Animals & Animal Products

Animals need to meet specific conditions to enter New Zealand. These will depend on the type of animal and country of origin. Entry conditions are described in the appropriate Import Health Standard for that animal.

A Permit to Import may be required and animals and animal products may have to enter a MAF approved transitional or containment facility on arrival. Animals may be prohibited due to their protected status (see the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ).

Equipment associated with animals, such as grooming items, accessories and carrying cases. are subject to requirements detailed in this Import Health Standard.

Medication for animals may need approval from the Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines Group . Please also refer to the protocol for accompanied animals entering New Zealand that require medication.

Information on Commercial Importing of animals or animal products is available in the Standards and Regulations, Importing, Animals section. MAF must be satisfied that goods or organisms given biosecurity clearance show no signs of pests and diseases. Information about specific pests and unwanted organisms is available in the Registers, Lists and Indexes section.

Pets

For information about bringing your pets (in particular cats or dogs), please refer to the Your Pets section of this site.

Animal products entering New Zealand

We encourage travellers not to bring food into New Zealand as many of them pose serious risks. In general, perishable food is prohibited. Official documentation may be required to allow entry. See What You Must Declare - Restricted Animals and Animal Products. All animal products - from pet food to heat-and-eat meals to poultry feathermeal products - will be required to meet Import Health Standards. Travellers should contact MAFBNZ Clearance Services or the animal imports team before importing these types of food.

For information about private consignments of meat products see the following Import Health Standard for Specified Foods containing Animal Products. An inspection may be required to determine whether or not the product is eligible for importation. Most meat products eligible for importation must have been cooked to certain specifications included in the relevant import health standard.

Please refer to the information available in the What you must declare section of our site for information about specific commodities. You may also wish to refer to the Registers, Lists and Indexes section for information about unwanted pests and diseases.

Page last updated: 10 June 2008