From 31 October 2024, the 'Biosecurity pre-arrival report' will replace the 'Masters declaration' and the biofouling and ballast water forms.
More information is in our fact sheet.
MPI pre-arrival documentation for commercial vessels – Fact sheet [PDF, 321 KB]
If you have any questions, email vessels@mpi.govt.nz
An overview of the requirements for arriving vessels.
This process covers all vessels arriving in New Zealand, including:
The vessel operator or on-board person-in-charge is responsible for ensuring the requirements for arriving vessels are met.
See other sections of this website if you're:
If you're bringing a vessel to New Zealand, plan ahead. Make sure you're familiar with all the requirements, including requirements of other agencies like the NZ Customs Service (Customs).
All vessels arriving in New Zealand must comply with minimum requirements, no matter the length of stay or the ports they are visiting. Extra requirements may be needed for vessels:
As a minimum, all vessel operators must:
Customs also has information on its website for commercial vessels and cruise ships.
Vessels coming to New Zealand might bring with them unwanted pests, diseases, or other risk organisms. All vessel operators should be familiar and comply with the standard – Requirements for Vessels Arriving in New Zealand. In particular, they should note the controls in place to manage specific biosecurity risks, including:
Download Requirements for Vessels Arriving in New Zealand [PDF, 1 MB]
Vessels should be free of ants, bees, wasps, beetles, vermin and other hitchhiker animals and insects. Of particular concern are flighted spongy moth complex (usually found on vessels as egg masses), brown marmorated stink bugs and – in wooden parts of vessels – termites. Extra requirements are in place to ensure these pests do not enter New Zealand. You need to check if your vessel requires offshore inspection for specific pests.
Vessel operators should follow requirements for any wood packaging material on board such as dunnage, pallets, and wooden spacers.
Yachts and other pleasure craft sailing to New Zealand must meet the requirements that are mainly the same as all other vessels. These requirements are detailed in Step 2: What you need to do.
Skippers or operators of recreational vessels and super-yachts should also read information specific to yachts.
Cruise ships have to comply with the same rules as other commercial vessels but should note that:
Find out more about the extra requirements for cruise ships
Project vessels include:
Project vessel operators, charterers, or the company holding an EPA marine consent to carry out marine activities should contact MPI to discuss preparing to meet New Zealand's requirements – in particular how to minimise the transfer of marine pests on vessel hulls and other areas that have contact with the sea.
MPI will make an assessment and advise if any actions are needed before the vessel is brought to New Zealand.
The tasks you need to complete.
Vessel masters must send all documentation about the vessel, passengers, and cargo at least 48 hours before arrival in New Zealand.
The documents required will vary depending on your intentions in New Zealand, and the vessel's travel history. In the advance arrival notice form, you'll have to indicate if the vessel has:
Information about ballast water and biofouling management is also required.
Email completed documentation to the NZ Customs Service (Customs):
MPI will automatically get documents sent to these Customs' email addresses. If you need to contact MPI directly, email vessels@mpi.govt.nz.
The Biofouling and Ballast Water Declaration is in 3 parts. You will need to complete Part 3 of the declaration only if you intend to, or may, discharge ballast water within New Zealand waters.
Vessel operators are required to submit the forms when the vessel is 48 hours out from New Zealand.
If ballast water exchange is not completed 48 hours before arrival, mention this in your pre-arrival documentation and send the declaration as soon as it's available.
Where MPI is satisfied that the declaration shows that ballast water has been exchanged with mid-ocean water or treated by approved shipboard treatment, permission will be granted to release ballast water in New Zealand waters. Do not discharge ballast unless you have received this permission.
Operators must ensure their vessel arrives to New Zealand by going directly to an approved Place of First Arrival (POFA). This must be a POFA that has been approved to receive the type of vessel and cargo.
Arrival at a location that is not a POFA is only permitted if there is an emergency, or if the vessel operator has applied for and received prior approval from MPI to arrive at a location that is not a POFA.
You'll need to complete an application form if intending to arrive at a port other than a place of first arrival approved for your vessel. The application must give well-supported reasons for arriving at the specified place. Apply early because it can take up to 10 days to respond to a request.
Find out more about arriving at a location that is not a POFA
Where a cruise ship company is considering making vessel arrivals to New Zealand at popular cruise destinations which are not designated as POFA (such as Opua and Milford Sound), application to MPI should be made well in advance of the cruise season.
Find out more about cruise ship arrivals
A vessel operator must seek and await MPI permission if a vessel needs to take emergency shelter near shore before arrival at the intended arrival place. Emergency shelter may be sought for reasons of unforeseen circumstances such as if weather conditions or damage to the vessel make it impossible or impractical to go directly to the arrival place.
If you need emergency shelter, either:
If passengers or crew are permanently disembarking, hand out passenger arrival cards before arrival.
Find out about arrival documentation – New Zealand Traveller Declaration
All passengers or crew need to go through the usual immigration and Customs procedures when leaving the vessel in New Zealand. When disembarking temporarily, any items they are carrying that pose a biosecurity risk need to be declared including food and drink. The items may be inspected by an MPI quarantine inspector to decide whether the items can be landed.
Find out what items to declare when arriving in New Zealand
If you are in charge of a cruise ship, you must broadcast an announcement for disembarking passengers and crew. New Zealand's strict rules about not taking food and other risk items ashore can also be promoted to passengers using videos and newsletters. This will help gangway inspections to run smoothly and ensure excursions are not delayed.
Find out more about the announcement and other cruise ship requirements
Yacht skippers must notify Customs and MPI of intentions to land in New Zealand at least 48 hours before their planned arrival, or when the vessel is 12 nautical miles from the coastline.
They can make contact by calling Maritime Radio on one of these frequencies:
Biosecurity processing differs depending on where the vessel will visit and the length of stay in New Zealand.
Check vessel requirements [PDF, 1 MB]
Vessels in this category are those that:
These vessels do not need full biosecurity processing. Biosecurity risk goods on board (like food stores, garbage, dirty equipment, uncleared cargo) do not have to be removed. However, risk goods must be well secured to prevent the goods or contamination leaving the vessel (apart from through the appropriate process). They may need to be contained to prevent associated pests or diseases being transported to land. Risk goods, such as food must not be disposed of overboard unless in compliance with the international convention, MARPOL Annex V.
Full biosecurity processing is carried out if any of the following apply.
The vessel:
A Master's Declaration for Full Biosecurity Processing must be completed for vessels in this category. For yachts this is usually completed in the presence of an inspector. Other vessel operators should inform MPI if they plan to stay longer than 4 weeks, or visit places other than POFAs. They may choose to send the Master's Declaration with the Advance Notice of Arrival.
The person in charge and others on board will be required to declare and hand over all possible risk goods. An inspector will ensure all risk goods are dealt with – prohibited food items and the garbage will be removed for destruction (or otherwise dealt with) and other items removed, sent for treatment or dispatched overseas. After removal of all risk goods the vessel is free to travel anywhere in New Zealand.
All vessels arriving in New Zealand must provide evidence of biofouling management before they arrive.
The Craft Risk Management Standard (CRMS) for Vessels outlines the biofouling requirements. These differ, depending on the length of your stay.
Download the Craft Risk Management Standard (CRMS) – Biofouling on Vessels Arriving to New Zealand [PDF, 1 MB]
Find out more about biofouling requirements
The risk of a vessel being fouled depends on a combination of indicators. MPI uses these indicators to assess the risk a vessel may pose.
You can use this flow chart to self-assess your vessel. Note, this information is guidance only and does not constitute, and should not be regarded as, legal advice.
If your vessel will likely be assessed as medium or high risk, consider reducing your risk by carrying out in-water inspection or hull cleaning.
If you need any help assessing your vessel, email vessels@mpi.govt.nz
Biofouling compliance: Self-assessment tool for vessels arriving to New Zealand [PDF, 469 KB]
Detailed requirements for ballast water are in the import health standard (IHS) – Ships' Ballast Water from All Countries. This was updated in 2015 to include approved shipboard treatments.
Find out more about ballast water
Check the list of MPI-approved treatments for ballast water
International regulations for ballast water are likely to come into force soon. New Zealand is ready to move to new maritime rules that allow enforcement of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) ballast water regulations through our port state control agency – Maritime NZ. Also, you can learn more about ballast water management by approved shipboard treatment systems on the IMO website.
IMO website – ballast treatments
Check that all goods, sea-containers (including empty containers), live animals, bulk grain, fertiliser and other cargo, to be offloaded in New Zealand, meet their specific import requirements.
Find the process for importing your goods
For goods that are transported with wood packaging (like pallets and spacers), be aware of extra requirements for the packaging.
Find out more about importing:
Only approved importers who operate MPI-sanctioned Fertiliser Importation Systems may import bulk (in ship's hold) consignments of inorganic fertiliser. The vessels used may vary.
When importing bulk consignments of inorganic fertiliser, 3 types of certification are required:
Copies of these certificates are sent before arrival. If there are no certificates, there will be rigorous inspections on arrival.
MPI quarantine officers and Customs officers may board your vessel at the first port you arrive at, or any other port you go to.
After meeting with masters or their representatives to review and complete documentation, inspectors may inspect areas of the vessel. In some ports, a vessel arriving after 5pm may have an inspection the next morning, unless it is due to leave before 8am the next day. Inspectors may discuss appropriate pest and garbage management programmes (where needed). Areas for possible inspection include:
Inspectors will also look at documentation, including:
Make sure you've met all MPI requirements
If you have questions about bringing a vessel to New Zealand:
MPI uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using our website, you accept our use of cookies.