Sending Your Mail to New Zealand

Before you send mail to New Zealand, check  What You Must Declare. This includes:

• Plant material
• Food
• Animal products
• Straw items
• Wooden items
• Live animals
• Endangered species

This list is not exhaustive. Travelers information can be found in the "Declare it for New Zealand (243 Kb)" brochures. Also ensure you do not use packaging containing prohibited items like :

• straw
• bamboo
• rattan
• wooden boxes and cartons that have held fruit or vegetables (these can still have risky organic matter in them)

It may be possible to import some restricted goods if you follow the proper procedures.  See Imports

Parcels and other articles being sent to New Zealand from overseas require a declaration sticker. This is issued by the corresponding postal service and usually contains the content's description, weight and value.

No declaration is required for letters

The declaration is used as a guideline by border staff, who will often inspect the mail to ensure the description is correct. See  If You Break the Law

When You Mail Arrives

MAF Biosecurity New Zealand Clearance Officers check every item of international mail sent to New Zealand.

To help them check for prohibited and restricted goods, Clearance Officers use Detector Dogs and X-ray machines.

All prohibited items are removed from mail items and kept or destroyed by the MAFBNZ Clearance Service. Remaining parcel contents are sent to the mail recipient with a notice telling them what has been seized and why. ( See If You Break the Law )

Declared and intercepted restricted items are checked. Some may not require any treatment and are forwarded to the mail recipient. If inspection shows that treatment is necessary the parcel recipient is notificed. If the recipient decides to procedd with treatment, a small fee is involved.

Generally, you cannot send anything in the post which is illegal, explosive, dangerous, destructive, inadequately packaged or contains cash. For more detailed information please reference the NZ Post website.

If you declare articles, your goods will be inspected, treated if necessary and returned if considered safe. Prohibited fruit and vegetables, meat, animal products, seeds and plants may be re-shipped or destroyed