Cabinet approves fee changes for border management of goods
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 $ excl GST |
Customs $ excl GST |
MPI’s BSEL |
|
|---|---|---|---|
|
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) |
|
||
|
467.03 |
207.53 |
41.28 |
|
81.26 |
104.36 |
41.28 |
|
Export Entry Transaction Fee (usually paid by customs brokers) |
|
||
|
3.44 |
3.64 |
|
|
7.20 |
5.44 |
|
|
Outward Cargo Transaction Fee for Outward Cargo Report (usually paid by freight forwarders and craft operators) |
|
||
|
19.61 |
37.01 |
|
|
15.15 |
39.59 |
|
|
Outward Cargo Transaction Fee for Cargo Report (Export) (usually paid by freight forwarders) |
|
||
|
5.87 |
11.47 |
|
|
42.20 |
60.82 |
|
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.