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Entering by boat: New Zealand

What to do to enter New Zealand by sea: the procedures, the papers to present and the ports where you can clear in.

Based on official sources, checked on 28 October 2026.

Before you arrive

The steps

  1. At least 48 hours before entering NZ waters (12 nm), preferably before leaving your last port: e-mail the NZCS 340 with passport photo pages, the certificate of registration, a photo of the whole boat and evidence of value (attachments, not links).
  2. Before arrival: clean hull; visa or NZeTA if required; New Zealand Traveller Declaration completed by berthing at the latest.
  3. En route: AIS on, Q flag at 12 nm, call Maritime Radio.
  4. On arrival (Opua, Marsden Cove, Auckland, Picton, Lyttelton…): stay on board until customs and biosecurity clear you; Inward Report C1B within 24 hours.

Papers to have on board

  • Passports for the whole crew
  • Visas, if your nationality requires them
  • Boat papers (registration certificate)
  • Photo of the boat
  • Value of the boat
  • General declaration
  • Biosecurity declaration

Good to know

  • Tauranga no longer receives arriving yachts; Nelson only for boats meeting the biosecurity standard.
  • Temporary import reduced from 24 to 21 months since 1 September 2026.
  • Prohibited food is seized; a dirty hull is treated or penalised.

Ports of entry

The ports where you can clear in, and the services available there.

Île du Nord

Île du Nord (Bay of Islands)

Île du Sud

Prepare your arrival with Hullteam

In the app, free: the map of every port of entry and its offices with their contacts, the crew list and the entry forms filled in for you, ready to print or send to an agent.

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Sources

This information is gathered from public sources and sailors’ experience. It does not replace the country’s authorities, whose word is final: check before you leave.