skip the NPR 500 customs service fee.
- Receiver ID
- Nepal's customs rules don't set a tax or ID number for personal boxes. Whoever declares the goods must show papers that prove they own them, so ship in the receiver's own name, and the courier may ask for a copy of the receiver's citizenship certificate or passport. Returning residents clear their own belongings in person and can't have them cleared in someone else's name.
- Transit
- 3-5 business days from the Gulf, Malaysia, and India; 4-7 from Europe, North America, Japan, and Australia
Questions
Can I send food to Nepal?
Yes, with conditions. Send only sealed, commercially packed food, and declare it. Plant and animal products need quarantine clearance. Family gift boxes can hold up to 10 kg of food, and returning travelers can carry 7 kg duty-free.
Ask about a specific item
Official sources
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Department of Drug Administration, Nepal
नागरिक वडापत्र – पैठारी शाखा (Citizen Charter – Import Section) (opens in a new tab) - 5.
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Department of Customs, Nepal
भन्सार कार्यविधि, २०६७ (Customs Procedure, 2067) (opens in a new tab) - 8.
Nepal Rastra Bank
Foreign Exchange Rates (opens in a new tab)
General guidance, not legal advice. Customs in Nepal makes the final decision on every box.