Limits by Country

Reference · Legal limits

New Zealand duty-free limits for alcohol, tobacco and other goods

New Zealand Customs gives eligible travellers separate concessions for wine or beer, spirits and tobacco. The NZD 700 limit applies to qualifying other goods.

Sources checked

Limits by Country Editorial Team

How to check a duty-free concessionNew Zealand Customs duty-free concessions for people arriving with goods
  1. 01
    Identify the category

    Check the individual concessions for wine or beer, spirits, tobacco and other goods. Source 1

  2. 02
    Check age and purpose

    Alcohol and tobacco concessions begin at 17. The alcohol concession covers personal goods and gifts. Source 1

  3. 03
    Keep individual allowances separate

    Travellers cannot pool the NZD 700 concession. Source 1

  4. 04
    Declare excess

    Use the New Zealand Traveller Declaration for excess tobacco and check what charges apply. Source 1

Check the goods category, the traveller’s eligibility and any excess to declare.

Source 1

Wine and spirits use separate limits

The wine or beer limit is 4.5 litres. A traveller can also qualify for up to three containers of spirits or liqueur. Each of those containers can have a capacity of no more than 1.125 litres. Customs says full duties apply to excess goods, including where a spirits container can hold more than that limit. Source 1

Choose the relevant tobacco allowance

Customs lists 50 cigarettes, 50 grams of cigars or tobacco products, or 50 grams of a mixture of all three. Travellers with tobacco above their allowance must declare it and pay duty and GST on the excess if keeping it. Customs provides disposal bins for unwanted tobacco in airport arrivals. Source 1

The age condition applies at the border

You must be at least 17 to claim the alcohol or tobacco concessions. The minimum age to buy those goods in New Zealand is 18. The alcohol concession covers things you bring for your own use or as gifts. Goods carried on someone else’s behalf or for sale or exchange fall outside that concession. Source 1

Apply the other-goods allowance to each traveller

The NZD 700 allowance for other qualifying goods is individual. A group or family cannot combine allowances. A child’s concession applies only to goods for the child that a child would own and use. Customs separately explains how to establish that a valuable item brought back into the country was already owned. Source 1

Sources

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