New Zealand Import Regulations For Car Shipping

Willship primarily offers specialized Import Services from the following locations

United Kingdom

Shipping Options

Roll on, Roll off
Shared Container
20ft and 40ft Container

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USA

Shipping Options

Roll on, Roll off
Shared Container
20ft and 40ft Container

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Australia

Shipping Options

Roll on, Roll off
20ft and 40ft Container

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South Africa

Shipping Options

Roll on, Roll off
Shared Container
20ft and 40ft Container

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Japan

Shipping Options

Roll on, Roll off
Shared Container
20ft and 40ft Container

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If your location is not mentioned above, we can still help. Please contact us and let us know where you’re looking to ship from and we’ll be able to advise on availability and price.

If you have any questions, or you’d like to speak with us on the phone then please give us a call and one of our friendly team can talk through it with you.

First Step: Obtaining an Import Approval

To protect our Australian car market our government has set up a complex set of rules and regulations to heavily restrict the import of vehicles and similar cargo into Australia. To try and understand the laws in full would take pages and pages of information so we will do our best to summarise the basics below.

Your first step when importing is to gain an import approval, these are issued through the Department of Infrastructure – the type of import approval depends on the circumstances surrounding the import. For the purpose of this article we will focus solely on vehicles intended to be registered for use on Australian roads.

If you don’t intend to register the vehicle on Australian roads then you are welcome to import pretty much anything you like – Race cars, monster trucks, dirt bikes, dune buggies etc will be all OK to import under the ‘Non-Road Vehicles Option‘

My vehicle is older than 25 years old

For your vehicle, there are no major restrictions. You will simply need to apply for a vehicle import approval under the ‘Interim measure: vehicles older than 25 years’ option.

The approval should be granted on the basis that the vehicle is older than 25 years old at the time of import approval application.

For more information as well as details on how to apply please see the following link – https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports/import_options/interim-measure.aspxhttps://infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports/

My vehicle was manufactured in the last 25 years

This option is probably the most complicated, it means your vehicle needs to be imported under the Australian Governments ‘Registered Automotive Workshop Scheme’ (RAWS)

It means the vehicle MUST be on the RAWS list in order to be eligible to import into Australia, here is a link to the list (RAWS List)

If you find the make and model of vehicle you are looking to import on the list, then it will display a list of RAWS depot’s around Australia who are able to handle the import approval and compliance process for you. Your first step would be to contact the RAWS depot to check on costs and the process. If you are happy with the costs for the approval and the compliance, then it’s best to get in touch with Willship so we can advise on freight costs, import taxes etc and we can move forward from there.

This option can be a little complicated and tricky to understand so please give us a call on 07 3267 3694 if you’d like a better understanding as to how this option works.

My vehicle has been owned and used by an individual for in excess of 12 months in a foreign country.

If this is the case, then you can apply for a ‘personal import approval’ which allows you to import a vehicle and bypass the RAWS requirements on newer model vehicles. It’s a great option for ex-pats looking to move back to Australia who are lucky enough to of owned and used their vehicle’s overseas for in excess of 12 months.

More information on personal imports on the following link – https://infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports/import_options/pis.aspx

My vehicle was originally exported out of Australia and is now returning

Awesome! This makes things really easy, if the vehicle is fitted with an Australian compliance plate then you’ll just need to apply for an import approval under the Australian Plated Vehicle’s option.

If you can prove that the vehicle was originally exported from Australia then you’re also able to import it back into Australia without having to pay any import tax. Getting it back on the road is also really easy as well, it will just need a safety certificate and then you can re-register it.

How do I handle compliance and registration?

Willship can assist you with all necessary safety and compliance checks in order for the vehicle to be registered in the New Zealand. We can even organize the registration for you so all you have to do is drive away.

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Does Willship Only Import Cars to New Zealand?

No, Willship imports many different vehicle and machinery types every year into New Zealand. These have included:

• Trucks
• Trailer
• Jet Ski’s
• Boats
• Caravans
• Motorhomes
• Motorcycles

Plus much more! Please get in touch and let’s chat about how we can help.

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Leave it all to Willship

This includes:

Supporting you to get all key documents together

Organising pick up and International Freight from anywhere in the world

Clearing your car through New Zealand customs and quarantine

On road compliance and warrant of fitness (optional)

IMPORT INTO NEW ZEALAND

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Client Testimonials

We have moved thousands of vehicles in and out of New Zealand. Our team understands how important it is to safely move your goods from one place to another. That is why we will look after your asset while in-transit and deliver it to the designated location whilst taking the utmost care. Whether you are purchasing aluxury or classic car from overseas or you're moving aboard and want to take your cargo with you, you can trust Willship with your shipping needs. We are the international shipping partner you can depend on and our past clients can attest to our proven track record!

A big thanks to the Team at WillShip International.
They’ve just shipped my Triton from Perth to Wellington.
If you want a totally Stress free, reliable company these guys are the ones to use.
Fantastic Price and I was always kept up to date on the arrival of my Ute.
Thanks so much!

Paul Webster

Highly professional company who do what they say they will. I was extremely happy with their efforts to assist me in importing my car into NZ recently. Highly recommended!

Stuart Kath

Easy straightforward service and great advice they gave us saving hundreds of dollars. Great companies highly recommend if we ever move vehicles and are so affordable. We are happy customers

Engelbert N Helen Shum

Shipped our vehicle from Brisbane to Auckland New Zealand. The process was a total breeze.
The whole team was fantastic to deal with. Prompt communication, forwarded all necessary information and very pleasant to deal with. Answered all of our questions. Compliance was pre-paid through Willship International and was the best decision we made.
Thank you to the Willship team.

Terry Mun

They looked after me and kept me up to date on both sides of the Tasman. Every person I spoke to was courteous and happy and that includes the pick of and delivery guys.

Rick Purnell

The staff in both Brisbane and Wellington were amazing. They made the process so much less stressful than I had anticipated. The team in Wellington kept me updated several times a day on what was happening with my car.
I would highly recommend Willship to anyone needing to ship their vehicle overseas.

Trudi Taylor

I have to say that Carol & I are extremely happy with the service provided, both in Australia and New Zealand in these difficult times, instant responses to emails and questions and we would have no hesitation in recommending Willship International to future customers

Derek Adams

Thanks to the team at Willship for making the movement of my 2 cars from Aus to NZ so smooth and effortless, awesome people to deal with, highly recommend them

Patrick Lynch

We used Willship International to bring our truck to NZ from Brisbane. From organizing our quote, insurances to dropping the truck into Brisbane and getting it to our doorstep in NZ was AMAZING!!!

Communication from The Brisbane Crew to the Great Team in NZ made the whole process so easy and stress-free. Definitely recommend these guys to anyone wanting to move vehicles over the water.

Five-star service guys and girls. ☆☆☆☆☆ Very grateful.

Monique Maree

I couldn’t be happier with the service I received from Willship when I sent my car home to Wellington from Melbourne.
The team were out of this world helpful, answered all my questions, there were no surprises at all and even the paperwork was made easy with their help.
Thank you all so very much. Totally recommend them.