At the border
New Zealand has one of the world’s strictest borders in terms of what you can bring in, and how thoroughly your belongings are checked. This is because, as a distant collection of islands, it is free of many of the pests and diseases that exist in much of the world.
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It's friendly and easy to pass through if you know the rules beforehand though, so we've put together this guide to help you breeze through the customs and biosecurity inspections!
Biosecurity inspections
All of your bags - checked and carry-on - will go through x-ray scanning on arrival, and if they think you're carrying anything you shouldn’t, the border officers will happily go through every inch of your baggage and issue you a NZ$400 (£209, US$280) fine that you’ll have to pay before leaving the airport.
Don't try to sneak anything past them!
Things you definitely can't bring across the border:
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Any fresh food. This includes any snacks or bits of food you saved from your airline meal
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Animal products of any kind
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Plant products of any kind
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Water - drink it before landing or empty it in the toilets before passport control
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Cannabis - even if it’s medicinal and prescribed by a doctor, international prescriptions aren’t recognised at the border and you will be deported immediately and banned from returning to NZ
Other things to keep in mind:
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Clean any shoes, boots, equipment or clothing of any mud, dirt or other outdoor muck before you travel. If you have muddy or dirty things they will be cleaned at the border, which can take some time!
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It’s wise to carry a copy of your prescription for any medications you take, also to avoid border delays
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You’re allowed a monstrous quantity of duty-free alcohol - three large bottles of liquor and up to 4.5 litres of beer and wine - but you’re only allowed to bring 50 cigarettes or 50 grams of loose tobacco into New Zealand. No big duty-free slabs of 200 cigarettes!
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Pseudoephedrine - a common ingredient in cold and flu medicines - might cause delays at the border as New Zealand has major methamphetamine problems. Leave the Sudafed at home!
Arrival cards
Make sure you carry a pen when you fly!
You’ll be handed an arrival form on the plane - it’s quite extensive and you don’t want to compete with 400 other passengers for the cabin crew’s pen.
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This form will ask you about banned items and other restricted things you might be carrying. If you are accidentally carrying something you shouldn’t be, or have anything you’re not sure about, be truthful about it on the form. If something isn’t allowed (or you forgot you had a banana in your bag) and you tell them on the form, they will still confiscate it, but you will avoid a fine.
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Basically, be as honest as possible on the form even if you think something might not be allowed across the border!