You can't bring most fresh foods (meat, fruit, veg), animals, plants, honey, or animal products (feathers, shells, bone carvings) into New Zealand due to strict biosecurity; other prohibited items include illegal drugs, weapons, some medicines, and objectionable material, with severe penalties for failing to declare items like dirty outdoor gear or unapproved foods. Always check the NZ Customs website and Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) tool before travelling.
Leave these forbidden items at home
Items You Cannot Bring to New Zealand
This includes things like some foods, used outdoor equipment, animal and plant products. You may also need to declare medicines, tobacco, alcohol and if you are carrying NZ$10,000 or more cash (or equivalent) into New Zealand. Your traveller declaration is a legal document.
When traveling to New Zealand, NZ Customs will allow you to bring in packaged food items such things as pasta, bread and snacks so long as it is wrapped well. However, YOU MUST DECLARE IT, as New Zealand has strict bio-security laws.
All food items brought into New Zealand, even the smallest amounts and ingredients for cooking, need to be declared. Food items include: fresh fruit and vegetables.
You must declare all food products. If you declare all agricultural products you are bringing into the United States, you will not be penalized even if an agricultural specialist determines they cannot enter the country. If you fail to declare food products, you could face up to $10,000 in fines and penalties.
You can't bring sharp items (knives, scissors over 6cm), many tools (hammers, saws), firearms, flammable liquids/gases, corrosive chemicals (bleach, oven cleaner), explosives, pepper spray/mace, large lithium batteries, and items that look like weapons on a plane carry-on. Restricted liquids (over 100ml), certain powders (over 350ml/g), and some electronics like hoverboards also face limitations or bans.
Canned, cooked, preserved, dried, and highly processed plant products, including tea, coffee, dehydrated meals with meat and no meat. Most of these products are allowed if: they are identifiable. you cannot grow plants from the products.
By law, you must declare any goods listed on your incoming passenger card, including certain food, plant material and animal products. You can be penalised if you don't declare goods or provide an incorrect declaration. You could: receive a fine of up to A$5,500.
You will need 6 skilled resident points from your skills and work in New Zealand. These are the points you need before you can apply for a Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa. You can get: 3 to 6 points based on your occupational registration, qualification, or income.
Food held between 5oC and 60oC for 4 hours or more must be thrown away. The time between 5oC and 60oC is cumulative— that means you need to add up every time the food has been out of the fridge, including during preparation, storage, transport and display.
All liquids, aerosols, gels or pastes must be in individual containers not larger than 100ml in volume. This includes any item you can pump, squeeze, spread, smear, spray, or spill (things like toothpaste, peanut butter, sunscreen, liquid electrolytes, and bug spray).
The 333 packing method is a minimalist travel hack where you pack 3 tops, 3 bottoms, and 3 pairs of shoes to create numerous outfits for a trip, often fitting everything into a carry-on bag by focusing on versatile, mix-and-match pieces. Popularized on TikTok by creators like Rachel Spencer, this strategy helps avoid overpacking by challenging you to build many looks from a small capsule wardrobe, maximizing outfits (sometimes over 20) from just nine core items.
Quick list of prohibited items
92-day rule
You do not have to apply for a certificate of exemption from withholding tax if you come from a country that has a DTA with New Zealand and you're eligible for total New Zealand tax relief under that agreement. You must also be present in New Zealand for a total of 92 or fewer days in any 12-month period.
Coffee (Roasted, Green, Whole, Seeds, Plant Parts)
Roasted Coffee: Travelers are permitted to bring unlimited quantities of roasted coffee in their luggage without restriction through any U.S. port of entry. However, as with all agricultural products, you must declare the product at entry.
Liquid or gel food items larger than 3.4 oz are not allowed in carry-on bags and should be placed in your checked bags if possible. Passengers flying from Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands to the U.S. mainland cannot take most fresh fruits and vegetables due to the risk of spreading invasive plant pests.
Yes. All food items, including chocolate, must be declared.
You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams and pastes through the checkpoint. These are limited to 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item. This is also known as the 3-1-1 liquids rule.
The most confiscated items at airports are usually everyday items people forget about, primarily oversized liquids, aerosols, and gels (LAGs), along with knives, sharp objects (like scissors, multi-tools), and lighters, due to carry-on restrictions, with firearms also frequently found in checked bags despite strict rules. Batteries (especially lithium) are also common, needing to be in carry-ons, and even items like protein powder can be flagged for extra screening.
Portable chargers or power banks containing a lithium ion battery must be packed in carry-on bags. Spare lithium batteries, which include both power banks and phone chargers, are prohibited in checked luggage.
Additionally, perishable foods, including raw meat, seafood, and dairy products, are usually restricted since they can spoil or pose contamination risks during transit. It's always best to pack travel-friendly foods to avoid any inconvenience at security checks and ensure a smooth journey.
TSA-Approved Snacks
You must declare all food, plant and animal products when you arrive. This includes any pets you may be travelling with. If you do not declare your pets or food, plant and animals products, border services officers may seize (take away) them, and you may have to pay a penalty of up to $1,300.