New Zealand sorts your belongings into two groups, and each has its own rules. Personal effects are the things you wear and use day to day: clothes, shoes, jewellery, a phone or laptop. Household effects are the contents of a home: furniture, appliances, tools, instruments. Which group an item falls into decides whether it comes in free of duty and GST.
On top of customs, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) checks for biosecurity risk, and when it inspects goods it charges by the number of items. Clean kit and a clear list keep both sides simple.
Personal effects or household effects?
This table sets out the two groups as New Zealand Customs describes them (personal effects page and household effects page, both checked on 3 October 2026).
| Personal effects | Household effects |
|---|
| What it covers | Clothes, shoes and glasses; jewellery and watches; shavers, hairdryers and straighteners; pushchairs, car seats and wheelchairs; medical devices; personal medicines; phones and laptops | Furniture, appliances, tools, musical instruments, wine collections, personal computers and similar contents of a home. Not cars, motorbikes, scooters, boats, aircraft or commercial items |
| Who it is for | The page sets out the conditions below rather than a residence test | People moving to New Zealand for the first time, or moving back after 21 months or more away. Student visa holders do not qualify |
| Ownership | Personally owned by you while you were overseas | Personally owned and used by you before you leave for New Zealand |
| Use | For your own use, not for anyone else, and not a gift or for sale or exchange | For your own use, not for anyone else, and not a gift or for exchange |
| New items | Can be new, except personal electronic devices such as phones and laptops | New and unused items do not qualify |
| Do you need to be in New Zealand? | No. Customs says you do not have to be there when the shipment arrives | The page does not say. Check with Customs if your goods will land before you |
A few points that catch people out:
- The 21 months must be continuous. For household effects, Customs says you must have lived outside New Zealand for the whole 21 months before you arrive, apart from short holidays or business trips.
- Some work visa holders qualify for household effects. The household effects page lists which work visas count. Check it if you are going on a work visa.
- Timing has a long tail. Household effects that arrive more than five years after you do need a Customs officer's consent to come in under the concession.
What if you do not qualify?
Then duty and GST apply. For household effects, Customs says it will consider reducing the value it uses, based on how long you have owned and used each item. It counts from when you took possession until the goods arrive in New Zealand.
| How long you have owned and used it overseas | Reduction in value |
|---|
| Up to 3 months | 10% |
| 3 to 6 months | 20% |
| 6 to 12 months | 33% |
| 12 to 21 months | 50% |
The reduction cannot be applied to new goods. This is one more reason to mark every line on your packing list as used or new, and to give honest dates if asked. Our guide to packing lists and customs declarations shows how to set the list out.
The paperwork: NZCS 218 and the MPI declaration
The customs form for belongings sent to New Zealand is NZCS 218, "Bring personal household items into New Zealand". The current edition is dated June 2026. As checked on 3 October 2026, it asks for:
- your arrival date, and the countries you lived in or visited in the two months before arriving
- how long you have been away from New Zealand, and your residence status
- the value of the items and the shipping costs
- who packed the items
- whether anything is restricted, such as medicines, weapons, alcohol or tobacco
- biosecurity answers: food of any kind, animal products, plant material, equipment used with animals or plants, and anything stored in rural areas
New Zealand Customs lists the supporting documents that go with it, including a copy of your passport photo page, the packing list, receipts, the shipping document and any permits. For household effects it also asks for proof of your residence status where that applies.
The MPI supplementary declaration
MPI also has a Personal Effects Supplementary Declaration, which gives item-by-item detail about biosecurity risk. MPI says filling it in may lead to lower clearance costs and faster clearance (MPI, checked on 3 October 2026).
On our side, you list your items on the booking form's packing list, and that list is what customs see. The booking page shows any notes and documents we know New Zealand needs, and we will tell you if anything else is needed for your shipment.
MPI checks and what they cost
MPI says that in most cases cargo does not need inspecting, though sea containers are always inspected. When it does inspect unaccompanied household goods and personal items, it charges by the number of items. These are the fees on its page, in New Zealand dollars (MPI fees and charges, dated 1 April 2026, checked on 3 October 2026):
| Number of items | MPI fee (NZ$) |
|---|
| 1 | 38.88 |
| 2 to 4 | 77.74 |
| 5 to 12 | 155.50 |
| 13 to 20 | 202.15 |
| 21 to 28 | 241.03 |
| 29 to 36 | 279.89 |
| Each further set of up to 8 items | 38.88 |
Some honest catches. MPI's page does not define what counts as an item. Levies are separate: MPI says brokers and freight forwarders pay them and are likely to pass the cost on. Agents may also charge for their own work. These are destination charges, not part of our price.
If MPI finds something that is a risk or not allowed, it can be inspected and returned to you, re-shipped, destroyed, or treated at an approved facility. Fees apply to each of those.
Getting your things ready for MPI
- Clean all outdoor footwear. MPI asks that hiking and sports footwear, including tramping gaiters, and any footwear used outside towns, be cleaned before arrival and free of soil and seeds.
- Clean and dry tents and camping gear, and declare them.
- Fishing gear must be clean and dry. MPI says this for used freshwater fishing equipment, and warns that felt-soled waders are likely to be seized. Leave those behind.
- Clean bikes, golf clubs and other sports kit, paying attention to tyres, spikes and bag pockets. Our guide to cleaning outdoor gear for Australia and New Zealand goes through each item.
- Leave food out. The NZCS 218 asks about food of any kind, dried, fresh, frozen or cooked. It is far simpler not to send it. Our guide to sending laptops, toiletries, food and medicines has more.
- Medicines: personal effects can include up to three months' supply of prescription medicines, as allowed under Ministry of Health guidelines.
- Wooden crates must meet the international wood packaging standard, ISPM 15. Ordinary cardboard boxes avoid the question.
- Number every box and suitcase and list what is inside each. MPI gives this tip itself.
Questions people ask
Can I send my laptop to New Zealand as a personal effect?
Yes, if it is used. New Zealand Customs says personal effects can be new, except personal electronic devices such as phones and laptops. A laptop still in its box does not qualify, so list it as new. Customs says duty and GST apply where the conditions are not met.
I am going on a student visa. Can I send household things duty-free?
Not under the household effects concession. Customs says student visa holders do not qualify for it. Your clothes and other personal effects come under the personal effects rules instead, which have their own conditions.
Do I have to be in New Zealand when my things arrive?
For personal effects, no. Customs says you do not have to be there when the shipment arrives. The household effects page does not say either way, so check with Customs if that applies to you.
Is the MPI supplementary declaration worth filling in?
MPI says it may lead to lower clearance costs and faster clearance, because it tells officers more about each item. If it applies to your shipment, it is worth the time.
What to do next
Decide which of your things are personal effects and which are household effects, clean anything that has been outdoors, and write your packing list as you pack. Then measure and weigh each piece and get a price on the quote page.
Official pages used in this guide
All checked on 3 October 2026. Rules and fees change, so check the official page before you send.
