COVID-19: Maritime sector

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

• NZCS 344 - New Zealand border agencies Advance Notice of Arrival (DOC 342 KB) – commercial vessels and cruise ships
• NZCS 340: Advance Notice of Arrival (DOC 284 KB) – recreational vessels, yachts and small craft.

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.

Form for all vessels arriving in New Zealand.

• No Change of Health Status Report for Health Pratique form (Word, 45 KB) 
  Updated: 25 February 2022

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

Positive cases and isolation requirements

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.

Household contacts of COVID-19 cases

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.