When you need an export authority 

Under the Wildlife Act 1953, you must get approval to export whole or parts of any of the following:

• Bats
• Birds (except for domestic bird)  
• Reptiles or any amphibians
• Terrestrial or freshwater invertebrate specified in Schedule 7 of the Act

Wildlife Act 1953 – New Zealand Legislation

You do not need approval to export species that are not established in the wild in New Zealand.

These species may still require other types of permits to be exported, for example CITES.

Species that don’t need an export authority. This list is not exhaustive.

Order	Common name	Alternative common name	Scientific name
Bird	Alexandrine parakeet		Psittacula eupatria
Bird	Australia rainbow lorikeet		Trichoglossus moluccanus
Bird	Australian king parrot		Alisterus scapularis
Bird	Australian ringneck	Twenty-eight parrot	Barnardius zonarius
Bird	Bare-eyed cockatoo	Short-billed corella, little corella, bare-eyed cockatoo, blood-stained cockatoo, blue-eyed cockatoo	Cacatua sanguinea
Bird	Barraband parrot	Green leek parrot, superb parrot	Polytelis swainsonii
Bird	Blue and gold macaw	Blue-and-yellow macaw	Ara ararauna
Bird	Blue-crowned parakeet	Blue-crowned conure	Thectocercus acuticaudatus
Reptile	Blue-tongued lizard	Common bluetongue, eastern bluetongue, eastern blue-tongued lizard, eastern blue-tongued skink, northern bluetongue	Tiliqua scincoides
Bird	Bourke’s parakeet		Neopsephotus bourkii
Bird	Budgerigar		Melopsittacus undulatus
Bird	Cockatiel		Nymphicus hollandicus
Bird	Congo African grey		Psittacus erithacus
Bird	Eclectus parrot	Moluccan eclectus	Eclectus roratus
Bird	Goldie’s lorikeet		Glossoptilus goldiei
Bird	Grass parakeet	Parrot, turquoise parrot, turquoise grass-parakeet, scarlet-chested parrot, orange-bellied parrot, orange-bellied parakeet, blue-winged grass-parakeet, blue-winged parrot, elegant grass-parakeet, elegant parrot, rock parrot, splendid grass-parakeet	Neophema spp.
Bird	Hooded parrot		Psephotellus dissimilis
Bird	Jungle fowl	Domestic chicken, chicken	Gallus gallus domesticus
Reptile	Lace monitor	Common tree monitor	Varanus varius
Bird	Long-billed corella		Cacatua tenuirostris
Bird	Lord Derby's parakeet	Derbyan parakeet	Psittacula derbiana
Bird	Lovebird		Agapornis spp.
Bird	Major Mitchell’s cockatoo	Leadbeater's cockatoo, pink cockatoo	Cacatua leadbeateri
Bird	Maroon-bellied parakeet	Red-bellied conure, reddish-bellied parakeet	Pyrrhura frontalis
Bird	Monk parakeet	Quaker conure, grey-breasted parakeet, Quaker parakeet	Myiopsitta monachus
Bird	Musk lorikeet		Glossopsitta concinna
Bird	Nanday conure	Black-headed conure, black-headed parakeet, nanday parakeet	Aratinga nenday
Bird	Plum-headed parakeet		Psittacula cyanocephala
Bird	Princess parrot	Alexandra's parrot, Princess Of Wales parakeet	Polytelis alexandrae
Bird	Red and green macaw	Green-winged macaw	Ara chloropterus
Bird	Red-breasted parakeet	Moustached parrot	Psittacula alexandri
Bird	Red-collared lorikeet		Trichoglossus rubritorquis
Bird	Red-tailed African grey parrot	African grey parrot	Psittacus erithacus
Bird	Red-tailed black cockatoo		Calyptorhynchus banksii
Bird	Regent parrot	Rock pebbler parrot	Polytelis anthopeplus
Bird	Scaly-breasted lorikeet		Trichoglossus chlorolepidotus
Bird	Scarlet macaw		Ara macao
Reptile	Shingleback skink		Tiliqua rugosa
Bird	Sun conure	Sun parakeet	Aratinga solstitialis
Bird	Timneh parrot	African grey parrot, grey parrot, jacquot	Psittacus timneh
Bird	Yellow rosella	Crimson rosella, Pennant's parakeet	Platycercus flaveolus
Bird	Yellow-crowned amazon	Yellow-crowned parrot, yellow-fronted amazon	Amazona ochrocephala
Bird	Yellow-naped amazon parrot	Yellow-naped parrot	Amazona auropalliata

 

Related processes

If your export is protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), you will need both a CITES permit and an export authority.

Taking things out of New Zealand (exporting): Get a CITES permit 

If your item includes any part from a marine mammal such as dolphins, seals or whales, you may need a marine mammals permit. 

Interacting with marine mammals: Apply for permits 

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) makes sure items sent abroad also meet the destination country’s biosecurity and other requirements.

Export – Ministry for Primary Industries

How it works

A Wildlife Act export authority is valid for one year.

There are two ways to apply for an authority. The method you must use depends on what you’re exporting.

Online application form

Fill out your application directly on the website.

Apply online if you’re exporting:

• game species that are dead
• species that are not protected wildlife and are established in the wild in New Zealand.

Game and not protected species are defined in schedules 1 and 5 of the Wildlife Act.

Wildlife Act 1953 – New Zealand Legislation

You must pay the authority fee when you apply. The following payment types are accepted:

• Visa debit or credit card
• Mastercard debit or credit card

Online applications are processed immediately.

Downloadable application form

Download an application form, fill it out and send it to us. Use this method if you’re exporting wildlife that:

• is a protected species
• is live
• requires you to have a Wildlife Act authorisation to catch or obtain.

Protected and game species are defined in the Wildlife Act.

It’s likely that you will need a Wildlife Act authorisation to keep a protected species before an export authorisation can be granted.

Wildlife Act 1953 – New Zealand Legislation

Export purpose

When making an application, you must say if the export is for commercial purposes.

An export is commercial if it is part of a business transaction. This includes:

• Selling animals overseas
• Being paid to export animal products on behalf of someone else
• Exporting animal products (e.g. fur, feathers, bones)
• Sending animals for breeding, display, or research with commercial intent.

Fees

For online applications, there is a flat fee of $207 ($180 + GST).

For applications that use form 9F, the minimum fee is $460 ($400 plus GST).

If your application is complex, there may be extra costs. We’ll provide you with an estimate after we receive your application.

Apply to export dead game or species not protected by the Wildlife Act

Apply online using the permits and licences system.

Apply to export protected species

You need to use the paper-based application process.

1. Download and complete the application form:
   • Export live-dead wildlife or parts thereof form 9f (PDF, 284K)
   • Export live-dead wildlife or parts thereof form 9f (DOCX, 777K)
2. Email your form to: permissions@doc.govt.nz.

What happens next

• Once processed, we’ll let you know the outcome and send you an invoice for the processing fee.
• If your application is approved, we will email your permit to you.

Contact 

For further information or help, contact us at permissions@doc.govt.nz.