On this page

The Maritime Border Order, established to help manage COVID-19, is no longer in effect from Monday September 12, 2022.

 

People arriving in New Zealand by sea do not need to be vaccinated, and do not need to take a COVID-19 test if they wish to disembark to enter the community.

 

Household contacts of COVID-19 cases are no longer required to isolate but are recommended to do a Rapid Antigen Test every day for 5 days after becoming a household contact. You are a household contact if you live with or have spent a night or day (more than 8 hours) with someone who tests positive for COVID-19.  

 

On a cruise ship, a household contact is anyone who has shared a cabin with anyone else who has tested positive, while they are likely to have been infectious. On all other types of vessels, everyone on board is considered a household contact. 

 

The following forms are still required:

  • Advance Notice of Arrival - must be submitted at least 48 hours before arrival
  • No Change of Health Status Report - must be submitted 12-24 hours before arrival
  • Maritime Declaration of Health - must be submitted 12-24 hours before arrival at the same time as the No Change of Health Status Report.

 

Daily SITREPs are also required from cruise ships that have COVID-19 cases on board. The SITREPs do not have any impact on the other documentation requirements.

 

More information for small craft and private yachts is available from the New Zealand Customs Service.

Advanced Notice of Arrival

The Advance Notice of Arrival (ANA) form needs to be completed by the owner/master of the vessel and submitted at least 48 hours before arrival in New Zealand territorial waters – 12 nautical miles.

The ANA is a legal requirement and the owner/master is liable to prosecution for not submitting the ANA in the required timeframe and for not providing the ANA in the specified form and manner.

Submitting the ANA

  • For commercial vessels and cruise ships, the form must be completed in full and emailed to apicustodian@customs.govt.nz
  • For recreational vessels, yachts and small craft, the form must be emailed to yachts@customs.govt.nz
  • The ANA form, including attachments must be provided to New Zealand Customs, the Ministry for Primary Industries, and the Health Protection Officer at port of arrival (who does not require the attachments).

ANA forms

Maritime Declaration of Health

A Maritime Declaration of Health must be completed by all first porting vessels, even if there is no illness on board. The Maritime Declaration of Health must be completed by the master of the vessel and countersigned by the ship’s surgeon if there is one. It should be completed and provided to the Medical Officer of Health or a Health Protection Officer when the No Change of Health Status Report is submitted. In practice, completed Maritime Declarations of Health are often sent to the vessel’s agent for forwarding to health authorities.

Any illness reported on the Maritime Declaration of Health should have been declared on the Advance Notice of Arrival.

Further information about the Maritime Declaration of Health, including the forms can be found on the 
Maritime Declaration of Health page on The Ministry of Health website.

No Change of Health Status Report for Health Pratique form

Form for all vessels arriving in New Zealand.

Further information about the Pratique process can be found here: Requirements for Ships to Receive Pratique.

 

SITREP from Vessel Master to National Public Health Service (NPHS) for cruise vessels

 

If on arrival, or during the course of the vessel journey around New Zealand, cases of infectious disease (eg, COVID-19) are identified on board a cruise vessel, the master of the vessel is required to report this to the National Public Health Services (NPHS) via a Situation Report (SITREP).

The master or other officer is required to provide daily SITREPS if COVID-19 is on board a vessel, regardless of the number of cases.

The SITREP form below must be completed in full and emailed to ITOC@health.govt.nz

 

Guidance on using the SITREP form is as follows:

  • Daily SITREPs are expected
  • Commence reporting 48 hours prior to arrival at first port
  • Complete Tab two of spreadsheet on a daily basis
  • Submit SITREP between 1000 and 1200 hours daily
  • Submit SITREP to ITOC@health.govt.nz
  • For specific public heath assistance, or to report urgent health issues, or matters of local significance, contact the local port health service listed on the NPHS contacts tab of the SITREP
  • There is only one spreadsheet per journey. It will need to be updated and emailed multiple times
  • Reporting data is as at the date and time of the SITREP
  • No retrospective changing of data. Any new cases should be included in the numbers for the next reporting period
  • Do not overwrite the SITREP from the previous journey, always use a new template
  • When there is a turnaround, or full domestic exchange, a new SITREP spreadsheet must be started
  • Identifiable patient information should not be recorded in the SITREP.

Positive cases and disembarking

People testing positive for COVID-19 must self-isolate for at least 7 days. If the person has any new or worsening symptoms after 7 days, they are expected to stay in self-isolation until 24 hours after their symptoms resolve.

The ship remains the primary place for a maritime arrival to isolate if they are COVID-positive. In specific situations, COVID-19 cases self-isolating may be permitted to disembark the vessel, for example, to undertake essential permitted movements or to move to another place of self-isolation that is not a ship. 

COVID-19 cases who are isolating on a ship (other than a cruise ship) are also permitted to leave the ship to undertake an essential task. In doing so, they will be required under clause 13A of the COVID-19 Public Health Response (Self-isolation Requirements) Order 2022 to take reasonable steps to minimise the risk of spreading COVID-19. This includes by remaining as close as is reasonably practicable to the ship, maintaining physical distancing and wearing PPE while performing essential tasks.