yeah, the csv file will need to be uploaded onto *a* server. Not necessarily your server, any will do so long as your script has the permissions needed to read it.
Once the script is online, you can do something along the lines of the following in order to convert the file into an array in your PHP script:
PHP Code:
$file = 'location of file';
$array = explode(',',file_get_contents($file));
Then, it's as simple as using a foreach to get all values of $array into your database
Alternatively, use a textarea form and get the list from $_POST