Exporting Animals and Animal Products
For information on taking your pets out of New Zealand, please refer to Going to Other Countries-Your Pets.
Exporter Registration
Please note that commercial exporters of live animals and animal germplasm (semen and embryos) and bees must be registered as exporters 
under the Animal Products Act . These applications are assessed according to requirements set out in section 54 of the Animal Products Act. An annual exporter registration fee is payable. Owners exporting live animals for non-commercial reasons, such as the owners of pet cats or dogs, are not required to be registered.
Export Requirements and Certificate templates
Searching Export Requirements and Export Certificate templates: Note - Access to export certificates is restricted to Authorised and Recognised Persons. You may enter a commodity, animal, country or a combination to search.
The listings of Export Requirements and Export Certificate templates accessed from this webpage are the latest available to MAF Biosecurity New Zealand. They may not necessarily reflect the latest conditions set by the importing country. Definitive conditions should be provided by the importing country at the time of issuance of an import permit. If an import permit is not required, the onus is on the exporter to ensure that the import requirements still match the relevant export requirements.
Export Requirements are the public access version of the export certificate templates and outline export requirements for live animal and animal germplasm (semen and embryos) exported from New Zealand. These requirements for live animals and animal germplasm to many countries may include disease freedom status, testing and treatments, health certification, transport and the need for permits.
Exporters must also make sure they comply with requirements of other regulatory or advisory bodies associated with exporting commodities, such as the Department of Conservation and Customs .
Animals being exported from New Zealand may also require an Animal Welfare Export Certificate (AWEC) as set out in the Animal Welfare Act 1999. This ensures the welfare of animals is provided for, so that they may travel and arrive in good health. For more information, see Animal Welfare.
In addition to the Export Certifications and AWEC's, the following Standards apply for transporting livestock
- Livestock by Sea
- Transport Standards for Animals being Exported
- MAF Standard for the Transport of Cattle by Sea from New Zealand
- MAF Standard for the Transport of Deer by Sea from New Zealand
- MAF Standard for the Export of Horses from New Zealand by Sea
Find out more about the Tighter controls on live animal exports for slaughter
Export Certificate templates detail conditions agreed with importing countries that must be met when exporting live animals, animal germplasm (semen and embryos). They include health conditions required to be certified by an authorised person of the New Zealand Government. Access to export certificate templates is available upon application to semen centre and embryo team veterinarians and registered exporters.
The Official Assurance Programme: Requirements for Export of Live Animals and Germplasm (OAP) consolidates specifications, export requirements and directions that apply to official assurances issued under the Animal Products Act 1999.
Overseas import conditions
Overseas countries' import conditions can change quickly and MAF Biosecurity New Zealand may not immediately be informed about changes. Definitive conditions should be provided by the importing country at the time of issuance of the import permit. Where import permit conditions do not agree with those in the latest export certificate published by MAF Biosecurity New Zealand, the Exports Team of MAF Biosecurity New Zealand must be advised prior to export so that re-negotiations can be undertaken and changes made where necessary. If an import permit is not required, the onus is on the exporter to ensure that the import requirements still match the relevant export requirements.
See also, export details for animal products from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority
Page last updated: 28 September 2009