How to Import Cars From the United States to New Zealand
- 1). Make sure your vehicle will be defined as a passenger car, or "Class MA." If you have a motorcycle, SUV, 4x4, minivan or bus, your vehicle is of a different class. The New Zealand Transport Agency has all the details to help you define your vehicle's class.
- 2). Know the requirements for entry. This includes meeting New Zealand's emissions and fuel consumption standards, passing an entry inspection, being a right-hand drive vehicle and meeting safety and road-worthiness standards.
- 3). Compile evidence proving your car meets the requirements. This includes the title to prove ownership, an EPA certificate verifying emissions levels and a U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, known as FMVSS, plate that proves your vehicle meets frontal impact and overall safety standards. This is all paperwork that you should already have for your car.
- 4). Convert your car to a right-hand drive vehicle. Because traffic flows on the left side of the road in New Zealand, as opposed to on the right in the United States, driving on the right of the vehicle is crucial for safety. If your car cannot be easily converted to a right-hand drive car, you may want to abandon the import process. Exemptions to this requirement are listed on the Transport Authority's website; you might want to consider these if you can't easily convert your left-hand drive car.
- 5). Fill out an online form at the New Zealand Transport Agency's website to determine if your car meets fuel consumption standards. The information on your FMVSS plate is all you need to fill out the online form. The website should issue you a fuel consumption certificate, which you will need when importing your car.
- 6). Find an international auto shipping company to take your car to New Zealand. Auto shippers advertise all over the web, but calling sea ports on the Pacific Ocean, such as San Diego, Long Beach or Los Angeles, might give you an idea of who is most experienced in shipping cars to New Zealand. Some New Zealand entry certifiers, such as the Automobile Association, are also auto shippers, which can make it easier to complete the whole process.
- 7). Schedule an appointment with an entry certifier for when your vehicle arrives in New Zealand. The Transport Agency recommends and gives contact information for the Automobile Association, Vehicle Inspection New Zealand, Vehicle Testing New Zealand and Safe Vehicle Testing Ltd.
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