diff --git a/src/core/public/http/http_service.test.ts b/src/core/public/http/http_service.test.ts
index a2a79eee064fdd7..be2d573b8c99399 100644
--- a/src/core/public/http/http_service.test.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/http/http_service.test.ts
@@ -200,16 +200,18 @@ describe('http requests', async () => {
   it('should make requests for NDJSON content', async () => {
     const { http } = setupService();
     const content = readFileSync(join(__dirname, '_import_objects.ndjson'), { encoding: 'utf-8' });
+    const body = new FormData();
 
+    body.append('file', content);
     fetchMock.post('*', {
       body: content,
       headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/ndjson' },
     });
 
     const data = await http.post('/my/path', {
-      body: content,
+      body,
       headers: {
-        'Content-Type': 'multipart/form-data',
+        'Content-Type': undefined,
       },
     });
 
diff --git a/src/core/public/http/http_service.ts b/src/core/public/http/http_service.ts
index f7933666fa63c14..635c1704bb8cf6d 100644
--- a/src/core/public/http/http_service.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/http/http_service.ts
@@ -44,28 +44,34 @@ export class HttpService {
   private readonly stop$ = new Rx.Subject();
 
   public setup({ basePath, injectedMetadata, fatalErrors }: Deps) {
-    const defaults: HttpFetchOptions = {
-      method: 'GET',
-      credentials: 'same-origin',
-      prependBasePath: true,
-      headers: {
-        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
-        'kbn-version': injectedMetadata.getKibanaVersion(),
-      },
-    };
-
     async function fetch(path: string, options: HttpFetchOptions = {}): Promise<HttpBody> {
-      const { query, prependBasePath, ...fetchOptions } = merge({}, defaults, options);
+      const { query, prependBasePath, ...fetchOptions } = merge({
+        method: 'GET',
+        credentials: 'same-origin',
+        prependBasePath: true,
+        headers: {
+          'kbn-version': injectedMetadata.getKibanaVersion(),
+          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
+        }
+      }, options);
       const url = format({
         pathname: prependBasePath ? basePath.addToPath(path) : path,
         query,
       });
 
+      if (
+        options.headers &&
+        'Content-Type' in options.headers &&
+        options.headers['Content-Type'] === undefined
+      ) {
+        delete options.headers['Content-Type'];
+      }
+
       let response;
       let body = null;
 
       try {
-        response = await window.fetch(url, fetchOptions);
+        response = await window.fetch(url, fetchOptions as RequestInit);
       } catch (err) {
         throw new HttpFetchError(err.message);
       }
diff --git a/src/core/public/http/types.ts b/src/core/public/http/types.ts
index cdce74498a74a65..6a862c52b66f031 100644
--- a/src/core/public/http/types.ts
+++ b/src/core/public/http/types.ts
@@ -21,6 +21,24 @@ import { BasePathSetup } from '../base_path';
 import { InjectedMetadataSetup } from '../injected_metadata';
 import { FatalErrorsSetup } from '../fatal_errors';
 
+export interface HttpHeadersInit {
+  [name: string]: any;
+}
+export interface HttpRequestInit {
+  body?: BodyInit | null;
+  cache?: RequestCache;
+  credentials?: RequestCredentials;
+  headers?: HttpHeadersInit;
+  integrity?: string;
+  keepalive?: boolean;
+  method?: string;
+  mode?: RequestMode;
+  redirect?: RequestRedirect;
+  referrer?: string;
+  referrerPolicy?: ReferrerPolicy;
+  signal?: AbortSignal | null;
+  window?: any;
+}
 export interface Deps {
   basePath: BasePathSetup;
   injectedMetadata: InjectedMetadataSetup;
@@ -29,9 +47,10 @@ export interface Deps {
 export interface HttpFetchQuery {
   [key: string]: string | number | boolean | undefined;
 }
-export interface HttpFetchOptions extends RequestInit {
+export interface HttpFetchOptions extends HttpRequestInit {
   query?: HttpFetchQuery;
   prependBasePath?: boolean;
+  headers?: HttpHeadersInit;
 }
 export interface Abortable<T> {
   abort: () => Promise<T>;
diff --git a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/management/sections/objects/lib/import_file.js b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/management/sections/objects/lib/import_file.js
index efff1db3e38f459..12630501663162c 100644
--- a/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/management/sections/objects/lib/import_file.js
+++ b/src/legacy/core_plugins/kibana/public/management/sections/objects/lib/import_file.js
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@ export async function importFile(file, overwriteAll = false) {
     pathname: '/api/saved_objects/_import',
     body: formData,
     headers: {
-      'Content-Type': 'multipart/form-data',
+      // Important to be undefined, it forces proper headers to be set for FormData
+      'Content-Type': undefined,
     },
     query: {
       overwrite: overwriteAll
diff --git a/src/legacy/ui/public/kfetch/kfetch.ts b/src/legacy/ui/public/kfetch/kfetch.ts
index 43f733795905cc3..12a57ebd20ed8ed 100644
--- a/src/legacy/ui/public/kfetch/kfetch.ts
+++ b/src/legacy/ui/public/kfetch/kfetch.ts
@@ -22,12 +22,14 @@ import { merge } from 'lodash';
 import { KFetchError } from './kfetch_error';
 
 import { HttpSetup } from '../../../../core/public';
+// eslint-disable-next-line @kbn/eslint/no-restricted-paths
+import { HttpRequestInit } from '../../../../core/public/http/types';
 
 export interface KFetchQuery {
   [key: string]: string | number | boolean | undefined;
 }
 
-export interface KFetchOptions extends RequestInit {
+export interface KFetchOptions extends HttpRequestInit {
   pathname: string;
   query?: KFetchQuery;
 }
@@ -100,18 +102,28 @@ function responseInterceptors(responsePromise: Promise<any>) {
 }
 
 export function withDefaultOptions(options?: KFetchOptions): KFetchOptions {
-  return merge(
+  const withDefaults = merge(
     {
       method: 'GET',
       credentials: 'same-origin',
       headers: {
-        ...(options && options.headers && options.headers.hasOwnProperty('Content-Type')
-          ? {}
-          : {
-              'Content-Type': 'application/json',
-            }),
+        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
       },
     },
     options
-  );
+  ) as KFetchOptions;
+
+  if (
+    options &&
+    options.headers &&
+    'Content-Type' in options.headers &&
+    options.headers['Content-Type'] === undefined
+  ) {
+    // TS thinks headers could be undefined here, but that isn't possible because
+    // of the merge above.
+    // @ts-ignore
+    withDefaults.headers['Content-Type'] = undefined;
+  }
+
+  return withDefaults;
 }