[nellyt]

In keeping with being told different stories by every removal agent we get about cane cat/linen baskets, wicker, spices and wooden ornaments we are also being told different stories about alcohol.

We've been told 2 things : you can only take in the standard tourist allowance or else pay duty (which looks huge), and, you can take in the contents of a "typical family bar".

I can't find reference to the second on any NZ govt. web site.

We have a large qty of part drunk whiskey, mixers and spirits. Far more than can be used in a few parties as most people don't drink much these days.
To replace these in NZ will cost 100's$

Has anyone else looked into this alcohol question and able to point us at some hard facts.

[katandbob]

sorry I'd drunk our stash in the 6mths living at MILs before we flew:laugh
but I had so many bags to carry I didnt get any duty free, Wish I had though!
Kat
Hic....:cheers

[speckythecky]

sorry I'd drunk our stash in the 6mths living at MILs before we flew:laugh


Not sure that there is enough alcohol in world tomake living at MILs for 6 months bearable.
:roll

[Pip]

We bought our 'family bar', but only sealed bottles, so it was a handful of bottles of spirits and about two boxes of assorted bottles of wine. Just about to get our MAF bill, so will let you know how it pans out..

read something about not bringing opened bottles, but then again, I'm sure I've read since that other people did. Might have avoided some interesting evenings in our last couple of weeks ?, Galliano with Mint liquer and bacardi anyone ?:laugh

[Trigirl]

We also were told no opened bottles. We weren’t charged for the unopened ones we brought – though it wasn’t a huge amount. You do have to fill in a form at this end with the exact number of bottles, type of alcohol and value you are bringing in though so write it down before you pack it!

[jen]

We TRIED drinking our supply during those stressful moving days but after living in wine-making country we still had 23 cases we moved. Didn't get charged, but yes you have to note it when you move & if it had looked like we went out and bought it right before moving I think we would have had to pay tax on it (it's such a random collection of wine over 20 years of accumulating that we'd obviously had it awhile).

We brought opened bottles, not sure if we were supposed to - again, random bar leftovers. Sure miss Costco vodka/tequila prices -we'll have to bribe overseas vistors to bring us the limit in exchange for room & board :laugh

[Debbie]

We brought 3 boxes of wine and box and half of spirits with us.
Moving compainies tell you what is easy for them to deal with.
Wine- You have to take the risk it will spoil in transit. Im drinking mine and it's been OK but you don't know where your container is on the ship and weather conditions.
Spirits- We were told no open bottles because of the risk of damage to our goods from spills but the removal men agreed to pack them if we were happy to take the risk and gaffa taped the lids.

We had no problem with MAF and no additional charges.

But we did have a good attempt at drinking the open bottles before we moved!.
Debbie

[willowshouse]

We brought opened bottles of spirits .. I declared them on the MAF form .. they didn't even want to inspect them - no charges.

When my shippers came to pack (in UK) they told me no food at all allowed - I said then we have a problem! .. the next thing I know, they just packed it up without another word and on the container it went.

I tell you what they did manage to pack though - a chip-pan complete with full quota of cooking oil still in place ... ON IT'S SIDE!! Muppets :laugh Luckily I spotted it before it was loaded on the container and we re-packed it all minus the oil.

[Sam B]

I gave all mine away after my leaving do to a willing selection of friends.

[Nienke]

My movers labelled the boxes with alcohol in it as "glass" :)

[barryp]

This really isn't a MAF issue - it's a Customs issue, and they did interrogate me pretty thoroughly as to the nature of my collection. Sin taxes here are pretty high, with low-level smuggling being an inevitable result. I'd sum up his criteria this way: if you bring over no more than one of the same bottle of spirit, or no more than one case of the same wine, then Customs won't care. Opened or unopened - no matter to them.

Had I known this I would have spent a few thousand dollars on building a whiskey collection before coming. Spotted an old fave last nite - Laphroaig 10YO - for $125/75cl and that put me near tears.

[Trigirl]

obviously you wont get it at uk prices (it does have to be shipped over) but you can get good single malts a lot cheaper than that! these guys do free delivery on anything over $200.

http://www.wineonjervois.co.nz/shop/spirits/laphroaig-single-islay-malt10y

[Milliemoo]

Spotted an old fave last nite - Laphroaig 10YO - for $125/75cl and that put me near tears.

I've got some of that sat in our kitchen cupboard. ;) It was left over from our wedding, along with a couple of others.

I think we'll be making the most of our duty free allowance when we come back from a visit to Scotland in July.

Milliemoo

[MarkS]

Laphroiag 10 - very possibly my favourite whisky (along with Talisker 10 and Lagavulin 12). I'm very slowly working my way though a bottle I brought over unopened - yum. Like Barry said, had I known how expensive decent malts where here, I'd have stocked up before our container left. Oh well.

[nellyt]

I sent this question to the help email on NZ Customs web site.:

I shall be emigrating from the UK to NZ in a few weeks time.
I would be grateful if you could confirm what quantity and types of alcohol I am allowed to bring into the country in my container of household personal effects.
Am I limited to the standard arrival allowance of

* 4.5 litres of wine or 4.5 litres of beer
* one bottle containing not more than 1125ml of spirits, liqueur, or other spirituous beverages.
or am I able to bring the contents of my household bar without incurring duty. This consists of several half and unopened bottles of whiskey/spirits and mixers.

I recevied this reply :
Please refer to the attached "Advice to Travellers"
page 6
Accompanied Goods Concession - per passenger

4.5 litres of wine or 4.5 litres of beer
one bottle containing not more than 1125ml of spirits, liqueur, or other spirituous beverages.

There is no such concession for unaccompanied goods such as alcohol. The following information should be of assistance to you for the alcohol imported as unaccompanied goods.

Immigrants who are coming to NZ for the first time with the legal authority to take up permanent residence and returning residents after an absence of 21 months or more may import their used household effects without the payment of tax refer (page 8 of the brochure 'Advice to Travellers' I have attached). The exclusions to this concession are any new or unused goods and any commercial or business goods. On this basis your alcohol collection is excluded from this concession as they are unused or new.

However there is provision to make written application or email application to enter a "bona fide " alcohol collection into NZ without the payment of tax providing of course you qualify as being a immigrant coming to NZ for the first time with the legal authority to take up permanent residence or a returning resident after an absence of 21 months or more and that you can demonstrate that the alcohol has been collected over a period of time and that records were kept for such purchases.

This application as indicated must be in writing or by email and can only be dealt with by the Team Leader of a business unit called the CLIENT SERVICE SECTION at the Customs office at which you will be clearing your goods at. Please note the Customs office you clear any goods at is always the closest to your residence and not the place at which goods may be shipped to. In this regards you will need to write or email to the TEAM LEADER CLIENT SERVICE outlining the quantity of wine you have, when this was purchased, evidence of records/receipts you have kept for such purchases etc.

The address of your local Customs office if you are making written application can be obtained from our website www.customs.govt.nz click on CONTACT US then CUSTOMS SERVICE OFFICES - NEW ZEALAND. Mark all written correspondence to the Team Leader CLIENT SERVICE SECTION.
For any email application please email the following email addresses for the main Client Service offices in New Zealand are as follows:
Auckland: ClientServices-Auckland@customs.govt.nz
Tauranga: ClientServices-Tauranga@customs.govt.nz
Wellington: ClientServices-Wellington@customs.govt.nz
Christchurch: ClientServices-Christchurch@customs.govt.nz
Dunedin: ClientServices-Dunedin@customs.govt.nz
New Plymouth: NewPlymouth@customs.govt.nz
Nelson: nelson@customs.govt.nz

I have subsequently emailed Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch directly (and stating that all bottles were half drunk i.e none un-opened) to see if I get a consistant story. So far I have had this response :

From Christchurch :There is no concession for alcohol when you send the alcohol with your household and personal effects.

You may import a wine collection with your household and personal effects. The wine collection which you have built up over a perod of time will be allowed in free of Duty and GST.
The wine must not be of quantitys which are intended for commerical sale.

Therefore you are limited to the standard arrival allownce which you noted in your Email These goods must be with you as accompanied baggage on the aircraft that you arrive in New Zealand

I will update when I get the other responses ! Ahhhhh:mad:

[nellyt]

Update -

From Auckland :As a new resident to NZ with the intention to take up residency, you may import your personal effects and used household goods (including your reasonable collection of alcohol, beer or wine) under concessionaire entry as we can apply the Cellar Concession for situations such as yours. The collection must be accompanied by a inventory stating the price paid and approximate date purchased. You can not purchase these products prior to your packing for shipment to NZ with the expectation that the concession will be applicable. All new goods must be declared and normal taxes assessed at the time of clearance with New Zealand Customs.

The question of your personal passenger concession still applies. You may bring with you the following -
1125 ml alcohol and/or 4.5 litres of beer or 4.5 litres of wine.

From Wellington :The duty and Gst free entry of household and personal effects into New Zealand is under Concession 80(D), which states
(D) Household or other effects imported by a person who—
(i) Has arrived in New Zealand and has the legal authority to take up or resume permanent residence; and
(ii) For the whole of the period of 21 months preceding his or her arrival, has resided outside New Zealand or has been domiciled outside New Zealand; and
(iii) Has personally owned and used the effects outside New Zealand before the date of his or her departure for New Zealand

In addition the goods must be for your own use and not intended for any other person or persons or for gift, sale or exchange.
In respond to your question regarding the quantity and types of alcohol.
Wines and spirits may be admitted under this concession as part of a passenger's household effects provided they have been purchased over an extended period (ie not just purchased for the purposes of emigration), and/or type is consistent with domestic consumption and you qualify under the above concession.
I hope this has been of assistance to you

From Pickfords in Christchurch who phoned ChCh Customs :I have rung Customs and they allow a wine collection but not a whiskey collection therefore each bottle will have to be listed with the details of when each bottle was bought, how much was paid and the mls in each bottle.

[willowshouse]

Is your collection huge? I can't see any other reason for customs to take an interest. Our alcohol cupboard probably filled 1 box .. no inspection necessary. Are Pickfords perhaps over complicating things?

Dawn

[Pip]

Quick update - we bought in several bottles of spirits (unopened) and about 30 bottles of assorted wine - i.e our household collection, all of which we declared on our container import paperwork, - we had our container contents delivered this week. Maf didn't bat an eyelid and no duty was payable.. I think as long as they are happy its your personal stuff, thats fine - they're just looking for people who are bringing stuff in to resell...

[Angelonthemove]

We brought in 10 cases of the same wine (used to sell the damn stuff in Cyprus) got our container stopped by Customs because of Wine and so many DVD players. Had to supply paperwork saying we had already paid duty in Cyprus. In the end they charged us nothign because Customs guy went sick for over a week and we had to wait for our container another 2 weeks for him to sign it.

So it depends on if its mixed and what they write on your packing list.

[nellyt]

And another reply :

From Crown Christchurch We have shipments from the UK on a regular basis, which contain all types of alcohol, some opened. I have not yet once had a shipment where GST and Duty charges were imposed on alcohol. Customs, however, is by law allowed to charge on alcohol but they normally allow concession. The regulation is simply that GST and Duty charges are at the discretion of the case officer clearing the shipment unfortunately. The alcohol needs to be declared on the alcohol declaration form and if there is a variety and all over one year old, we have a better chance of satisfying customs it is for personal use and avoiding the charges.

I called Customs today, who advised me again, it is at the discretion of the case officer, which was not a yes/no answer, but should there be charges imposed, you can either pay these charges, or surrender the alcohol and Customs takes it away.

With Customs being a Government body, we have very little say, and they are allowed to charge, but more often than not they let alcohol be imported without GST and Duty costs.

We've filled in the form Crown gave us with values and volumes. Just need to see now. Container landed Saturday. Fingers crossed