Quick summary
New Zealand issues a flat NZD 400 instant fine for any undeclared biosecurity risk item. Australia’s airport infringement notices start at AUD 728 and reach AUD 7,280 after the penalty unit rose to AUD 364 on 1 July 2026. Both countries apply strict liability, so forgetting is no excuse.
The one free step is declaring on your arrival card or NZTD, or leaving the item behind. New Zealand’s proposed rise to NZD 800 for high-risk items is still unconfirmed as of September 2026.
- Why both countries fine first and ask questions never
- The two-step strategy that costs you nothing
- What triggers the fine—and what triggers worse
- The proposed NZD 800 increase: still pending as of September 2026
- Same rules whatever your point of origin
- Detector dogs and the June 2026 fines
- What to check in your final week
On 1 July 2026 Australia’s penalty unit rose to AUD 364, lifting airport biosecurity fines for undeclared food and other risk goods to AUD 728–7,280.
New Zealand has a flat fine instead. Any undeclared biosecurity risk item brings a single NZD 400 instant fine, issued on the spot. The declaration, not the food, is what matters. Forgetting does not excuse a failure to declare.
The rules apply to every international arrival, whatever your passport, airline or departure city, and these figures hold as of October 2026.
Why both countries fine first and ask questions never
The legal rule is strict liability. Under section 154N(21) of New Zealand’s Biosecurity Act 1993, a traveller can be liable for an undeclared item without intending to break the law. The Ministry for Primary Industries sets out the rule in its guidance on what happens if you fail to declare. Intent is irrelevant.
Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry runs a comparable airport scheme. An officer’s judgment of the item and your behaviour sets the band, published in its airport infringement notice scheme.
The difference is how the fine scales. New Zealand does not vary it by item type or quantity: one forgotten apple and a bag of fresh produce draw the same amount. Australia’s fine can climb.
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The two-step strategy that costs you nothing
Every arriving passenger must answer the declaration question about food, plant material and animal products. New Zealand uses the New Zealand Traveller Declaration, or NZTD. It is required of all travellers, including Australian citizens and permanent residents. Australia uses the Incoming Passenger Card.
A declaration carries no charge. If an officer decides the item is prohibited, it is disposed of and you carry on; if it is allowed, you keep it. Even an item that is refused brings no penalty when declared.
The penalty applies only to undeclared items. New Zealand’s guidance for arriving travellers is to declare risk goods or dispose of them before the checkpoint.
What triggers the fine—and what triggers worse
Australia’s scale is built on penalty units. The minimum airport infringement notice is 2 units; the top is 20 units for concealing conditionally non-prohibited goods. Undeclared high-risk goods sit between them, at up to 12 units.
| Jurisdiction and band | Penalty units | Amount | What triggers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand — standard infringement | Not unit-based | NZD 400 | Any undeclared biosecurity risk item |
| Australia — minimum airport notice | 2 | AUD 728 | Undeclared item found at the airport |
| Australia — high-risk undeclared goods | Up to 12 | AUD 4,368 | Undeclared high-risk goods |
| Australia — concealment | Up to 20 | AUD 7,280 | Concealing conditionally non-prohibited goods |
| New Zealand — deliberate smuggling | Not unit-based | Up to NZD 100,000 | Prosecution, up to five years’ imprisonment |
| Sources: New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries; Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Penalty unit value as of 1 July 2026. | |||
New Zealand separates ordinary failures to declare from deliberate smuggling of risk goods. The latter can lead to prosecution, according to the Ministry for Primary Industries’ border infringement guidance. Australia’s high-risk band has no New Zealand equivalent, a comparison set out in our look at the two food fines.
There is also a time limit. The same guidance says that if you do not dispute an infringement within 14 days, you are not automatically entitled to a hearing.
The proposed NZD 800 increase: still pending as of September 2026
In October 2025 the New Zealand government proposed doubling the fine for high-risk undeclared items from NZD 400 to NZD 800. 1News reported the proposed change alongside the June 2026 fines.
As of September 2026 the increase has not been confirmed as law, and no implementation date has been published.
The existing fine therefore remains in force for every undeclared biosecurity risk item. That remains the position until the Ministry for Primary Industries publishes a change.
Same rules whatever your point of origin
Officers assess what is in your bag when you land, not your boarding pass. Prepared food contains ingredients under biosecurity control too, as the June 2026 cases show.
Packaging does not settle the question either. Food, plant material and animal products fall within the declaration question regardless of how they are wrapped. The brand and price do not decide the outcome.
The same applies to a snack, a seasoning or a souvenir that falls under control.
Detector dogs and the June 2026 fines
Detector dogs work New Zealand’s international arrivals. In June 2026, Sophie found a raw vegetable salad, a banana and a chicken sandwich in the luggage of three pilots arriving via Auckland. Each received a NZD 400 infringement notice, as reported by NZ Herald and 1News.
The same month, a passenger was fined the same amount after fresh betel nuts and banana leaves were found in a pocket. None of the items was commercial. All of them were food.
For anyone arriving with a packed lunch, a prepared meal is not treated as a lesser risk than raw produce. The undeclared item triggers the notice.
What to check in your final week
Both penalty regimes moved recently, through Australia’s penalty unit rise and New Zealand’s proposed increase. The amounts are worth reconfirming close to departure.
- Reconfirm the amount on the Ministry for Primary Industries page on failing to declare and on Australia’s airport infringement notice page before you pack.
- Answer the declaration question on the NZTD or the Incoming Passenger Card before you reach the checkpoint, not at it. If you are unsure about an item, tick yes and let an officer decide; if you are certain it is banned, leave it behind.
- Empty every pocket — jacket pockets, seat-back pouches and backpack compartments are where airline snacks and fruit hide.
- Watch: New Zealand’s proposed doubling of the high-risk item fine to NZD 800, unconfirmed as of September 2026.
The NZTD can be completed online or in the app. A paper declaration is available for travellers who cannot use either.
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Questions? Answers.
Does the NZD 400 fine apply to sealed, packaged snacks from the airplane?
Yes. The penalty attaches to the declaration, not the packaging. A sealed snack that is not declared or disposed of draws the same NZD 400 in New Zealand, and Australia’s airport notices start at AUD 728.
What if I declare something and the officer says it is prohibited?
You pay nothing. Officers either clear the item or dispose of it, and the penalty applies only to items that were not declared. Declaring and being wrong costs a few minutes rather than money.
Do dirty hiking boots really trigger a fine?
Soil and plant material are biosecurity risk items in both countries, so outdoor gear belongs in the same declaration as food. Clean boots and tents before packing, and declare them if any soil remains.
What happens if I accidentally bring herbal tea or traditional medicine?
Declare it. Herbal and traditional preparations can contain plant or animal material, so they fall under the same arrival question. Officers inspect the item and either clear it or dispose of it at no charge.
Do I need to declare a bento box or other food bought at the airport before my flight?
Yes. What matters is what you are carrying when you land, not where you bought it. The June 2026 fines involved a salad, a banana and a sandwich carried in from a flight.
Is the proposed NZD 800 fine already in effect for 2026 travel?
No. As of September 2026 the increase remains a proposal with no published implementation date, and the fine for undeclared biosecurity risk items in New Zealand is NZD 400. Reconfirm the amount on the MPI site before you fly.
