NZ Silver Fern has been assisting international competitors with the shipping of their prized vehicles for more than 20 years. We have developed a strong working relationship with Phil Gibbs at GT Logistics who are our preferred shipping agent as they specialist in the shipment of Motorsport vehicles. They offer a door to door service from anywhere in the world and will assist will all the paperwork required to safely transport your vehicle.

Phil can be contacted on +6492555555 or email [email protected] for more detailed information but here are the basic options that you will need.

ATA or AA Carnet clearances.

These are still the most straightforward means of temporarily importing a car & associated parts to NZ. They are however getting expensive to set up considering the establishment fees and bond requirements at origin.

Carnets CANNOT list items which are consumables (oils, grease, window washing liquids, cleaners etc).

Items such as this need to be shown on a separate Packing List and with values shown for the items detailed. Products such as these imported for use during the event WILL be assessed and levied GST and possibly duty. This is NOT refundable on re-export.

Tyres on rims and unfitted CAN be included on Carnets but MUST leave the country when the car is shipped out. Any used tyres must thus be retained and shipped out even if they are deemed unusable thereafter.

Carnets are a necessity if shipping onwards from NZ to certain countries BEFORE cars & parts are finally returned to their country of origin. It thus pays to check with the Carnet issuing authority in this regard.

Shipping vehicles under Carnet provides the easiest means of using the cars in NZ without recourse to temporary Registration and Warrant of Fitness procedures (road Registerable vehicles).

Carnets should show GT International Logistics Ltd as an Authorized Party in the relevant field of the document. This allows us to act on the owner’s behalf when clearing NZ Customs. Names of persons or companies acting on the owner’s behalf in other countries should also be included if the car is travelling to events in other countries pre- or post – NZ.

Temporary Import Entry (T.I.E) Clearances

Given the cost of establishing Carnets, T.I.E entries in New Zealand may be worth considering.

To set these up, the car owner & shipper (if one and same) needs to provide a written statement & declaration they are sending the car to NZ for a specific event and indicate either specific dates or a time period the vehicle (and parts) will be in the country. It should state the car (and parts) will ship out immediately after the conclusion of the event.

The declaration should contain the originating shipping address, car owner’s details, car make/model/year and identifying numbers (chassis and/or engine number) and a value (in origin country currency). If spares are being shipped, (including tyres) these should also be detailed with values.

The document should be signed and dated.

As with Carnets, consumable items such as oils, grease, window washing liquids, cleaners etc need to be shown on a separate Packing List and with values shown for the items detailed. Products such as these imported for use during the event WILL be assessed and levied GST and possibly duty. These are NOT refundable even if re-exported.

For the main T.I.E. application, if a local NZ Goods & Services Tax (GST) registered company with an existing NZ Customs deferred GST account acts as a guarantor and the car & parts are cleared as a T.I.E. under their name, no actual Import GST amount will be levied. The assessed GST will be held against the guarantor’s deferred account and would only be payable if the car & parts do NOT leave NZ within the specified timeframe.

If no local company acts as a guarantor for the shipping party, NZ Customs WILL assess Import GST and this would then be payable. However, the assessed GST would be refunded by NZ Customs post-export. Usually within 6 – 8 weeks.

If shipping to NZ and then back to (or onto) Australia, a T.I.E. Entry in NZ is still possible but the import back (or in) to Australia will require provision of an pre-approved Import Permit (see: https://infrastructure.gov.au/vehicles/imports/)

This Permit MUST be gained BEFORE the car ships from NZ and must be applied for in advance and by the car owner.

Import of vehicles as T.I.E’s has ramifications in terms of Temporary Registration and Warrants of Fitness, so if you intent to import your vehicle using this method please contact the Silver Fern Office on +64 9 298 8322 or email: [email protected]

Alternatively if you are considering hiring a vehicle from New Zealand there are a number of options, so again please contact our office.