When you are approved residence, you will be issued a Residence Visa if you apply outside New Zealand or a Residence Permit if you apply in New Zealand.

What you can and can't bring into New Zealand
If you are coming to New Zealand to take up permanent residence for the first time you do not need to pay tax or duty on your belongings, as long as they are for your personal use and not imported for other people or for sale or exchange.

Clothing and most other personal belongings (such as jewellery) can be brought in without paying duty. They do not have to have been worn or used, but they must be for your personal use. Other household goods, such as furniture, stereos, refrigerators and houseware, must have been owned and used by you before you come to New Zealand in order to qualify for duty-free entry.

Motor Vehicles and Boats
There are no restrictions on importing your own motor vehicles or boats to New Zealand. If you are importing a motor vehicle (or vehicles), you will need to make sure that it complies with safety and design regulations before it can be registered in New Zealand. We strongly advise you to get a copy of the relevant and most recent Fact Sheet from the Land Transport Safety Authority.

You can import motor vehicles or boats duty free, as long as they have been personally owned and used by you for at least one year before the date when they were surrendered for shipping to New Zealand, or the date when you leave for New Zealand, whichever is the earlier.

You will have to keep any motor vehicles and boats for two years after the date of importation – otherwise, you will have to pay customs charges.

When your vehicle arrives here, it will be inspected. If it is found to be contaminated, it will be steam cleaned before being released to you. You will need to pay for this.

While there are no restrictions on importing left-hand-drive vehicles, only certain categories of these vehicles can be registered for use on New Zealand roads. If you wish to import a left-hand-drive vehicle, you must contact the Land Transport Safety Authority before making shipping arrangements.

Guns and Other Weapons
In New Zealand you can only have a firearm or gun for lawful purposes - it is illegal to have a gun for self defence - and you must have a firearms licence. Generally speaking it is illegal in New Zealand to carry or even own hand guns and automatic weapons.

New Zealand has strict controls on importing firearms or guns. If you wish to bring any guns with you, you will first need a firearms licence and a permit to import them from the New Zealand Police.

You should leave your firearms behind until you arrive here, obtain the licence and permit to import, and then bring the firearms into New Zealand.

Do not bring in weapons such as flick knives, swordsticks and knuckle dusters.

Drugs
Do not bring drugs into New Zealand. You will be arrested and may be denied entry if you are caught doing so. If you need to bring medicines that contain narcotics, you will need a doctor’s prescription saying that the medicine is necessary and is being used under the doctor’s instructions.

Animals
Cats and dogs from many countries are allowed to be brought into New Zealand. However, they will need to meet certain requirements before they come here and may have to be put in “quarantine” when they arrive. Australia is the only exception to this: pets can be moved freely between New Zealand and Australia.

It is best to start planning in plenty of time as the preparation process can take up to six months even before you arrive in New Zealand.

Pets from Hawaii and the United Kingdom need a series of tests but do not need to be quarantined. For all other countries, how long your pet needs to be quarantined depends on which country you come from, but it is at least 30 days. A 30-day stay is likely to cost about NZ$1,000 for your cat or dog (correct at June 2000).

Cats and dogs must have an “Import Health Permit” to be allowed into New Zealand. Before you apply for a permit you will also need to contact a quarantine facility in New Zealand to reserve a space for the animal. There are only two catteries and one kennel quarantine station in New Zealand.

Nearly all other kinds of animals are prohibited from being brought into New Zealand.

Contact the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) Import Management office for more information.

Electrical and Telecommunications Equipment
The electrical power system in New Zealand supplies alternating current at 240 volts, 50 hertz. Electrical equipment from a 110-volt system needs transformers.

Bear in mind that it may not be worth bringing electric appliances or electronic goods with you, as you may not be able to get parts or get the equipment serviced here. Also, some specialised equipment may not work properly even with transformers if it is designed for current at a different frequency (i.e. other than 50 hertz).

You should leave behind any telephones, fax machines or other telecommunications equipment you already have in your home country. If you bring it to New Zealand, it may not work with the local network, or it may not be able to be repaired here.

New Zealand is a high-tech industrialised Western nation, and the latest electronic and electrical appliances are readily and cheaply available.

What you should bring with you when you leave Bring any certificates (such as birth and/or marriage certificates) and qualifications. See Working in NZ - Your qualifications in NZ for a checklist of qualifications documents to bring. You should always bring the original documents where you can, or if this is not possible, bring "certified" copies. A certified copy is a copy of a document which is verified by the organisation that issued it or by an official such as a lawyer or a Justice of the Peace. The documents must have a stamp or signature on each page, with the name of the official printed below the signature. If you have them, bring credit references from your power, gas and telephone companies. This will help you set up accounts for these services in New Zealand. If you are bringing a car or household contents, keep a record of what they are and their insurance policies. If you have a driver’s licence in your home country and also have an international driving permit, you can drive in New Zealand for a maximum of one year. After one year, you will need to apply for a New Zealand driver’s licence and pass a theory test and a practical test (drivers from some countries may be exempt from this test). By law you need to have your licence with you when driving. If you will be looking for a job when you get here, you will need to have a good curriculum vitae (CV) and references, written or translated in English. Always bring original documents with you where you can. If you wish to apply for a mortgage or other finance such as hire purchase or credit cards, it will be helpful to be able to show records from your previous bank. Particularly useful will be evidence showing mortgage repayments or regular rental payments, evidence that you have owned or still own a home overseas, previous pay slips and references showing your work history, and if available previous credit check or ratings records. The more information you can bring, the easier it is for you to show lenders you have a good history. Similarly, records of previous insurance policies may be useful when applying for new insurance policies in New Zealand. See also: International moving checklist

Other arrangements before you leave
You can make arriving in New Zealand a lot easier if you arrange some things before you leave.

Learn about New Zealand’s driving rules (the “Road Code”) – this will help if you are intending to drive in New Zealand. New Zealanders drive on the LEFT side or the road.

If you are expecting mail to arrive for you, and don’t have a permanent address, you can arrange a “private box”. New Zealand Post is the main organisation providing this service, but private companies can also organise a post office box for you. All your mail is sent to the post outlet, and you collect it from there.

If you will be looking for a job when you get here, you may like to contact employment agencies before you leave. You will need to have a good curriculum vitae (CV) and references, written or translated in English.

Arriving in New Zealand - Customs Declarations
New Zealand is lucky to be free of many of the world’s serious pests and diseases. Pests and diseases can arrive in New Zealand in your accompanied and unaccompanied baggage and can pose a serious threat to New Zealand’s agriculture and environment.

As you enter the country, you are required by law to “declare” all plant and animal material you bring with you. You must fill out an “Agriculture and Customs Declaration” when you arrive.

You must declare if you have any of the following:

• Food of any sort
• Plants and parts of plants (alive or dead)
• Animals (alive or dead) or products of animals
• Equipment used with animals
• Camping gear, golf clubs and used bicycles
• Biological specimens