How to Complete the NZTD: Web and App Guide

Completing the New Zealand Traveller Declaration is straightforward once you know what each part asks for. The trick is a little preparation and a calm run through the sections in order. This guide walks you through the NZTD on both the official website and the free app, from your passport details to the crucial biosecurity questions, and shows you how the finished declaration links to your passport.

In brief: Gather your passport, flight and New Zealand address first, then work through the NZTD's travel, immigration, customs and biosecurity sections on the web or app. Submit one declaration per person, including children, and it links to your passport - no QR code to print.

Line illustration of numbered steps leading through a declaration form in forest green on ivory — The NZTD is a short, ordered form - prepare a few details and it takes minutes.

Before you start: what to have ready

Five minutes of preparation makes the whole thing painless. Have these to hand before you open the form:

Your passport, open at the photo page, for the exact spelling, number and dates.
Your flight details - airline, flight number and arrival date into New Zealand.
Your first address in New Zealand - hotel, hostel, campsite or a friend's address.
A clear idea of what is in your bags, especially food, plant or animal items and outdoor gear.

If you are travelling as a family, gather every passport, because each person needs their own declaration. Doing this once, before you begin, means you will not have to stop halfway to dig a document out of your carry-on.

A quick pre-flight routine works well:

Lay out every passport your group is travelling on.
Note the arrival flight number and date.
Confirm your first booking in New Zealand.
Have a think about food, gifts and outdoor gear in your bags.

With that done, the form is mostly a case of reading and confirming.

Good to know: Enter your details exactly as they appear in your passport. A name that does not match your travel document can cause problems at the eGate, where passport and declaration are matched automatically.

In short: Prepare your passport, flight number, New Zealand address and a mental inventory of your bags before you open the form.

Step 1: Choose web or app

You have two official ways to complete the NZTD, and they are equally valid at the border:

The official website at travellerdeclaration.govt.nz, in any browser.
The free NZTD app, from the official app stores.

The website is convenient on a laptop or shared computer. The app suits phones, works offline once you have begun, and lets one person hold several declarations - handy for families or couples. Pick whichever fits your situation. Whatever you choose, double-check you are on the genuine government channel before typing personal details.

If you switch devices midway - starting on a laptop and finishing on your phone, say - just make sure the declaration you submit is the complete one. There is no benefit to filling in the same declaration twice.

In short: Use the official website or the free NZTD app; both are accepted, so choose the one that suits your device.

Step 2: Create or open your declaration

Once you are in, you either start a new declaration or open one you saved earlier. You can usually create an account or continue as a guest; an account lets you save progress and return later, which is useful if you are interrupted.

Start your declaration within 24 hours of beginning your trip to New Zealand. If you open it too early, some travel questions may not accept your dates. If you save a draft, remember to come back and submit it before you reach passport control - a saved draft is not a submitted declaration.

In short: Begin a fresh declaration or reopen a saved one within 24 hours of travel, and remember that a draft still needs submitting.

Step 3: Personal and passport details

The first questions identify you. Expect to enter your name, date of birth, nationality and passport information, copied exactly as printed in your passport.

Take particular care with:

Spelling of your name, including middle names and any hyphens.
Passport number, checked character by character.
Expiry date, which must be valid for your travel.

This is the information matched to your ePassport at the eGate, so accuracy matters more here than anywhere else. If a letter is wrong, fix it before moving on.

Line illustration of a passport and travel documents laid out for a declaration in forest green on ivory — Your passport is the source of truth for the personal details section.

In short: Copy your name, passport number and expiry date exactly from your passport, because they are matched at the eGate.

Step 4: Flight and arrival details

Next comes your journey. You will provide your arrival flight and the date you land in New Zealand, and you will give the address where you are staying for your first night or your main stay.

If your itinerary has several legs - say Madrid to Auckland via Dubai or Singapore - the detail that matters is the final flight into New Zealand. Have that flight number ready. For your address, a hotel or hostel booking is ideal; if you are touring, use your first confirmed accommodation.

In short: Enter the final flight into New Zealand and the address for your first night, using a booking confirmation where possible.

Step 5: The immigration section

This part covers who you are as a traveller: your nationality, the purpose of your visit and details about your stay. The questions help New Zealand confirm you meet entry conditions for your visa or NZeTA.

Answer honestly and simply. If you are a tourist, say so; if you are visiting family or coming for business, choose the option that matches. Remember that the NZTD does not replace your visa or NZeTA - it records your arrival, while your right to enter still rests on holding the correct authorisation for your nationality.

Good to know: The immigration questions are about your trip, not a test. Give straightforward answers that match the visa or NZeTA you hold, and you will have no trouble.

In short: State your nationality and the genuine purpose of your visit; the NZTD records arrival but does not replace your visa or NZeTA.

Step 6: The customs section

The customs questions ask about goods and money. In general terms, you declare things like:

Large amounts of cash at or above the reporting threshold.
Alcohol and tobacco beyond your personal allowances.
Commercial goods, gifts over certain values or items you are carrying for someone else.

You do not need to list every souvenir. The point is to flag anything that exceeds a duty-free allowance or needs to be reported. If you are unsure whether something counts, the safe move is to declare it and let an officer decide.

Allowances and cash thresholds change over time, so check the current figures on the official site rather than relying on what a friend told you last year. Treating the customs questions as a genuine declaration, not a box-ticking chore, keeps you on the right side of the rules.

In short: Declare cash over the threshold, alcohol and tobacco beyond your allowance and any commercial or high-value goods; if unsure, declare.

Step 7: The biosecurity section - the one that matters most

This is the section where New Zealand is unusually strict, and where careless answers cause real trouble. The country guards its farms, forests and native species, so you must declare anything that could carry pests or disease.

Declare items such as:

Food of any kind - fresh, cooked, packaged, snacks, fruit, meat, dairy, honey.
Plants, seeds, flowers and wooden items.
Animal products, including feathers, shells and bone.
Camping, hiking and sports gear, and footwear that has touched soil or fresh water.
Items used around animals or farms.

Not declaring these can lead to an instant fine, even if you simply forgot. The golden rule is repeated by every New Zealand officer: when in doubt, declare. Declaring something is never an offence; failing to declare a risky item is.

Good to know: Those hiking boots from your last trip? Clean off any soil and declare them. A jar of honey or a piece of fruit from the plane? Declare it. Declaring costs you nothing but a question; not declaring can cost you a fine.

In short: Declare all food, plant and animal products and any outdoor gear or footwear that has touched soil or water - when in doubt, declare.

Step 8: Review and submit

Before you send it, the form lets you review your answers. Read them once more with your passport beside you:

Check your name and passport number match the document exactly.
Confirm your flight and arrival date are right.
Re-read the biosecurity answers - this is where mistakes are costly.
Make sure nothing was left blank.

When you are happy, submit. That final step is what lodges the declaration; an unsent draft does nothing at the border.

In short: Review your name, passport, flight and biosecurity answers, then submit - only a submitted declaration counts.

Step 9: Your confirmation and the passport link

After submitting, you get a confirmation, typically by email. Keep it if you like, but you do not need to print anything and there is no QR code to display.

The important part happens behind the scenes: your declaration is linked to your passport. At Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Queenstown, you scan your ePassport at the eGate and the system finds your declaration automatically. If you cannot use the eGate, a border officer scans your passport and sees the same information.

Section	What it covers (in general terms)
Personal and passport	Name, date of birth, nationality, passport details
Flight and arrival	Final flight into New Zealand, arrival date, your address
Immigration	Nationality and purpose of your visit
Customs	Cash, alcohol, tobacco, commercial and high-value goods
Biosecurity	Food, plants, animal products, outdoor and camping gear
Review and submit	Final check, then lodge the declaration

In short: You receive a confirmation and nothing to print; your NZTD links to your passport and is read at the eGate or by an officer.

Want a second pair of eyes? Small mistakes in names or dates cause avoidable delays. Our assisted service checks your declaration before it is submitted. Complete your NZTD with help.

One declaration per person, children included

It bears repeating because it is the most common oversight: every traveller needs their own NZTD, including babies and children. A parent or guardian fills in the form for anyone too young to do it themselves.

If you are using the app, you can manage several declarations from one device, which makes family travel simpler. Just make sure each person's passport details are entered on their own declaration - not merged into one.

In short: Submit one declaration per person, completing children's forms yourself, and keep each person's passport details separate.

Common slip-ups to avoid

A few mistakes come up again and again. Sidestep them and your declaration will sail through:

Entering a name that does not exactly match the passport.
Saving a draft and forgetting to submit it.
Guessing at the biosecurity questions instead of declaring.
Using an unofficial website that charges a fee for a free declaration.
Leaving it until you have no connectivity on a long-haul flight.

In short: Match your passport exactly, actually submit, declare when unsure, stay on the official channel and do it before you lose signal.

Key points

Prepare first: passport, flight number, New Zealand address and a sense of what you are carrying.
Complete the NZTD on the official website or free app, whichever suits you.
Enter passport details exactly as printed, because they are matched at the eGate.
The biosecurity section is the critical one - declare all food, plant, animal and outdoor items.
Review then submit; a saved draft does not count at the border.
One declaration per person, children included, and it links to your passport with no QR code.

Prefer to have it handled? We guide your New Zealand Traveller Declaration from the first field to submission, with a review to catch errors. Start your application or check an existing one.

FAQ: Completing the NZTD

How long does it take to complete the NZTD?

With your passport, flight and address ready, most people finish in around ten minutes. Preparing those details first is the single best way to speed it up.

Can I save my declaration and finish it later?

Yes. You can usually save a draft and return to it. Just remember that a draft is not submitted - you must come back and send it before you reach passport control.

Do I fill in one form for my whole family?

No. Each person needs their own declaration, including babies and children. In the app you can manage several from one device, but the details must be separate per person.

What if I make a mistake after submitting?

If you spot an error, you can generally update or resubmit your declaration before you travel. Accuracy matters most for your name and passport number, so check those carefully.

Which flight do I enter if I have connections?

Enter the final flight that arrives in New Zealand. Connecting flights through Dubai, Singapore or Los Angeles are part of your journey, but the border cares about your arrival into New Zealand.

Do I need to print a QR code after submitting?

No. There is no QR code to print or show. Your declaration is linked to your passport and read automatically at the eGate or by a border officer.

What if I do not know my exact address in New Zealand?

Use your first confirmed accommodation - a hotel, hostel or campsite booking. If plans change, you can generally note your main or first-night stay; give the best information you have.

Is the biosecurity section really that strict?

Yes. New Zealand takes it very seriously, and not declaring food, plants, animal products or dirty outdoor gear can lead to an instant fine. When in doubt, always declare.

Do I have to pay to complete the NZTD?

No. The declaration is free on the official government site and app. Any site charging just to file the NZTD is not the official channel; separate costs like the NZeTA and IVL are different things.

Can I complete the NZTD offline?

The app works offline once you have started, but you need a connection to submit. The safest approach is to prepare and submit before you lose signal, well before passport control. Both the website and the app are accepted at the border, so use whichever suits your device.

Last updated: July 2026. Entry rules change; always confirm current requirements on the official New Zealand Traveller Declaration site before you travel.