If you are importing a vehicle to New Zealand, you should talk with an entry certifier early in the process to get advice on your vehicle’s suitability. If your vehicle doesn’t meet the standards on arrival, it may be too late to do anything about it.

The first step you need to take when importing a vehicle is to identify which New Zealand vehicle class it comes under. The vehicle class determines which technical standards apply to your vehicle and also whether you, or the vehicle, must meet any special terms or conditions.
Vehicle classes range from bicycles through to heavy trucks and trailers.

After identified the specific requirements vehicle needs to meet, you need to get the documentation to prove it. The evidence varies depending on the vehicle’s class and age. As well as providing proof that you’re the legal owner of your vehicle you’ll need evidence of compliance for whichever of these applies:
• exhaust emissions standards (a stringent condition across vehicle classes and age)
• frontal impact standards
• fuel consumption information
• heavy vehicle brake standards
• other standards that vary depending on the date of manufacture.

When your vehicle meets the applicable New Zealand standards, you can arrange transport with a shipping agent to get it to New Zealand. You should carry out several additional checks at this step.

• If your vehicle is new and you’re using a Statement of Compliance as evidence you may also need test certificate information that shows it was manufactured to meet the required standards. Entry certifiers can advise whether you need this.

• If your vehicle is currently registered in its country of origin, you need to deregister the vehicle with that country’s registration authority and keep all the documents.

When you are ready with the all requirements you need to import your vehicle it’s a good time to double check that you have all the information and documentation required for when the vehicle lands on shore. You also need to arrange for an entry certifier to perform the entry certification inspection.