Evidence you must collect
You must collect the following documents as evidence that your vehicle meets the approved standards:
- Proof of ownership - evidence varies depending on vehicle type.
- Emissions standards, frontal impact standards and overall standards - completion inspection certificate, export certificate or original Japanese deregistration certificate (with a type designation number (TDN)) issued by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) or a statement of compliance.
- Fuel consumption - fuel consumption certificate.
- Heavy-vehicle brake standards.
Proof of ownership
You need to provide evidence that you're legally entitled to your vehicle. This includes the original documents that prove previous registration and provide an ownership trail that goes back to the last registered owner in the country where the vehicle was last registered.
Motorcycles smaller than 125cc: You need to provide the original notification of dismantlement.
All other vehicles: You can use an original completion inspection certificate, deregistration certificate or export cCertificate issued by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT).
Alternatively, for heavy vehicles, you need to provide:
- The original detailed registration history certificate issued by MLIT, which includes full history details of the previous owners in Japan, and
- original documents to establish an ownership trail, eg the detailed registration history certificate, bill of sale, purchase receipts, etc.
In some cases certified English translations of documents not in English (bills of sale, purchase receipts, etc) may be required.
Evidence of compliance with emissions standards
For all vehicles imported from Japan, a statement of compliance that includes an approved emission standard is acceptable proof that your vehicle meets New Zealand requirements.
Alternatively, for both used and parallel-imported new vehicles you can present an original Japanese deregistration, export or completion inspection certificate showing one of the applicable emissions code character sets (in the table below) at the beginning of the industry model code. See examples of the certificates below (the emission codes are circled in red).
| Regulation | Fuel type | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol, CNG or LPG | Diesel | ||
| Japan 05 | Those complying to the 2005 Regulations | Those displaying a three digit emissions code (eg 'AAA', and 'ABA', 'DAA') | |
Examples of Japanese certificates
| Japanese completion inspection certificate |
|---|
 |
| Export certificate (Japan) - Cars less than 660cc |
|---|
 |
| Export certificate (Japan) - Vehicles over 660cc excluding motorcycles |
|---|
 |
Evidence of compliance with frontal impact standards
If your vehicle is Class MA, MB or MC, you must prove that it was manufactured to meet an approved frontal impact standard. Depending on the date of manufacture you can provide proof of its compliance using
- a completion inspection certificate or
- a deregistration certificate or
- an export certificate with a 'type designation number' (TDN). A TDN has four or five digits, and is also referred to as a 'type approval number'.
These don't apply to your vehicle? You'll need to get a statement of compliance as evidence.
For cars (Class MA)
- Some vehicles that comply are listed on our frontal impact lists. These lists cover vehicles manufactured during 1994-1996 when frontal impact standards were being developed. They therefore apply mainly to used imports.If the list says your vehicle does not meet a frontal impact standard, then you cannot bring it into New Zealand.
- Mini-sized cars (under 660cc) from Japan comply if they were manufactured on or after 1 July 2000.
- Cars that are not mini-sized comply if they:
- were manufactured on or after 1 January 1996 in Japan, for the Japanese market or
- were manufactured outside Japan on or after 1 April 1999 and were accepted through Japan's vehicle approval process.
For 4x4, SUV and forward control vans (Classes MB and MC)
If your Class MB or Class MC vehicle was manufactured after 1 October 2003 it must meet a frontal impact standard. The exception is if you're emigrating or returning to New Zealand and seeking to bring your vehicle with you. Find out more about this exception.
If the vehicle was made in Japan for the Japanese market on or after 1 October 2003, it will meet a frontal impact standard accepted in New Zealand.
Evidence of compliance with heavy-vehicle brakes standards
See the detailed information about how to prove compliance with an approved brake standard in the following sections of the Vehicle inspection requirements manual. Entry Certification:
- Brakes: 8-1 Service brake and park brake (pages 8-1-3 and 8-1-4) (PDF, 334 KB, 16 pages)
- Technical bulletin 31 - Brakes standard compliance (PDF, 1.07MB, 94 pages).
Evidence of compliance with fuel consumption information requirements
You can use our online tool to provide the fuel consumption compliance information, if:
- your vehicle was previously registered in Japan and
- you have a completion inspection certificate, deregistration certificate or export certificate.
To produce the compliance information you simply need to enter the vehicle's model code (shown circled in red). You'll then receive a fuel consumption certificate, which you take to the entry certifier.
Your fuel consumption certificate says consumption is 'unknown'?
This is still acceptable as compliance evidence - you can provide this to the entry certifier.
Evidence of overall standards compliance
You need to prove your vehicle meets all applicable New Zealand standards, which depend on the date of manufacture. One way to do this is to get a statement of compliance.
Evidence you can present
As an alternative to a statement of compliance, you can use:
- an original completion inspection certificate or
- a deregistration certificate or
- an export certificate issued by Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT).
Check the certificate...
For a 'kai mark', like this 
, after the model code. The mark indicates that the vehicle has been modified and may no longer meet the required standards. We strongly recommend that you check with an entry certifier to make sure that the vehicle complies with required standards. )
Your vehicle completion inspection certificate, deregistration certificate or export certificate must contain a TDN. If there's no TDN on the certificate, you'll need to get a statement of compliance, or apply to us for a TDN exemption
Collected all the evidence you need?
You can move onto step three of the importing process - preparing to import.
