All vehicles entering New Zealand must be checked, certified, registered and licensed before you can use them on the road. This process is called entry certification.
Only approved testing stations can carry out entry certification inspections.
The process involves an entry certifier:
verifying that the vehicle met the required safety emissions and frontal impact standards when manufactured
carrying out a vehicle inspection to verify it is still in good condition
deciding whether the vehicle needs any repairs and/or specialist certification to meet legal safety requirements
verifying that fuel consumption, CO2, gross vehicle mass, and unladen weight information has been provided for the vehicle
verifying who legally owns the vehicle
Where the vehicle meets requirements, the certifier issues:
a registration application form (form MR2A), which verifies that it has passed these checks and is safe for you to drive, and
a warrant of fitness or certificate of fitness, depending on the vehicle’s size.
Contact the organisations below to locate an approved testing station.
| Organisation | Phone | |
| Automobile Association(external link) (AA) | 0800 500 333, option 2 (for vehicle import advice) | aatech@aa.co.nz |
| Canterbury Vehicle Compliance(external link) | (03) 308 2275 (027) 472 5233 (mobile) |
admin@vehiclecompliance.co.nz |
| Drivesure Vehicle Testing Ltd(external link) | 0800 220 240 | admin@drivesure.net.nz |
| i4 Checkpoint Ltd(external link) | (03) 539 1223 | admin@i4checkpoint.co.nz |
| Independent Training Audit Services(external link) (ITAS) | 0800 367 4827 (027) 494 6051 (mobile) |
richard@itasnz.co.nz |
| Vehicle Inspection New Zealand(external link) (VINZ) | 0800 GO VINZ | enquiries@vinz.co.nz |
| Vehicle Testing New Zealand(external link) (VTNZ) | 0800 88 88 69 | technical@vtnz.co.nz |
