Arriving in New Zealand: declaring food and medicines

New Zealand Customs Service, Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI)Verified 14 Oct 2026Official pages checked daily

Everyone who arrives in New Zealand must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD). This includes New Zealand citizens, residents and babies. The NZTD replaced the old paper Passenger Arrival Card. You must declare all food, plants and seeds, animal products and traditional or herbal medicines. A false declaration can bring an instant fine of at least NZ$400. If you are not sure, declare it.

Key facts

What the NZTD is: It collects your travel, customs, immigration and biosecurity information. It replaced the old paper Passenger Arrival Card.²
Who must complete the NZTD: Everyone who arrives, including New Zealand citizens and residents. Babies and children each need their own declaration.¹
Cost: Free. You can complete it on the NZTD website or in the NZTD app.¹
Earliest time to submit: If you travel by air: from 24 hours before you depart.¹
Penalties for a false declaration: Your items may be confiscated, and you may get an instant fine of at least NZ$400. You may also be prosecuted, jailed or deported.¹
Risk items you must declare: Any food (fresh, dried, raw or packaged), any plants or seeds, wooden items, animals or animal products, traditional or herbal medicines, and worn or used footwear and sports or outdoor equipment.³
Cash: If you carry NZ$10,000 or more in cash (or the same value in foreign currency), you may need to declare it.¹
Prescription medicines: Bring a copy of your prescription or a doctor's letter. Keep the medicine in its original packaging. Bring no more than 3 months' supply (oral contraceptives: up to 6 months).³
When to declare prescription medicines: If you have more than 3 months' supply, or the medicine is not prescribed for you or a family member.³
Controlled drugs: You must declare them. Keep them in their original packaging. Bring no more than 1 month's supply, with a copy of your prescription or a doctor's letter.³
Endangered species products that need a permit: American ginseng root, and traditional medicines containing dendrobium or saussurea costus, need a permit from the Department of Conservation.³
Posting prohibited items: Importing prohibited items is illegal, and you may be fined NZ$400. You may also be fined if the contents of a parcel do not match its declaration.⁴

Who is this for, and what are the requirements?

All travellers arriving in New Zealand must complete the NZTD, including New Zealand citizens and residents. For example, you must complete it when you return to New Zealand from Australia, Fiji or any other country.
If you travel as a family or group, each person needs their own declaration, including babies and children. The adult caring for a child can complete it for them.
You do not need to complete it if you are transiting through a New Zealand airport and stay in the transit area. You must complete it if you leave the airport, or if New Zealand is your final destination.

How do I do it? Steps and process

Complete the NZTD before you travel
Use the NZTD website (travellerdeclaration.govt.nz) or the NZTD app. It is free and takes about 10 minutes. If you travel by air, you can submit it from 24 hours before departure. If you stop over and leave the airport with your bags, the 24 hours start from your flight to New Zealand from the stopover.
Have your information ready
You need your passport details and a contact address in New Zealand (if you will stay in more than one place, give the first one). You also need your travel history for the past 30 days, your flight details, your visa or NZeTA (if you need one), and what you are carrying in your checked and cabin bags.
Declare your items honestly
Declare any food, plants or seeds, animal products, traditional or herbal medicines and used outdoor equipment. You may also need to declare medicines, tobacco, alcohol and NZ$10,000 or more in cash. If you are not sure, declare it.
Keep your reference number
When you start, you get an email with a reference number. After you submit, you get another email with arrival information. You do not need to print anything. If your flight changes, update your declaration and submit it again. You can make changes until you go through passport control.
Go through passport control when you land
At the eGate or a staffed counter, the system checks your declaration automatically. After passport control you cannot change your declaration. If you realise you forgot to declare something, tell a border officer. Your bags may be X-rayed and opened.
Have your declared items inspected
An MPI officer inspects the items you declared. They decide whether to return them to you or refuse entry. Some items must be treated before they are released, and you pay the cost. You can also put items you are unsure about in the marked amnesty bins.

What documents do I need?

Passport
Flight details
Contact address in New Zealand
Visa or NZeTA (if you need one)
Prescription medicines: a copy of your prescription or a doctor's letter
Endangered species products (CITES): a permit issued by the Department of Conservation

What should I watch out for?

The rule is simple: If in doubt, declare it! If officers find a risk item you did not declare, you may be fined or prosecuted.
On the Customs list, dried food, snacks, tea and dried herbs or spices all count as food or plant products. You must declare them too. The MPI officer at the border decides whether you can bring them in.
Traditional and herbal medicines (for example, Chinese, Ayurvedic or other herbal remedies) must be declared. Traditional medicines with animal or plant ingredients may be covered by CITES (the endangered species convention). American ginseng root and traditional medicines containing dendrobium or saussurea costus need a permit. If you are not sure, email the Department of Conservation: cites@doc.govt.nz.
All medicines containing pseudoephedrine are controlled drugs. Carry them in your cabin bag. Do not carry them for friends or relatives.
The NZTD is free. If a family member cannot complete it, a trusted person can help. Paper declaration forms are also available after you land. If you have already completed it online, you do not need to fill in a paper form.
Sending food from home: Customs lists "plant and animal products, including food" as examples of items that need a permit to import. Before anyone sends you something, check the MPI tool "Check if you can bring or send an item to NZ". If the sender declares the contents incorrectly, the parcel may be delayed, investigated or seized.
For posted parcels worth NZ$1000 or less, you usually do not pay anything to Customs (except for tobacco and alcohol). For parcels worth more than NZ$1000, you pay GST and possibly duty, and you must apply for a Customs Number.
This page is a plain-English summary of public information. Whether you can bring a specific item is decided by the MPI checking tool and the border officers on the day.

Common questions

Can I bring spices, snacks and sweets from home to New Zealand? Do I need to declare them?

You must declare them. Any food counts, including dried, packaged, snacks, tea and dried herbs or spices. An MPI officer at the border inspects the items and decides whether you can bring them in. If you are not sure, declare it.

Do I need to declare Ayurvedic or herbal medicines when I arrive in NZ?

Yes. You must declare all traditional and herbal medicines, including Ayurvedic, Chinese and other herbal remedies. Some traditional medicines with animal or plant ingredients may be covered by CITES, the endangered species convention. If you are not sure, email the Department of Conservation at cites@doc.govt.nz.

Where do I fill in the arrival card now? Is there still a paper card?

You complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) on the NZTD website or in the NZTD app. It is free and replaced the old paper Passenger Arrival Card. Paper declaration forms are still available after you land. If you have already completed it online, you do not need a paper form.

What is the fine if I forget to declare food at the NZ airport?

You may get an instant fine of at least NZ$400, and your items may be confiscated. You may also be prosecuted, jailed or deported. If you realise you forgot to declare something, tell a border officer. You can also put items you are unsure about in the marked amnesty bins.

What are the rules for bringing prescription medicines into New Zealand? How much can I bring?

You can bring no more than 3 months' supply, or up to 6 months for oral contraceptives. Keep the medicine in its original packaging and bring a copy of your prescription or a doctor's letter. Declare it if you have more than 3 months' supply or it is not prescribed for you or a family member. Controlled drugs must always be declared, with no more than 1 month's supply.

Do I need a permit to bring ginseng or traditional medicines into NZ?

Yes, for some products. American ginseng root and traditional medicines containing dendrobium or saussurea costus need a permit from the Department of Conservation. You must declare all traditional medicines. If you are not sure, email the Department of Conservation at cites@doc.govt.nz.

Can my family post food to me in New Zealand?

Possibly, but food is an example of an item that may need a permit to import. Before anyone sends you something, check the MPI tool "Check if you can bring or send an item to NZ". Importing prohibited items is illegal and you may be fined NZ$400. If the contents are declared incorrectly, the parcel may be delayed, investigated or seized.

How much cash can I bring into New Zealand without declaring it?

You can bring less than NZ$10,000 in cash without declaring it. If you carry NZ$10,000 or more in cash, or the same value in foreign currency, you may need to declare it in your New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD).

Answers are based on the verified content of this page — the official source always prevails.

Where can I check the official information?

Completing your declarationNew Zealand Customs Service (NZTD) · travellerdeclaration.govt.nz
About the New Zealand Traveller DeclarationNew Zealand Customs Service (NZTD) · travellerdeclaration.govt.nz
What you can and can't bringNew Zealand Customs Service · customs.govt.nz
Receive items from overseasNew Zealand Customs Service · customs.govt.nz
Support and resourcesNew Zealand Customs Service (NZTD) · travellerdeclaration.govt.nz

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