With cargo and roll-on/roll-off ships arriving into New Zealand ports each month, thousands of vehicles are unloaded and are immediately subject to customs control and border inspection processes before being transported to owners or compliance centres up and down the country.

Our border checks are in place to ensure that every vehicle passes through a quality-control-type process before being released onto our roads. Border checks can be carried out either in NZ or, in some cases, overseas by approved vehicle inspection organisations.

If you buy a car from overseas or purchase one while you’re living abroad and want to send it back to NZ, then you’ll need to make sure that the vehicle meets the standards required for import into NZ, or you meet the criteria for exemption in cases where the vehicle doesn’t meet the criteria. The vehicle needs to be cleaned prior to departure, and licensing should also be cancelled before it ships.

Structurally sound

Damage, rust, previous repairs, and modifications are all causes for concern on a vehicle imported into NZ and in cases where a vehicle’s damage is serious enough, it can be damage flagged at the border check and a sticker is placed on the vehicle screen indicating that a specialist repair certificate will be required before entry compliance can be completed.

This system also ensures that strict quality control over repairs and inspections is in place. Photos of the damaged areas on the vehicle are loaded into the system as part of the border inspection recording.

No creepy crawlies

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) needs to inspect the vehicle to make sure it is free from pests and diseases contained in soil, plants and animals, including insects and their eggs. In some cases, they may require extra cleaning to target specific areas if any such issues are found. This service can either be carried out overseas before shipping, or once it arrives in NZ.

In recent years, the brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) has had a large effect on Japanese imports, and extra fumigation is required to vehicles arriving in NZ between the months of September and April.

Important recalls

One of the most recently added checks carried out at the border is to see whether the vehicle is on one of the lists of vehicle recalls. These must also be damage flagged, with records stating ‘Open Airbag Recall’, for example. This is to ensure that vehicles subject to a recall have been checked and replaced before a Warrant of Fitness (WoF) can be issued.

At this point, this is where the vehicle information and notes like country of export, ship name, border inspection date, registration reading, and vehicle identification number are first entered into the New Zealand Transport system database.

Where to from here?

Once the vehicle has been released from the border check, it is then free to be collected and either taken for repairs or transported directly to an entry compliance centre for the final inspection. When passed, this will give the vehicle its first WoF and the MR2A form, which allows the vehicle to be licensed and for NZ number plates to be issued.

How can the AA help?

The AA has compliance inspection centres located in most port towns. These locations can be found on the AA website at locations.aa.co.nz/search/entry-compliance.

The AA Motoring team can also assist in providing information on vehicle requirements before import and, in some cases can arrange shipping a vehicle from the UK and Australia as part of the AA Shipping to Compliance package.

Importing and package advice can be obtained through the AA import enquiry website. Visit aa.co.nz/import for more information.