Customs & Excise Act 2018

With the introduction of the Customs and Excise Act 2018 on 1 October 2018 and the inclusion of exports in the administrative penalties regime, we would like to remind clients that it is important to provide timely, accurate and verifiable information, especially in relation to valuation and origin of goods exported or imported.

Any invoices provided to GVI Logistics (GVI) for the purposes of preparing either an export or import entry should clearly state the INCO terms applicable to the sale or purchase. For example, EXW, FCA, CFR, CIF etc.

If shipments are sold or purchased on CFR or CIF basis the invoice should show seperately the amounts of freight and insurance premium included in the price. It is a New Zealand Customs requirement to state on export and import entries these amounts. Failure to declare correct amounts will be grounds for an administrative penalty for the declarant with a minimum value of $200 and an infringement notice with a minimum value of $400 for individual exporters and importers.

It is important that the invoice shows the correct country of origin of the goods you are exporting or importing. With the many free trade agreements New Zealand is party to, declaring the correct country of origin can influence duties payable. Failure to declare correct country of origin will also be grounds for New Zealand Customs sanctions.

It is likely that GVI will be asking a lot more questions of exporters and importers about commodities and terms of sale so that we will be in compliance with the new Act.

If you want to learn more about your obligations under the Customs and Excise Act 2018 please contact GVI or go the following link which will take you to the New Zealand Customs resources on their website.

Customs and Excise Act 2018