International delivery updates

The time for New Zealand Customs to assess parcels is between 3-5 working days. Sign up for email alerts in the tracking tool to monitor progress and get notified if you need to take action to release your item for delivery.

If action is required, our tracking tool will have instructions on the steps you need to take. Depending on the parcel's contents, NZ Customs may require an import entry or Duty and/or GST to be paid. 

Once NZ Customs has released your item, it can take 2-10 working days for NZ Post to receive your parcel for processing. If more than 10 working days have passed since NZ Customs released your parcel, please get in touch so we can help locate it.

NZ Post can't locate your parcel until it arrives in New Zealand, is released by NZ Customs and is scanned at our end. If you have concerns, please get in touch with the sender or local courier company in the origin country for an update. 

If you're expecting a delivery from overseas, the sender may have emailed you the tracking number with your shipping confirmation.

If the sender has given NZ Post your email address, we'll email you directly to let you know your tracking number and your item's progress. 

If your status says With border agency or Held for clearance, your parcel is with the overseas border authority and preparing to enter the destination country. 

We can't tell you how long the parcel you've sent overseas may take to clear the border. If your status hasn't updated in 3 working days and you are the sender, please get in touch with us. Otherwise, we recommend the receiver contact their local courier company for a faster response. 

Your parcel is preparing to leave New Zealand and will soon be in transit with the airline to the destination country. 

On arrival overseas, your status may update to With border agency or Held for clearance, which means the overseas border authority is checking the parcel before it enters the country.

Your parcel is being processed in the destination country for delivery. You can check for any disruptions or processing delays for your country below.

If your parcel is taking longer than indicated, we recommend you ask the receiver to contact their local delivery company which will result in a faster outcome. Otherwise, please get in touch using our parcel enquiry form.

Honey or bee products
NZ Post stores accept parcels of Honey or Bee products for sending by any international service but ONLY if they meet the following criteria outlined here:

• The sender of the Honey or Bee products must be a registered exporter, or the product is being shipped on behalf of a registered exporter.  
• The exporter must have labeled the parcel with the exporter ID, exporter address, and either product ID and batch number, or transfer document number. 
• Honey or Bee products must be addressed to a private individual or contain export samples for laboratory testing purposes.
• The maximum weight limit of any shipment including honey or bee products is 2kgs (this is inclusive of the packaging and any other items in the package).
• Note: Consumers are unable to send honey as a gift overseas unless they are a registered exporter. The sender of the Honey or Bee products must be a registered exporter, or the product is being shipped on behalf of a registered exporter.

These regulations are set by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) not New Zealand Post.

Milk powder or infant formula
NZ Post can accept dairy products and infant formula for sending by any international service but ONLY if the sender meets the following criteria outlined here:

To send infant formula or milk powder overseas you must:

• register as an animal products exporter under the Animal Products Act 1999 or use the services of an exporter who is already registered
• meet the requirements outlined in the Export Requirements for Infant Formula Products and Formulated Supplementary Foods for Young Children
• meet any overseas market access requirements (OMARs) which apply, and
• secure certification if official assurance is required for the destination market.

Note: Under New Zealand law only registered exporters can export dairy products, including milk powder and infant formula. This includes online sales to overseas consumers or businesses. New Zealand infant formula is highly regarded in our export markets. The high quality and safety of our infant formula are a key reason for this. The regulations are set by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) not NZ Post.

Printer toner cartridges
Due to international security requirements, printer toner cartridges will not be permitted to be sent by any international service to any international destinations.

Samsung Galaxy Note7 Phones
All Samsung Galaxy Note7 phones will not be permitted to be sent by any international service to any international destinations. This includes all Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices, including newly manufactured ones from the factory and old Samsung Note7 devices recalled from customers, retailers and distributors.

VIVO electronic devices
Express International service cannot accept or carry VIVO electronic devices anywhere in the network until further notice.

Other sending restrictions
Please refer to our Prohibited & Restricted page for a complete list of items you can't send and restricted items you can send, but only in certain circumstances.

Countries covered in Australia - Zone A: All states of Australia.

Nicotine vaping products
From 1 October 2021, consumers based in Australia will need a prescription (script) to purchase e-cigarettes and e-liquids containing nicotine from overseas for personal therapeutic use under the personal importation scheme. There are also requirements on maximum quantities per importation and annum limits. These changes affect nicotine e-cigarettes and nicotine liquid, as well as other novel nicotine delivery products, including heat-not burn tobacco. There are no changes to the availability of e-cigarettes that do not contain nicotine. Please note that there are significant penalties for importers where they do not comply with relevant legislation. For more information please visit: https://www.tga.gov.au/nicotine-vaping-products.

All nicotine vaping products are prescription only medicines in Australia and must be accompanied by a copy of the receiver’s Australian doctor’s prescription (this can be displayed in a pouch on the outside of the parcel). Customs documentation must accurately describe the contents. By sending such products via our services, the sender confirms they have the required consent of the receiver to use any personal data in the prescription or other documentation to facilitate delivery by us, including NZ Post disclosing or transferring that information to our delivery suppliers and/or Australian governmental authorities.

If you are sending nicotine vaping products via Express international service, the prescription that has a unique electronic token in the form of a QR code cannot be used to release the items under personal importation scheme. The prescription must correspond to the amount being imported and include sufficient details to show the sending items the prescription relates to.

Countries covered in South Pacific - Zone B: American Samoa, Cocos Islands, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Norfolk Island, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.

Countries covered in Asia - Zone C: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China - People's Republic of, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea - Democratic People's Republic of (North), Korea - Republic of (South), Laos People's Democratic Republic, Macau, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Midway Island, Myanmar, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Vietnam, Wake Island.

Indonesia
When sending to Indonesia, please provide the receiver’s tax ID (NPWP) of the Indonesian resident, where available. Please note this information is mandatory for all international services, including Economy, Courier and Express. Please obtain this information from the receiver before sending. For commercial shipments, tax ID information is required. For personal shipments, if the tax ID number is not available, the alternatives are National identity number, or passport number for foreigners or other identification number, such as driver’s licence number. Please put this information on the consignment notes.

Failure to comply with the information may result in processing delays at the destination as items will be held until the required identification numbers have been provided.

Thailand
The importation of the following items into Thailand requires permits or licenses from consignee regardless of quantities:

• Cosmetics
• Foodstuffs
• Medicines

The following items are prohibited and will be destroyed by Thai Authorities:

• E-cigarettes
• Personal massagers
• TV streaming boxes (e.g. Chromecast, Apple TV etc)

Starts: 02.10.17
Ends: Ongoing

Brunei Darussalam, China (People's Republic), Indonesia, Laos People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
Our current aircraft carrier provider has prohibited the transportation of ALL liquid items to these destinations. We are currently working on alternative carrier solutions.

Starts: 09.03.23
Ends: Ongoing

Other sending restrictions
Please refer to our Prohibited & Restricted page for a complete list of items you can't send and restricted items you can send, but only in certain circumstances.

Countries covered in Canada, Europe & United Kingdom - Zone D: Alderney, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Holy See (Vatican City State), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

Countries covered in United States of America - Zone US: All states of the United States of America.

Covering Rest of the world - Zone E: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Azerbaijan, Azores, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, British Indian Ocean Territory, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Christmas Island, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic (formerly Zaire), Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, French Southern Territories, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India#, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Maldives, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestinian Territory - Occupied, Panama Republic, Paraguay, Peru, Pitcairn Island, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Russian Federation, Rwanda, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, São Tomé and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Somalia, South Africa, South Georgia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Virgin Islands (British), Virgin Islands (USA), Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Brazil
Mandatory information for Express international service to Brazil:

The receiver’s tax ID number or national ID number is required. Without it your items will be rejected as we cannot process them. Please put this information on the consignment notes. Please obtain this information from the receiver before sending. For personal shipments, this information may be the national ID number or individual tax ID number for local citizens, or passport number for other residents. For commercial shipments, this information may be the corporate tax ID number.

Ghana
Express international service does not accept electronic goods/electric goods from private individuals shipping to Ghana. All shipments to Ghana using Express international express service will incur 100% security inspection regardless of content.

India 
Mandatory information for Express international service to India:

The receiver’s tax ID number or national ID number is required. Without it your items will be rejected as we cannot process them. Please put this information on the consignment notes. Please obtain this information from the receiver before sending. For personal shipments, this information may be the national ID number or individual tax ID number for local citizens, or passport number for other residents. For commercial shipments, this information may be the corporate tax ID number.

Sending Passports to India via Express International:

• Shipments must be addressed to an Embassy/Consulate/Regulatory body.
• Shipments must travel as a “Document” with an official letter to accompany it.
• Value of the goods must be the stated as the replacement value of the passport.

Sending precious metal and stones to India via Express International:

• Items made of (or mostly consisting of) precious metals and gemstones may not be sent to India with Express International.
• This applies to items made of gold, silver, rhodium, platinum, diamond, ruby, sapphire, emerald, opal and amethyst. It also applies to other precious metals and gemstones.
• If a shipment contains fake precious metals or gemstones (e.g. imitation gold jewellery), this should be clearly specified on the airway bill and invoice. It will then be sent for testing and valuation before it can be customs-cleared and forwarded to the end receiver.
• Shipping precious metals and gemstones from India is acceptable. Here the only limitation is the import regulations of the destination country.

Start: 2016
Ends: Ongoing

Jordan
Mandatory information for Express international service to Jordan:

The receiver’s tax ID number or national ID number is required. Without it your items will be rejected as we cannot process them. Please put this information on the consignment notes. Please obtain this information from the receiver before sending. For personal shipments, this information may be the national ID number or individual tax ID number for local citizens, or passport number for other residents. For commercial shipments, this information may be the corporate tax ID number.

South Africa
Our current aircraft carrier provider has prohibited the transportation of ALL liquid items to South Africa. We are currently working on alternative carrier solutions.

Starts: 09.02.23
Ends: Ongoing

Other sending restrictions
Please refer to our Prohibited & Restricted page for a complete list of items you can't send and restricted items you can send, but only in certain circumstances.