Arriving in New Zealand: the Traveller Declaration can be submitted from 24 hours before your trip starts

Everyone travelling into New Zealand must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration, the NZTD, which collects travel, customs, immigration and biosecurity information in one place. The official NZTD site says the system replaces the old paper Passenger Arrival Card.

Timing is the detail most likely to catch travellers out. For air passengers, the earliest a declaration can be submitted is 24 hours before the start of the trip to New Zealand, so it cannot be done days in advance. For those arriving by sea, the window opens 24 hours before the vessel leaves its last foreign port before New Zealand.

The declaration can be completed online or in the official NZTD app, and the site says there is no need to print anything out. Because the NZTD brings customs and biosecurity questions together with immigration details, it is worth having your passport, flight details and a clear idea of what is in your luggage to hand before you start, particularly any food, plant or animal products.

Any visa or NZeTA requirement should be checked separately with Immigration New Zealand. Before travelling, check the official NZTD and Immigration New Zealand pages, and use only the government website or app to submit your declaration.