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NZ Post tracking status

NZ Post “Held for Clearance”: what it means

The short answer

Keep an eye on it

Your parcel from overseas is being checked at the New Zealand border and has not been released to NZ Post yet. NZ Post says Customs takes 3 to 5 working days to assess it. If duty or GST is owed, you pay it first.

When to act: If there is no new scan more than 10 working days after NZ Customs released your parcel, file a complaint and we send it to NZ Post.

Bizzy online

Tell me what happened. I write your complaint with you and we send it to NZ Post.

Also shown as: “Clearance Processing” · “Presented for border Agency Assessment” · “Import Duty and Tax Assessment” · “Import Duty and Tax Payable” · “NZ Customs Invoiced Produced” · “MPI Import entry required” · “NZ Biosecurity (MPI) Assessment” · “NZ Medsafe Assessment” · “Released from border agency” · “International Arrival” · “Cleared for Import”

What to do now

  1. Read the full tracking history, because NZ Post says the tracking tool shows any steps you need to take.

  2. Watch your mailbox for a letter with an invoice for duty or GST. Sign in to your NZ Post account to get tracking alert emails when it is ready.

  3. If an invoice comes, pay it on the Customs website and keep the receipt.

  4. If an import entry or permit is needed, gather your order confirmation and proof of what the parcel holds.

  5. Note the date of release or payment, count 10 working days from it, and keep screenshots.

  6. Still not sorted? File your complaint here. We write it with you and send it to NZ Post, so you do not have to chase it yourself.

    Start my complaint

What does “Held for Clearance” mean?

All international parcels coming into New Zealand can be inspected by the New Zealand Customs Service and the Ministry for Primary Industries. They check for duty and GST on items over the threshold, prohibited or restricted items, and biosecurity risks such as fruit flies, spiders or seeds. While a parcel is there, NZ Post says it cannot speed the process up. 'Presented for border Agency Assessment' and 'Held for Clearance' mean the check is under way. 'Import Duty and Tax Assessment' means Customs has picked the parcel out for a charge check. 'MPI Import entry required' and 'NZ Medsafe Assessment' are checks by those agencies.

'Import Duty and Tax Payable' or 'NZ Customs Invoiced Produced' means duty or GST is owed. NZ Post says an invoice is being posted to you and the parcel is released once it is paid. 'Released from border agency' and 'Cleared for Import' mean the check is finished and the parcel moves on. 'International Arrival' means it has reached New Zealand and has not cleared the border yet. 'Clearance Processing' means a border agency overseas has it. If you sent the parcel overseas, 'Held for Clearance' can also mean customs in the destination country has it. None of these lines means the parcel is lost.

Why does NZ Post show it?

  • A routine inspection of a parcel from overseas
  • Duty or GST may be owed on the value of the goods
  • Goods being checked for biosecurity risks such as fruit flies, spiders or seeds
  • Medicines being checked by Medsafe
  • An import permit or import entry is needed
  • Prohibited or restricted goods in the parcel

How long does it last?

NZ Post says Customs assessment takes 3 to 5 working days, and that the tracking tool shows instructions if you need to act. After any payment or import entry, it says the parcel can take 2 to 10 working days to reach it for processing, although another of its pages says it should arrive after two working days. Delivery then usually takes 1 to 3 working days, longer for a rural address.

Other NZ Post statuses

All NZ Post statuses →

Who is responsible for a late or missing parcel from NZ Post?

If you bought online from a business that arranged the delivery, the seller is responsible. Under the Consumer Guarantees Act (section 5A), a supplier who delivers or arranges delivery guarantees that you will receive the goods at the agreed time or, if no time was agreed, within a reasonable time. Your rights are against the seller, and on delivery the Act gives two. If the failure is substantial, you can reject the goods and choose a refund or, if the seller has one in stock, a replacement. The courier losing the parcel does not take that right away, because the Act treats the carrier as the seller's agent on this point. In any case, the seller owes damages for loss that could reasonably be foreseen. NZ Post's contract is with the sender, and it usually pays any compensation to the sender. The Act sets no number of days, and it does not say whether a parcel left at your address counts as received. It covers sellers in trade and goods normally bought for personal or household use, not a private person selling something second hand.

If you sent the parcel yourself, your contract is with NZ Post, under its Public Contract and Postal Users' Guide, and you are the one who has to raise a problem with it. It promises reasonable care and skill. Its delivery times are targets and its terms say it pays no compensation for delay. If it is liable for a parcel lost or damaged within New Zealand, cover is up to $250 for Economy or $2,000 for Courier, including Courier Economy, plus the postage, depending on its conditions. Its terms set a limit of 21 days from sending for a parcel that never arrived, and 10 days from delivery for damage (7 for a business). NZ Post says Consumer Guarantees Act rights apply alongside these terms, but subject to the Postal Services Act and the carriage rules in the Contract and Commercial Law Act. Those rules limit a carrier's liability for loss or damage to the contract and the rules themselves, unless it caused the loss on purpose (section 244). Government guidance says the same for a carrier you hire yourself, and that the Act can still cover unreasonable delay. A business that sends parcels agrees, as far as the law allows, that the Act does not apply.

Questions about “Held for Clearance”

What does 'Held for Clearance' mean on NZ Post?

A border agency is inspecting your parcel before it can move on. It looks for biosecurity risks, prohibited imports, goods needing a permit, and duty or GST to pay. If the parcel is compliant, it is released into the delivery network.

How long does NZ Customs hold a parcel?

NZ Post says assessment takes 3 to 5 working days. If there is a charge or an import entry, add the time to sort that out, plus up to 10 working days for the parcel to reach NZ Post afterwards.

Do I have to pay to get my parcel released?

Only if Customs says duty or GST is owed. NZ Post says an invoice comes by letter and the status changes to 'Import Duty and Tax Payable'. Once it is paid, the parcel is released for delivery.

Can NZ Post speed up customs clearance?

No. NZ Post says Customs is an independent agency and it cannot speed up or expedite clearance. The next scan comes after the parcel is released.

I paid the customs charge. Why has nothing changed?

NZ Post says it can take 2 to 10 working days for the parcel to reach it after release. If there is no new scan after more than 10 working days, file a complaint on Complain.biz and we send it to NZ Post.

Based on

  • NZ Post: What does my tracking status mean? (table of status wordings)
  • NZ Post: Why is my NZ-bound item being held by NZ Customs? (3 to 5 working days, 2 to 10 working days, 10 working days)
  • NZ Post: My item is showing Held for Clearance (invoice by letter, two working days, 1 to 3 working days)
  • NZ Post: Is Customs holding my parcel? (who inspects, what they look for)
  • NZ Post: When is my parcel tracking updated? (Cleared for Import, International Arrival)
  • Consumer Guarantees Act, section 5A (guarantee as to delivery), sections 18, 20, 21 and 23 (rejecting goods, substantial failure, damages, refund or replacement), section 2 (who is a supplier and a consumer)
  • Contract and Commercial Law Act, section 243 (carriage of letters by a postal operator is excluded) and section 244 (a carrier's liability for loss or damage)
  • New Zealand government consumer guidance: Delivery issues (the shop is responsible for delivery until the goods reach you; a carrier you hire yourself; delay)
  • NZ Post: Cover for loss or damage (cover limits, who raises a problem, time limits, no compensation for delay)
  • NZ Post: Public Contract (reasonable care and skill, liability caps, Consumer Guarantees Act rights)
  • NZ Post: Postal Users' Guide (delivery targets, cover limits, Courier includes Courier Economy, time limits, consumer rights subject to other Acts, claim payments usually go to the sender)
  • NZ Post: Collect my parcel Terms and Conditions (NZ Post's contract to deliver your parcel is with the sender)
  • NZ Post: Delivering together (CourierPost became Courier and Courier Economy, Pace became Express)

Parcel still not here?
File a complaint about NZ Post.

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