Approved species and countries
Other than cats and dogs, you can only import 3 species of animals as pets to New Zealand, and they have to be from approved countries. They are:
- chinchillas from Great Britain
- rabbits from Australia
- guinea pigs from Australia.
Some species of fish can also be imported, but the import process is different.
Follow the steps for importing aquatic animals
Birds cannot be brought to New Zealand
New Zealand has a unique population of rare and endangered birds and is free of a number of major bird and poultry diseases. No imports of live birds are allowed.
Other restricted pets and animals
Other pets that cannot be imported into New Zealand are:
- ferrets
- guinea pigs (except from Australia)
- mice and rats (except laboratory animals)
- snakes and other reptiles (except some reptiles for zoos).
