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.

From 29 August 2025, all items arriving in the US are subject to duties and taxes, regardless of value. This is due to changes introduced by the US Government, including the removal of the duty-free threshold and new tariffs for imports. 

Duties and taxes are calculated based on:

• Type of item being sent
• Declared value of the item
• Country of origin (where the item was made)

These charges are determined by US Customs and Border Protection.

Here are some examples:

• Clothing, made in China, declared value of $200, estimated duty $50 (25% tariff) and estimated processing fee of $1.30
• Handmade jewellery, made in New Zealand, declared value of $500, estimated duty $75 (15% tariff) and estimated processing fee of $1.90
• Electronics, made in India, declared value of $150, estimated duty $45 (30% tariff) and estimated processing fee of $1.10

Please note these costs don’t include shipping costs.

When using Economy & Courier: The sender will be responsible for paying any applicable duties, taxes, and fees. Selected stores that accept the digital customs forms now offer this service. Find a store. 

When using Express: The receiver in the US will be responsible for paying any applicable duties, taxes, and fees. You can send using Express in any NZ Post store that offers overseas sending. Find a store

As the requirement to comply with the maximum US$100 threshold is strict, NZ Post have limited sending to a lesser amount in order to allow for currency fluctuations, and to ensure that the requirements are met in our sending tools, and so that Terms remain consistent and are not subject to regular change in order to meet this requirement. 

The processing fee is a charge applied for paying duties and taxes on behalf of the sender. This fee is 2.5% of the total duties and taxes.

This change applies to items entering the US only, so anything you have ordered using You Shop travelling from our You Shop warehouse in the US will not be subject to the new tariff. However, we recommend keeping updated with the latest delivery information for items arriving from overseas using our International Delivery updates page.  

Sending to the United States has reopened for most customers. Our Economy, Economy Tracked, Economy Plus and Courier services are now available for on-account business customers, with duties and taxes paid solutions (Delivered Duty Paid). This means no surprises for your customers when they receive your parcels in the US. 

Service	On -account customers	My NZ Post business customers
Economy	Only available with online labelling
Economy Tracked	Only available with online labelling
Economy Plus	Only available with online labelling
Courier	Only available with online labelling
All items sent via Express (including documents)	Only available with online labelling
Letters sent via Economy Letters.	Only available with online labelling
New: Courier Select_US	Only available with online labelling
Gift sending

We are working to reopen services for our My NZ Post Business customers.  If you’re a regular sender to the US and interested in becoming on-account customer? Get in touch with us today. 

There are a few new requirements you’ll need to be aware of: 

• Duties and taxes are now paid by the sender 

These will be charged to your account and itemised on your invoice, along with a $5 admin fee and a 5% disbursement fee per consignment. 

• More detailed data is required 

Including the 10-digit Harmonised Tariff Code, country of origin, and accurate goods descriptions. Use our Tariff Lookup API to help classify your goods. 

• Electronic labelling is mandatory  

Use our tools to easily create compliant labels, either eShip, or integrating with our Parcel Label API. 

New commercial sending solution available: We’re pleased to announce that Courier Select_US is now available for on-account business customers.  Available now for NZ Post shipping tools and platforms (e.g. Parcel Label API and eShip). Check availability with your provider if you use other shipping tools.  

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 NZ 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.

Changes to Vape Legislation 

Australian government has amended the regulations relating to the personal importing of vape products, came into effective from 1 January 2024.  

From 1 January 2024 

• The importation of disposable vapes into Australia was banned without an import licence and permit from the Office of Drug Control. 

From 1 March 2024 

• A complete ban on the importation of all vapes without an import licence and permit from the Office of Drug Control. 
• Closure of the Personal Importation Scheme for vapes, meaning only businesses will be eligible to obtain import licences and permits for vaping products and must have a permit for each type of product.  
• New requirement for therapeutic vape importers and manufacturers to notify the Therapeutic Goods Administration relating to compliance with the relevant product standards before importation or release for supply into Australia. 

Please visit the following resources for more information regarding these new regulations: 

https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/vaping-hub/reforms-regulation-vapes 

 https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/vaping-hub/vapes-compliance-and-enforcement 

https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/vaping-hub/vapes-information-patients 

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.

Brunei Darussalam, China (People's Republic), Indonesia, Laos, 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

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

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 Economy (except Letters and Registered), Courier and Express international services 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.

The items may be rejected and returned by destination country if the receiver’s tax ID number isn’t provided.

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 either be shipped from the Embassy/Consulate/their officially authorised representative or shipped to the Embassy/Consulate/their officially authorised representative.
• Shipments must travel as a “Document” with an official letter to accompany it.
• The declared 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

Israel
The Israeli identity number of the addressee (if the recipient is a person), or the VAT number (if the recipient is a corporation), is required by Israel’s customs authority when you are sending with Courier Extension (EMS) service.

Start: 1 January 2024
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

Türkiye – New customs requirements for certain items

Effective from 20 October 2025, Türkiye has introduced new customs regulations that apply to Economy, Courier International items containing:

• Shoes

• Toys

• Leather goods (including bags and suitcases made of real or artificial leather)

These items now require a full, detailed import customs declaration, regardless of the item’s value or quantity.

To complete customs clearance, the recipient in Türkiye must engage a customs consultant to submit the declaration to the Turkish Customs Administration. This may result in additional costs for the recipient.

We recommend senders inform recipients in Türkiye of these changes to avoid delays or unexpected charges.

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.