Requirements For Clearance Of Air Passengers, Aircrew And Baggage
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Table of Contents
For all matters relating to the interpretation, review and amendment of this standard, please contact:
Operational Standards and Facilities Group
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand
P.O Box 2526, Wellington 6011
New Zealand
Fax: 64 4 894 0228
Email: standards@maf.govt.nz
For all matters relating to the operation of this standard, including inspections, audits and treatments, please contact your local MAFBNZ office.
Issuing Authority
This standard is issued under the Biosecurity Act 1993 (the Act).
Dated at Wellington this 21st day of December 2010
Group Manager
Operational Standards and Facilities Group
Border Standards Directorate
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand
(Issued under delegated authority)
Version number and / or
Amendment record:
Operational Standard for Passenger Clearance
PART A. INTRODUCTION
Background
- This document is the operational standard for passenger clearance.
- If this standard needs to be amended or revoked urgently, or the Director General considers that an amendment is minor, the amendment or revocation may be carried out without prior consultation.
Scope
This document sets out the requirements for the clearance of air passengers, aircrew and their baggage on arrival in New Zealand.
Definitions
The terms used in this standard have the same meaning as in the Biosecurity Act 1993, and in addition:
Baggage:
The personal effects of passengers or crew (not included on the cargo declaration documentation) must be declared on the Biosecurity declaration. The NZ passenger arrival card (PAC) is where passengers are required to declare biosecurity risk goods in their baggage or on their person. The PAC must be completed by all persons arriving in to New Zealand, including crew.
Biosecurity Control Area:
Refer to the Biosecurity Act 1993 , Interpretations
Crew:
Any person on board an aircraft under the command of / reporting to the pilot / captain.
Diplomatic Agent:
As defined in the Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Act 1969 (Schedule 1, Article1)
Passenger:
Any person on board a craft who is not a member of the crew.
Secondary processing:
The area where passengers/crew baggage is examined, either by physical search or by x-ray and detector dog screening.
Requirements
1.0 General
1.1 MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) is required to undertake biosecurity clearance of all air passengers/crew baggage arriving in New Zealand, in accordance with this document, other relevant standards and import health standards issued by the Director-General of MAF.
2.0 Disembarkation
2.1 Passengers and crew must not disembark an aircraft until permission is given by an inspector. The permission may be oral, tacit or in writing.
3.0 Declaration Required
3.1 All passengers and crew aged over 17 years must complete a biosecurity declaration.
3.2 Passengers under 17 may have their biosecurity declaration completed by a parent or guardian accompanying them on the flight, or if able complete the declarations themselves.
3.3 All biosecurity declarations should be in writing unless systems are in place to accept oral or electronic declarations.
4.0 Biosecurity Detector Dogs
4.1 The Biosecurity Detector Dog Programme must have procedures that outline dog welfare, dog and handler training, use of dogs at the airport, declaration coding and baggage searching.
4.2 Only dogs and handlers that have gone through and passed training in the MAFBNZ Detector Dog Programme may be used around passengers, crew or their baggage.
4.3 Handlers are to mark declaration cards according to established procedures.
4.4 Manual search of baggage in the baggage collection areas should mainly be limited to carry on baggage. Any inspected carry on baggage with positive results must be noted on the biosecurity declaration.
4.5 The use of the dogs must be targeted at flights where their use is optimised and effective. Targeted flights must be listed in established procedures.
5.0 Passenger Profile
5.1 In the biosecurity control area an inspector should screen all passenger/crew biosecurity declarations for declared risk goods. Brief questions may be used to clarify answers.
5.2 MAFBNZ is to develop and maintain risk profiles of passengers/crew based on analysis of interceptions, and other intelligence such as disease status of overseas countries.
5.3 The responses to the declaration and the passenger/crew risk profiles are to be used to select passengers/crew likely to be in possession of risk goods and require inspection and / or other intervention mechanisms.
5.4 Inspectors directing passengers/crew into and within any secondary processing areas must action according to MAFBNZ procedures. Any pre-determined codes used must define the level of intervention required by the secondary inspector and what items were declared and required action, if any.
5.5 Inspectors directing passengers / crew into and within the secondary processing area must comply with other border agency directions as per standard operating procedures.
6.0 Manual Baggage Inspection
6.1 Baggage must only be inspected by an inspector or an assistant working under the direct supervision of an inspector. Before inspection the baggage must be linked to the passenger and the passenger to the relevant biosecurity declaration.
6.2 Standard operating procedures must be applied in relation to establishing baggage ownership, declaration authenticity, and for infringement / enforcement activity.
7.0 X-ray Requirements
7.1 X-ray machines must only be operated by inspectors who have passed the internal MAFBNZ x-ray training. Inspectors undergoing training must be under the direct supervision of a qualified x-ray operator.
8.0 Compliance Monitoring
8.1 Standard operating procedure must be in effect to meet compliance monitoring requirements at all approved places of first arrival.
8.2 Reporting of the compliance standard achieved at each airport must comply with MAF Policies and Reporting Requirements.
9.0 Risk Goods
9.1 Inspectors must determine whether imported goods are risk goods, per established procedures and policy.
9.2 Where there are reasonable grounds to suspect a person may be in possession of any uncleared risk goods on their person, the person may be detained under sections 34, 107 and 108 of the Biosecurity Act 1993.
9.4 An inspector may use any reasonable force necessary to bring the person to the biosecurity control area if outside of the biosecurity control area.
9.5 An inspector may use any reasonable force necessary to stop the detained person leaving the biosecurity control area.
10.0 Heads of State, Diplomatic Agents and Diplomatic Bags
10.1 When undertaking biosecurity clearance for Diplomatic and Consular persons the MFAT "Guidelines for the Diplomatic and Consular Corps in New Zealand" is to be followed.
10.2 Diplomatic bags (the packages constituting the diplomatic bag must bear visible external marks of their character, must be officially sealed, and may contain only diplomatic documents or articles intended for official use) are exempt x-ray examination if requested by the Diplomatic courier.
11.0 Reporting
11.1 Collection of information as outlined in Requirements for Statistics and Seizure Reporting Section 5.2 must be reported quarterly to the PM BM
12.0 Charges
12.1 Charges as per the Biosecurity (Costs) Regulations 2010.
Page last updated: 23 December 2010