VIA offers technical advice and guidance on New Zealand’s vehicle importation requirements. Whether you're an industry professional, a collector, or an individual considering bringing a vehicle into the country, our team can help navigate the complex rules and standards that apply to used and new vehicle imports.

We can assist with:

• Understanding emissions and safety standards

• Vehicle class identification

• Compliance with mass and dimension rules

• Exemption processes for left-hand drive, vintage, or rare vehicles

• Border inspection and entry certification queries

This service is free for VIA members.

VIA Technical Advice – Terms for Non-Members

• If you’re not a VIA member, we charge $200 (including GST) for queries we can answer within one hour or less.

• If your request takes longer than an hour, we charge an extra $50 (including GST) for every 15 minutes (or part thereof) after the first hour.

  • We will issue an invoice for the base fee ($200) immediately and invoice for further charges at the completion of the task.

• We calculate the time based on how long VIA staff spend researching, preparing a reply, and reviewing or analysing any material you provide.

• Our turnaround time is not 1 hour. We aim to get back to you within five working days with either:

  1. An answer, or

  2. A work plan outlining what’s needed to complete your request.

• If we need information from third parties (for example, a government agency), our response time will depend on how long they take to reply. NB: Many agencies have response times of 20 working days or more.

• Before we start any work, we’ll confirm the estimated charges with you.

• Please note: We cannot guarantee a particular outcome. Our fees are for the time and expertise we provide, and are payable regardless of the final result.