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GOODS ACROSS BORDERS

POSTING RULE

Send Mobile Phones (Commercial) 🇳🇿 New Zealand

ANSWER

Can I post Mobile Phones (Commercial) to New Zealand?

ALLOWEDVERIFIED · 2026-07-26LOW CONFIDENCE

A phone can be posted to New Zealand; lithium-battery mail rules require the battery installed in the device, and import tax applies above the exemption.

QUANTITY / LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTS

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

DECLARATION

Required at the destination customs authority

SOURCE

customs.govt.nz
Verify against the official customs authority before acting on this answer.Report a correction

Full Details

Posting a phone to New Zealand is permitted; two frameworks apply. Postal dangerous-goods rules require lithium batteries to be installed in the device (UN 3481) — loose spare batteries are barred from international mail. On the customs side New Zealand Customs Service (NZCS) applies the ordinary parcel framework to the declared value: import VAT/GST at 15% applies above the exemption threshold. Goods imported with a customs value of NZD $1,000 or less are duty-free. GST (15%) on low-value imported goods applies as of 1 December 2019 — offshore suppliers must register for NZ GST if their NZ sales exceed NZD $60,000. Multiple new-in-box units read as commercial imports; single used personal phones (a repaired or forgotten device sent on) are routine.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

Ship the battery installed in the phone, declare the true value, and use tracked service — phones are among the most-pilfered and most-inspected parcel categories.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

POSTING DETAILS

QUANTITY / WEIGHT LIMITS

1-2 handsets; multiple new-in-box units are treated as commercial imports

DOCUMENTATION REQUIRED

  • Commercial invoice or proof of purchase showing the transaction value

COUNTRY POSTING NOTES

International mail over NZD $1,000 in value requires an import entry and payment of duties/GST. NZ Post and couriers handle customs clearance. Biosecurity checks apply to all inbound parcels.

Sending Mobile Phones (Commercial) to other countries

RULES5,339COUNTRIES85ITEMS111CARRIERS28GUIDES46UNIQUE SOURCES645LATEST VERIFICATION2026-07-26MethodologyChangelog