Tax on Shipped goods

Hello all,

I'm a bit confused. I have read on a few of this forum's posts that you could be taxed on your shipped goods if you are not in NZ before they arrive, so does that mean you will be taxed even if you are there but not yet a resident?
We will be arriving on my husbands skills shortage migrant WTR visa, as a family but will not have full residency when we arrive! Can you tell me where we would stand? And how long does it take to get pemanent residency after you arrive with a WTR visa?
Thankyou for any help,
Deb

Hi Deb,

I think you must be able to prove that you are entering NZ with the intention and legal authority to stay there i.e. either with a Work Permit or PR. If you were entering with a visitor?s visa you?d have to pay GST.

The length of time between WTR and getting PR can vary, so no definite answer there unfortunately. I?ve heard of people getting their PR very quickly and others have had quite a wait, but I don?t know the reason for this. Sometimes there are issues with the medicals that might hold things up.

Thankyou Mother Bear for your replies

Hi Deb,

if you are arriving in New Zealand I believe you have a 6mths work visa to PR, there is a gray area whether you need to pay the GST on your household effects.

I am in somewhat similar position but I have a WTR on the old policy so my visa validity is 24 months. For visas more than 12 months, I am very sure you do not need to pay GST but for lesser than that, this is what NZ Customs have to say (from the email reply I sent them)

'Thank you for your enquiry. If your work visa is for a period of less than twelve months then I suggest that you contact the Client Service section of NZ Customs. Phone numbers can be found on our website www.customs.govt.nz under Contact Us. The Client Service section is where you will go to clear your household effects. They will be able to advise you with your particular situation. They will want to know what correspondence you have received from the NZIS.'

NZ Customs website : http://www.customs.govt.nz/contactUs.htm

However that said, my gut feeling is that since you are arriving with the intention of getting the PR after 3 months on a skilled job, I think NZ Customs may not impose GST on your effects. Call them and ask them about this and get a formal statement if that is the case. You can then show the customs officer on arrival.

Pulsarblu

In a previous post from Glenda, she says she's checked with someone who entered NZ on a Work Permit. Sounds like there's been more changes since then, so it would be wise to confirm it first.

This is a problem we're repeatedly coming up against, they keep changing their policies and it's quite a job keeping up with it all. They certainly keep us on our toes.

[Debd]

Hi,
Yes my husband's job offer is based on a 30 month contract from the skills shortage list, so hoping that will help. We're having our medicals within the next two weeks then we have been told that once they're completed our visa application will be speedier on the strength of the job offer! , hope so! Any tips on what to eat/drink etc prior to meds? Or what not to?
Thankyou Pulsarblu and Motherbear
Deb

[MotherBear]

Any tips on what to eat/drink etc prior to meds? Or what not to?

I'd lay off the alcohol, just to be on the safe side. Other than that I'd think 'healthy' and cut down on stuff like high fat foods for about a week or so beforehand.

Hope it all goes well for you.

[Debd]

Thankyoux

[kokopeli]

Hello everyone,

I've got a question about Customs/Import duty on household goods and wonder if anyone could advise please?

We're moving out in Sept/Oct this year and are shipping our campervan so we can spend 2 or 3 months on the road. We're hoping that our furniture and gear will follow once we find the perfect spot to settle. HOWEVER...

...Does anyone know if there is a time limit between our arrival in NZ (with PR), the arrival of our worldly possessions AND the right to claim the waiver on import duty? I have searched the NZ Customs website, but can't find anything to help.

Many thanks

Chris

[MotherBear]

I hope I?ve got this right. You get an automatic waiver on paying GST on your possessions entering NZ once you have either a Work Permit or PR. However, if you?re having 2 separate shipments, I?m not so sure that you?d get both of them in without paying tax on the second one.

I?m sure I read somewhere that you?re only allowed one bite of the cherry i.e. one shipment tax free, unless importing a vehicle on its own is classed differently. Selchie, in a past post, thought you could have up to 2 years to bring your shipment into NZ tax free after you arrive, but she wasn?t 100% sure of this.

Reading a link I quoted above from Glenda, she says ?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.? I don?t know whether this relates only to paying GST or if it means the container has to pass through the formalities within one month of arriving in NZ.

With a bit of luck someone will soon clarify my points (or tell me they're a load of rubbish ).