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Arrival Process in New Zealand

Home Arrival Process

Three Agencies, One Walk Through the Terminal

Arriving in New Zealand means clearing immigration, customs and biosecurity — and it is biosecurity, not immigration, that catches most visitors out. An apple left in your bag from the flight is a NZ$400 problem. Everything below is what actually happens between the aircraft door and the arrivals hall, and what to do before you fly so it goes quickly.

Traveller Declaration
Required & Free
Submit From
24 Hours Before
eGate Age
10 and Over
Declare Cash From
NZ$10,000
Undeclared Food
NZ$400 Instant Fine

Before You Fly: The New Zealand Traveller Declaration

The New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) replaced the old paper arrival card. It gathers your travel, customs, immigration and biosecurity answers in one submission, and it applies to everyone entering the country — visitors, residents and New Zealand passport holders alike.

  • It is free. There is no charge for the declaration. Any site charging you for one is not the official service.
  • Everyone needs one, including babies and children. One adult can complete a family's declarations.
  • Online form or the NZTD app. Both are official; use whichever suits you.
  • Air travellers can submit from 24 hours before their trip to New Zealand begins.
  • It must be completed before you reach passport control in New Zealand.
  • Do it before you fly. The alternative is a paper declaration on board, which is slower at both ends.

The Declaration Is Not Your NZeTA

These are two separate things and both are needed. Your NZeTA is the travel authority that lets you board the plane — requested days or weeks in advance, with a fee and the IVL. The Traveller Declaration is the free arrival form completed in the last 24 hours before you fly. Having one does not cover the other.

What Happens After You Land, Step by Step

  1. Disembark with your documents to hand. Passport, and your declaration accessible on your phone if you completed it digitally. Keep prescription medicines and their documentation in your hand luggage, not deep in a checked bag.
  2. Passport control. Eligible travellers use an eGate; everyone else goes to a staffed desk. An immigration officer may ask about your travel purpose, your onward ticket and how you will support yourself while you are here.
  3. Baggage collection. Pick up your checked luggage from the carousel. This happens before biosecurity, not after — you take your bags through the screening.
  4. Biosecurity screening. Follow the lane indicated for your declaration. Bags may be x-rayed and detector dogs work the arrivals area. This is where declaring matters.
  5. Customs. Officers may ask about goods, allowances and cash, and may search baggage. Personal searches, if required, are conducted privately by an officer of the same gender.
  6. Arrivals hall. Once all three agencies have cleared you, you are in New Zealand.

Allow more time than you think for a first arrival at Auckland, especially when several long-haul flights land together in the early morning.

Using the eGates

eGates handle passport control automatically and are considerably faster than a staffed desk when you qualify.

Requirement Detail
Age 10 years of age or older. The threshold was lowered from 12, matching Australia and the UK.
ePassport You need a biometric ePassport — the one with the small chip symbol on the cover.
Eligible country More than 50 countries and territories are eligible, including all EU member states. New Zealand Customs publishes the current list.
Airport eGates operate at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown, for arrivals and departures.

Being directed to a staffed desk instead is routine — it happens for ineligible passports, younger children, and randomly. It is not a sign of a problem with your NZeTA.

Biosecurity: The Part That Catches Visitors Out

New Zealand's economy and native species depend on keeping pests and diseases out, and the rules are enforced far more strictly than most travellers expect.

Category Declare Anything Like This
Food of any kind Cooked, uncooked, fresh, preserved, packaged or dried — including snacks from the plane, baby food and airline fruit.
Animal products Meat, dairy, fish, honey and bee products, eggs, feathers, shells, raw wool, skins, bones and insects.
Plant products Fruit, flowers, seeds, bulbs, wood, bark, leaves, nuts, vegetables, parts of plants, fungi, cane, bamboo and straw — including items for religious offerings or medicinal use.
Used outdoor equipment Hiking boots, tents, camping gear, golf clubs, fishing tackle, bicycles — anything that has been in contact with soil or fresh water. Clean it before you pack it.

Declaring Costs Nothing. Not Declaring Costs NZ$400 — or More

Failing to declare risk goods can bring an instant fine of NZ$400, or prosecution. A false declaration can lead to confiscation of the goods, a minimum NZ$400 instant fine, prosecution, imprisonment and deportation from New Zealand. There is no penalty for declaring something that turns out to be fine, and no penalty for declaring something that is then taken off you. The only expensive choice is staying quiet. Empty your bags of food before you land, and if you are unsure about an item, put it on the declaration.

Customs Allowances and Declarations

What Allowance or Threshold Detail
Spirits 3 bottles of 1.125 litres each Beyond this, duty and GST apply.
Wine or beer 4.5 litres In addition to the spirits allowance.
Tobacco 50 cigarettes or 50 grams A notably small allowance by international standards — check before you buy at your departure airport.
Goods and gifts Declare above NZ$700 total Overseas purchases, including gifts, counted together.
Cash Declare NZ$10,000 or more Or the foreign equivalent, including travellers cheques and bank drafts. There is no limit on the amount — only a duty to declare it.

What an Immigration Officer May Ask For

An approved NZeTA lets you board the plane. Permission to enter is granted at the border, and an officer may ask you to show:

  • Your passport and completed Traveller Declaration
  • A travel ticket out of New Zealand to a country you have the right to enter
  • Evidence of how you will support yourself while here
  • Your accommodation booking or itinerary
  • Answers consistent with the purpose you declared
  • Evidence that you meet any conditions on your authority

Border agencies including Customs and the Ministry for Primary Industries can also refuse entry if you do not meet their requirements — it is not immigration alone. See our guide to NZeTA refusals and refused entry.

Six Things That Slow People Down

Arrival Checklist

  • NZeTA approved and linked to the passport you carry
  • Traveller Declaration completed for every traveller
  • Passport valid 3 months beyond your departure date
  • Onward or return ticket booked
  • All food removed from bags, or declared
  • Outdoor and camping gear cleaned of soil
  • Duty-free within the allowances
  • Cash of NZ$10,000 or more declared

Frequently Asked Questions

The New Zealand Traveller Declaration, or NZTD, collects your travel, customs, immigration and biosecurity information in one place. It is free, and everyone travelling into New Zealand must complete one — including New Zealand passport holders, babies and children. You can complete it on the online form or in the NZTD app.
Air travellers can submit from 24 hours before their trip to New Zealand begins, and it must be completed before you reach passport control in New Zealand. Doing it digitally before you fly is easier than filling in a paper declaration on board.
No — you need both. The NZeTA is the travel authority that allows you to board a flight to New Zealand, requested in advance with a fee and the International Visitor Levy. The Traveller Declaration is the free arrival form completed within 24 hours of travelling. One does not replace the other.
You can use an eGate if you are 10 years of age or older and hold an ePassport from one of the eligible countries and territories — a list that now covers more than 50, including all EU member states. eGates operate at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown airports. If you are not eligible you go to a staffed desk instead, which is completely normal.
Declare any food at all — cooked, uncooked, fresh, preserved, packaged or dried. Declare animal products including meat, dairy, fish, honey and bee products, eggs, feathers, shells, raw wool, skins and bones. Declare plant products including fruit, flowers, seeds, bulbs, wood, bark, leaves, nuts, vegetables, fungi, cane, bamboo and straw — including items for religious or medicinal use. Also declare used camping, hiking and sports equipment.
Failing to declare risk goods can result in a NZ$400 instant fine or prosecution. A false declaration can lead to confiscation of the goods, a minimum NZ$400 instant fine, prosecution, imprisonment and deportation from New Zealand. Declaring an item is free and carries no penalty even if it is then confiscated — so when in doubt, declare it.
There is no limit on how much you can bring, but you must declare cash of NZ$10,000 or more, or the foreign equivalent. This includes travellers cheques and bank drafts. Declaring it is straightforward; failing to declare it is not.
You may bring up to three bottles of spirits of 1.125 litres each, plus 4.5 litres of wine or beer. The tobacco allowance is no more than 50 cigarettes or 50 grams of tobacco products. Overseas purchases totalling more than NZ$700, including gifts, must be declared.

Sort Your NZeTA Before You Book Anything Else

You cannot board a flight to New Zealand without an approved NZeTA. Most are approved within 72 hours — apply well before departure, then complete your free Traveller Declaration in the 24 hours before you fly.

Apply for Your NZeTA Online

Related Guides

Passport Requirements
NZeTA Validity & Length of Stay
International Visitor Levy

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