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Cabinet approves fee changes for border management of goods

04.19pm 12 March 2025

Important Notice

Cabinet has approved changes to the fees and levies that the New Zealand Customs Service (Customs) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) charge to recover the costs of managing goods crossing our border.

Cabinet has approved changes to the fees and levies that the New Zealand Customs Service (Customs) and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) charge to recover the costs of managing goods crossing our border.

Summary of the changes

Customs’ goods fee rates will change on 1 July 2025.

The structure and rates of Customs’ and MPI’s fees and levies will change on 1 April 2026, including:

  • setting separate rates for air and sea consignments (Customs only)
  • charging low-value goods per consignment and ceasing to charge per cargo report
  • charging low-value goods transported by international mail
  • charging commercial vessels
  • charging international transhipments and empty shipping containers (Customs only)
  • ending taxpayer subsidies for low-value goods and commercial vessels to fully recover Customs’ and MPI’s costs through charges.

Cabinet material

The purpose of the Cabinet paper was to seek agreement to changes to the fees and levies that Customs and MPI charge to recover the costs of managing goods crossing our border.

When this Cabinet paper is available, it will be published at Cabinet material.

Key advice

Key advice will be published at Goods clearance fees review.

Consultation document

Customs and MPI consulted on proposed changes. The period for making submissions closed on 31 October 2024. The consultation document is available below.

Submissions

Public submissions will be made available shortly at Goods clearance fees review.

Fees and levy rates from 1 July 2025 to 31 March 2026

Below is a table of the fees and levies to apply from 1 July 2025 to 31 March 2026. Customs’ fees will change. MPI’s Biosecurity System Entry Levy (BSEL) will not change.

 

Customs
up to 30 June 2025

$ excl GST

Customs
from 1 July 2025
until 31 March 2026

$ excl GST

MPI’s BSEL

$ excl GST

Import Entry Transaction Fee (usually paid by customs brokers)

34.85

46.47

46.40

Inward Cargo Transaction Fee (usually paid by freight forwarders and craft operators)

    

 
  • Sea

467.03

207.53

41.28
  • Air

81.26

104.36

41.28

Export Entry Transaction Fee (usually paid by customs brokers)

    

 
  • Secure Exports Scheme (air and sea)

3.44

3.64

 
  • Other exports (air and sea)

7.20

5.44

 

Outward Cargo Transaction Fee for Outward Cargo Report (usually paid by freight forwarders and craft operators)

    

 
  • Sea

19.61

37.01

 
  • Air

15.15

39.59

 

Outward Cargo Transaction Fee for Cargo Report (Export) (usually paid by freight forwarders)

    

 
  • Sea

5.87

11.47

 
  • Air

42.20

60.82

 

Fees and levy rates to apply from 1 April 2026

Below is a table showing the new structure of fees and levies to apply from 1 April 2026. “High-value” means consignments valued over $1000, and “low-value” means consignments valued at $1000 or less.

 

Customs $ excl GST

MPI $ excl GST

Combined $ excl GST

Imports

 

 

 

High-value import (air) (usually paid by customs brokers)

7.24

44.57

51.81

High-value import (sea) (usually paid by customs brokers)

73.87

44.57

118.44

Low-value import (air) (usually paid by freight forwarders)

1.46

0.75

2.21

Low-value import (sea) (usually paid by freight forwarders)

1.34

0.75

2.09

Inwards international mail (per kilogram) (usually paid by craft operators)

0.40

0.88

1.28

International transhipment (air) (usually paid by freight forwarders)

1.46

Nil

1.46

International transhipment (sea) (usually paid by freight forwarders)

1.34

Nil

1.34

Empty container (sea) (usually paid by shipping lines)

1.34

Nil

1.34

Exports

 

 

 

High-value export (air) (usually paid by customs brokers)

3.35

Nil

3.35

Secure Export Scheme (sea) (usually paid by customs brokers)

3.76

Nil

3.76

Other high-value export (sea) (usually paid by customs brokers)

8.13

Nil

8.13

Low-value export (air) (usually paid by freight forwarders)

2.48

Nil

2.48

Low-value export (sea) (usually paid by freight forwarders)

3.22

Nil

3.22

Vessels

 

 

 

Commercial vessel (usually paid by vessel operators)

3,717.00

962.00

4,679.00

Further information

More information on these changes, including:

  • why a review was undertaken
  • what the review covered
  • what the outcome of the review is
  • when the structural changes will take effect

is available at Goods clearance fees review.