Arriving from overseas

Everyone travelling into New Zealand needs to complete a free New Zealand Traveller Declaration.

You can start your New Zealand Traveller Declaration at a time that suits you either online or via the NZTD app. The declaration is free and everyone travelling into New Zealand needs to complete one. The earliest you can submit your declaration is 24 hours before you start your journey to New Zealand. If you are a New Zealand visa or NZeTA holder, you will still need to complete a NZTD.

The New Zealand Traveller Declaration collects travellers’ Customs, Immigration, and Biosecurity information. The online form aims to help arriving international passengers move through airports more efficiently and improve the safety and security of New Zealand.

Every passenger carrying NZ$10,000 or more in cash and/or foreign currency equivalent must notify a Customs Officer.

Your declaration will be checked when you arrive and any goods you’ve declared will be inspected by a Ministry for Primary Industries Officer after you’ve cleared Passport Control and collected your bags. Your bags may be sniffed by detector dogs, X-rayed or searched.

For the most up to date immigration information please refer to the Immigration New Zealand website or call:

• Freephone within NZ only: 0508 558 855
• Phone from overseas: 0064 9 914 4100

For the most accurate information about what can and cannot be brought into New Zealand and what you need to declare, please refer to the New Zealand Customs Service website or call:

• Freephone within NZ only: 0800 4 CUSTOMS (0800 428 786)
• Phone from overseas: 0064 9 300 5399

Biosecurity New Zealand aims to prevent the entry of pests and diseases which could endanger New Zealand's important agriculture and horticulture industries, as well as our natural environment.

It is important to remember that if you have any fruit, vegetable, animal, or plant items with you, or packed in your luggage, you must declare them or dispose of them in airport amnesty bins.

Before departure, you should clean all sports equipment to remove soil and grass. This will assist with border processes when you enter New Zealand.

Protect NZ from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)

Foot-and-mouth disease is in many countries, including Malaysia, China and most recently Indonesia, but thankfully not yet New Zealand.

In order to protect New Zealand against Foot and Mouth disease all arriving travellers must:

• Declare all goods, equipment, and food that could carry unwanted pests or diseases into New Zealand.
• Declare when they have been in contact with livestock.
• Not bring in animal products such as meat.
• Clean footwear before coming to New Zealand if you have visited a farm overseas.
• Remember that there is a one week stand down from when a person arrives from an overseas country that has Foot and Mouth disease to when they can go onto a NZ farm or contact susceptible animals in NZ.

For the most up to date immigration information please refer to the Ministry of Primary Industries website or call:

• Freephone within NZ only: 0800 00 83 33
• Phone from overseas: +64 4 830 1574
• Exotic pests and diseases: 0800 80 99 66

Protected animal and plant items

Some countries require a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) permit to bring certain animal and plant items into the country. New Zealand is one of those countries. A CITES permit allows you to move protected species across international borders. This includes items you bring back to New Zealand from overseas. Please allow plenty of time if you need to get a permit.

CITES is designed to regulate trade in endangered, threatened, or exploited species. This includes more than 40,000 species of animals and plants.

Note: It is the responsibility of the importer to ensure that items are accompanied by any permits required under CITES.

Items arriving in New Zealand without the relevant CITES permits may be seized and you could be fined.

CITES covers alive or dead plants and animals, and any products made from them. This includes certain souvenirs.

The CITES items most commonly seized or surrendered at the New Zealand border include:

• Corals and clams
• Crocodile and alligator products (e.g. jerky, leather, teeth, bone, taxidermy)
• American ginseng root and traditional medicines containing dendrobium and saussurea costus

A permit is also required for the items below. Note: this is not a complete or comprehensive list – if you have any doubts about whether your item requires a permit, contact the Department of Conservation (DOC) at cites@doc.govt.nz for more information.

• Ivory in any form, including jewellery and carvings
• Tortoise or turtle shell jewellery and ornaments
• Meat or food derived from whales, dolphins, or turtles
• Medicines containing musk deer, rhinoceros, saiga antelope or tiger derivatives such as ground horn or bone
• Carvings or other items made from shark's tooth, whale's tooth, whalebone or bone from other marine mammals
• Animal skins and leather products (footwear, bags and wallets) including from all big cats, crocodiles, alligators and snakes
• Trophies or other body parts from turtles, all big cats, rare reptiles, cranes, bears, and antelopes
• Taxidermy, body parts or feathers from birds such as eagles, hawks, owls and parrots that are listed under CITES
• Live species such as many cacti, cycads, cyclamens, and all orchids

DOC can help you understand what is required to get goods made from wildlife in and out of the country legally. This means getting the correct permits before import.

Find more information on CITES on the Department of Conservation's website.

There are multiple foreign exchange options to suit you when you are flying from Auckland Airport. You can choose to buy online and pick up at the airport, visit a store when you arrive, or Duty Free shopping is available in our departures and arrivals areas. With hundreds of world-renowned brands and stunning NZ-inspired products perfect for gifting, you’ll want to make the most of your time exploring the stores.

Learn more

The Mall International is Auckland Airports’ online click-and-collect shopping service in departures and arrivals. Shop Duty Free deals from a selection of our retailers ahead of your trip and we’ll have it ready and waiting.

Shop now

There are multiple foreign exchange options to suit you when you are flying from Auckland Airport. You can choose to buy online and pick up at the airport, visit a store when you arrive, or self-serve at a foreign Currency ATM.