Travelling to New Zealand
Entry requirements by nationality
- Argentina: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Australia: visa on arrival
- Brazil: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Canada: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Chile: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- China: visa required
- France: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Germany: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- India: visa required
- Israel: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Italy: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Japan: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Malaysia: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Mexico: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Netherlands: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Singapore: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- South Korea: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Spain: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
- Ukraine: visa required
- United Kingdom: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 180 days per visit
- United States: electronic travel authorisation (ETA) required — up to 90 days per visit
What you can bring
- Alcohol: allowed, within limits — Duty-free personal allowance for travellers 17 years or older: up to 4.5 litres of wine or beer (equivalent to six 750ml bottles), PLUS up to 3 bottles/containers of spirits or liqueur not exceeding 1.125 litres each.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Cannabis: prohibitedDetailscompare everywhere →
- Cash: allowed, must be declared — A Border Cash Report is mandatory when carrying NZ$10,000 or more in cash (or foreign-currency equivalent) into or out of New Zealand.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Controlled medication: depends on specifics — Medicines that are controlled drugs under New Zealand's Misuse of Drugs Act must be declared on the New Zealand Traveller Declaration and are capped at one month's supply (versus three months for ordinary prescription medicines), carried in original packaging with a prescription copy or a doctor's letter confirming the treatment.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Drones: allowed, within limits — Unmanned aircraft under 25kg are covered by Part 101 of New Zealand's civil aviation rules. Visitors may fly without registering, holding a licence, or a certificate, provided they follow Part 101's standard conditions: daylight only, within visual line of sight, yield to manned aircraft, get consent before flying over people or their property, and obtain ATC clearance in controlled airspace.Detailscompare everywhere →
- E-cigarettes: allowed, within limits — Vaping products aren't mentioned anywhere on NZ Customs' own duty-free FAQ page, and aren't covered by the tobacco-specific concession (limited to 50 cigarettes, or 50g of cigars/tobacco/a mixture) — so they fall under the general goods concession instead: "You'll have to pay GST and duty if you bought more than NZ$700 in total" of duty-free items and related purchases.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Fresh produce & plants: allowed, must be declared — All biosecurity risk goods — including fruit, vegetables, eggs, meat, honey, cooking ingredients, herbs, seeds, spices, items made from plant/wood material, and used outdoor equipment (e.g. footwear with soil) — must be declared on arrival, whether or not they are ultimately allowed in.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Meat & dairy: allowed, must be declared — All animal products — meat, dairy, fish, honey, eggs, feathers, shells, wool, skins, bones — must be declared on arrival. Some (pork, trout, whole eggs) are banned outright; others are allowed only after inspection by Biosecurity New Zealand.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Tobacco: allowed, within limits — Duty-free personal allowance for travellers 17 years or older: 50 cigarettes, OR 50 grams of cigars/tobacco products, OR a mixture of both totalling 50 grams.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Weapons: prohibited — "All firearms, weapons and ammunition are prohibited in New Zealand without a permit." Authorisation must be obtained from Te Tari Pūreke — Firearms Safety Authority (FSA) or New Zealand Police before travelling with firearms, weapons, ammunition, or firearm parts. The same permit requirement covers airguns, stun devices, pepper spray, and various knife types — none of these can simply be declared and allowed through; a permit obtained in advance is required.Detailscompare everywhere →
- Wildlife products: prohibited — "Some plants and animals are protected under international law. This includes items made from endangered species. You must not bring these items into New Zealand without the correct permits." NZ Customs names corals, clams, crocodile products, and certain traditional medicines as commonly seized items; the Department of Conservation issues permits (where obtainable at all) for ivory products, animal skins, leather goods, furs, shells, marine life items, protected timber, and live species.
From the blog
Checked against official sources on 2026-08-18. Official source