Import duty

[MotherBear]

Looking into the future somewhat, does it make a difference, import duty wise, if you bring your household goods (i.e. a container load) into NZ if you don?t already have PR? If so, is there a percentage you pay on the total value or a fixed fee that they charge? I would imagine it would cost an horrendous amount for a container if that is the case. [smiley=icon_eek.gif] [smiley=icon_exclaim.gif]

[Glenda]

Hi Mother Bear,

Yes, this worried us a lot being here on visitors visas, so much so we ignored the arrival date of the container and just waited for the removers to try and contact us. :icon_lol:

It does say on http://www.customs.govt.nz/traveller...ts/default.htm that you must be "coming to New Zealand with the intention and legal authority to take up or resume permanent residence". When the container arrives they do want your passport and details of visas obtained.

In our case, we are close to PR (well, we've been close for a month now, just sorting out the nitty gritty documentation first) so our removers (Crown) made a plea to customs on our behalf. We expected an interim 'bond', but I think they thought it was not worth doing the paperwork when PR is so 'imminent'.

Must say it is a relief not to be paying GST at 12.5% of the value. This amount is not refundable. Don't think you can leave it in storage in NZ and not pay for it, the removal company has to declare it to customs within a month of arrival in NZ. IMO anyone going to NZ without PR and in doubt of how long it will take to get, really should consider storage in the UK before shipping their stuff out.

It is nice to have our furniture at last ... it arrived three days ago. It was a pleasant dry but threatening day then, as they drove away down the drive, it rained and it hasn't stopped since. Phew! :icon_biggrin:

[themcclarences]

Hi Glenda,
pleased to hear that you are now reunited with your belongings. I wonder if you can clarify for me is GST payable in all circumstances other than when you have PR? Our intention had been to arrive on visitors visa and leave all our goods in storage in UK until we had work visas at which point we had rather assumed that we would be able to import our stuff without being charged GST, looking at the link that you provided I'm not so sure that we would get away without paying GST till we have PR.
Any ideas?
Cheers Sian

[MotherBear]

Many thanks for the info Glenda. Our thoughts were that, if we sell our place in Spain and can then buy a property in NZ, we could ship all our unneeded furniture etc. down there so we aren?t lugging it around with us each time we move countries. Initially, being nomads, it wasn?t our intention to saddle ourselves with a house full of furniture and we only bought stuff at a time when we thought we?d be settled in one place until retirement. Things went belly up and now we are having to pay extortionate rates to carry it around with us, not to speak of the huge effort of dismantling and packing, unpacking and reassembling everything. I?m not sure how much it would cost to store a container load out here and I?m not sure I?d want to do that in this heat. A lot of the stuff would be damaged, I?m sure. Having thick candles melt just in transit gives us an indication of the temperatures inside the boxes in a container. I really wouldn?t want our worldly goods left out in the baking sun for months on end.

I take it that where (in the link) it states ?you are coming to New Zealand with the intention and legal authority to take up or resume permanent residence?, legal authority means having PR in your hot, sticky hand. That would rule us out for 3+ years whilst we wait for Taffy to become eligible to sponsor us. Looks like we?re stuck with our heavy load until such time as we have PR unless we?re prepared to bite the bullet and pay the GST . We could sell it, I know, but we?re quite attached to it all, as it was chosen with care with a view (at that time) of shipping it to Spain for our place there upon retirement. Plus we?d no doubt lose a lot of money on it. Oh well, 3 years is a long time and anything can happen in between, so I won?t dwell on it too much. Just that it looks like another move is on the agenda, as the hubster is casting his eye around for another job with less stress .

Good news that you managed to get all your freight into the house before the weather turned. Someone's looking after you.

Sian, how much stuff have you got?

[Glenda]

Hi Sian and Mother Bear,

I've read through the link I gave, and I am sure you have also, but it says nothing about those with work visas etc. - they only state those "coming to New Zealand with the intention and legal authority to take up or resume permanent residence.

I would have thought that you have a right to live in New Zealand with a work visa (damn long way to commute otherwise ::) ) and it may be that a work visa is part of the "taking up" of permanent residence. Once again we have NZ regulations not set out clearly.

Someone out there must know!
[smiley=icon_confused.gif]

[Glenda]

Have found someone who knows. [smiley=icon_biggrin.gif] They went to NZ as visitors, got a job within a few weeks and a work visa, then had their household effects shipped over and no GST charge.
Have investigated elsewhere and it seems others with work visas have not been charged GST on their household effects. Sounds like good news Sian. [smiley=icon_biggrin.gif]

'Fraid I cannot find anything in your case Mother Bear. It seems that if you are a visitor or student, you have to pay GST. [smiley=icon_sad.gif]

[themcclarences]

Glenda well done on the sleuthing and thanks for clearing that one up for us, OH and I had big debates last night about exactly what the wording on the link might mean (it would appear that he's been proved correct [smiley=023.gif] ). So thanks for the good news.

Mother Bear,
I have far too much stuff at the moment although I will be de-junking before we leave, but we'd thought about whether to take the contents of the house or not and decided that it would probably cost more to replace it all over there than it would to ship (the kids toys will probably take up a large container on their own [smiley=icon_wink.gif]: ). With regard to your predicament can't you just ship the lot to Taffy and pretend its his [smiley=icon_lol.gif]
Sian

[selchie]

With regard to your predicament can't you just ship the lot to Taffy and pretend its his [smiley=icon_lol.gif]
Sian

Good idea! I believe I read somewhere in the NZIS info that one can bring in belongings for the first two years duty-free? You ought to check that one before relying on me. I'm getting of an age to have bouts of information retention deficit.

[Ady]

Hi

No GST or Import duty is charged on personal effects.
If its any use, get a quote from Bargate in Northampton, and we insures through GRW insurance in Los Angeles.

Total for 22 tea chests and one other similar box, was #492 for shipping and #198 for insurance.

Hope this is of use.

[MotherBear]

No GST or Import duty is charged on personal effects.

I think this only applies when you have PR or, at least, some sort of work permit to prove that you intend staying in NZ. We are a way off getting PR yet, as we have to wait 3 years for Taffy to sponsor us. It was just our hope that we could, at some point soon, buy a house in NZ and ship our furniture down there to store it in the house, thereby saving us hauling it around with us every time we move countries.