Correct as at 26th April 2024. It may be superseded at any time.

Extract taken from: Vehicle Inspection Portal > VIRMs > Entry certification > Pre-registration and VIN > Left-hand drive vehicles

5 Left-hand drive vehicles

5-1 Left-hand drive categories

The new left hand drive categories described below apply to vehicles presented for certification after 1 April 2010. A vehicle that is presented for certification after 1 April 2010 that was border checked before 1 April 2010 can be processed using the rules that applied prior to 1 April 2010.

A vehicle presented for certification after 1 April 2010 that was border checked after 1 April 2010 maybe eligible to be processed under the old rules. In these cases the owner will need to apply to the vehicles section of the Transport Agency for consideration of their case.

Table 5-1-1 describes the only categories under which a left-hand drive vehicle may be registered.

Table 5-1-1. Left-hand drive vehicle categories

Category

Description

A
Class MA vehicles less than 20 years old:
  • The vehicle must be class MA, and

1. be issued with a Category A left-hand drive vehicle permit by the Transport Agency, and

2. be manufactured in a country other than New Zealand less than 20 years before the vehicle is certified for entry in New Zealand

  • The vehicle must not be operated in a transport service and must be registered in the name of the person who obtained the original Category A LHD permit for a period of 4 years.
Requirements that the vehicle must meet:

To issue a vehicle with a Category A LHD vehicle permit, the Transport Agency must either deem it to have historic value, or it must be a vehicle that was not manufactured in right-hand drive form that meets three of the following four requirements:

  • The vehicle (or its make, model and submodel) is identified as being a collector’s item in a commercially produced motoring publication
  • The vehicle’s make and model and submodel has been (or was) manufactured in annual volumes of 20,000 units or less
  • The vehicle is, and was manufactured as, a two-door coupe or a convertible
  • The vehicle is, and was manufactured as, a high-performance vehicle.
The owner must also comply with the following requirements:
  • Must be a New Zealand citizen or resident
  • Must not have received a Category A LHD vehicle permit during the two years before your application
  • Have the vehicle registered in their name
  • Must prove the other necessary standards for the vehicle year.

B
Light vehicles that are 20 years old or more:
  • The vehicle must be class MA, MB, MC or NA. Its gross vehicle mass must not exceed 3.5 tonnes, and it must have been manufactured in a country other than New Zealand 20 years or more before the vehicle is certified.
  • The vehicle must not be operated in a transport service.

C
Specialist vehicles. There are five sub-groups in this category:

Category C1:

  • The vehicle must have dual steering columns and controls.

Category C2:

  • The vehicle must be used solely or principally as:

a) a mobile crane, or

b) a vehicle which operates wholly or partly on self-laying tracks, or

c) an agricultural tractor or self-propelled agricultural harvesting machine, or

d) an earthmoving machine.

  • The Transport Agency must confirm in writing that it is satisfied the operation of the vehicle requires it to be a left-hand drive vehicle or that the vehicle is only available as a left-hand drive vehicle

Category C3:

  • The Transport Agency must confirm in writing that it is satisfied that the vehicle has special characteristics, or is equipped for special operational purposes, such that conversion to right-hand drive is impractical.

Category C4:

  • The vehicle must be identified as a hearse by the original vehicle manufacturer (eg Ford, General Motors).

Category C5:

  • The vehicle must be a class MA or class MC motor vehicle that is used in motor sport competition and is operated in accordance with the conditions of a valid motor sport authority card.

D
Vehicles operated by diplomats
  • The vehicle must be operated by a person who is, for the time being, entitled to diplomatic immunity from jurisdiction.

E
Vehicles exempt from registration and licensing
  • The vehicle must be exempt from registration and licensing requirements.

F
Former crown vehicles
  • The vehicle must be formerly owned by the Crown.

G
Motorcycles with side cars
  • The motorcycle may have a sidecar fitted to the right-hand side of the motorcycle.

5-2 Document requirements

Table 5-2-1 details the documentation requirements for each left-hand drive category. The documentation must be sighted by the entry certifier processing the left-hand drive vehicle.

Table 5-2-1. Documentation requirements for left-hand drive vehicles

Category

Required documentation

A

See Technical bulletin 33

B
  • Overseas registration papers (pink slip or certificate of title), and
  • evidence of vehicle ownership (eg a purchase receipt, bill of sale, or similar in the owner’s name).

C

Category 1

  • Overseas registration papers (pink slip or certificate of title) or a manufacturer’s completion certificate, and,
  • evidence of vehicle ownership (eg a purchase receipt, bill of sale, or similar in the owner’s name).

Category 2

  • Overseas registration papers (pink slip or certificate of title) or a manufacturer’s completion certificate, and,
  • evidence of vehicle ownership (eg a purchase receipt, bill of sale, or similar in the owner’s name), and
  • written confirmation from the Transport Agency that it is satisfied the operation of the vehicle requires it to be a left-hand drive vehicle or that the vehicle is only available as a left-hand drive vehicle.

Category 3

  • Overseas registration papers (pink slip or certificate of title) or a manufacturer’s completion certificate, and
  • evidence of vehicle ownership (eg a purchase receipt, bill of sale, or similar in the owner’s name), and
  • written confirmation from the Transport Agency writing that it is satisfied that the vehicle has special characteristics, or is equipped for special operational purposes, such that conversion to right-hand drive is impractical.

Category 4

  • Overseas registration papers (pink slip or certificate of title) or a manufacturer’s completion certificate, and
  • evidence of vehicle ownership (eg a purchase receipt, bill of sale, or similar in the owner’s name), and
  • written confirmation from the original vehicle manufacturer (eg Ford, General Motors) that the vehicle was manufactured as a hearse.

Category 5

  • Overseas registration papers (pink slip or certificate of title) or a manufacturer’s completion certificate, and
  • evidence of vehicle ownership (eg a purchase receipt, bill of sale, or similar in the owner’s name).

D
  • Overseas registration papers (pink slip or certificate of title), and
  • a recent letter of accreditation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade stating that the importer has been posted to New Zealand.

E
  • Written evidence from the Transport Agency that the vehicle is exempt from registration and licencing requirements, and
  • evidence of vehicle ownership (eg purchase receipt, bill of sale).

F
  • Written evidence from a governemnt department that the vehicle was formerly owned by the crown, and
  • evidence of vehicle ownership (eg purchase receipt, bill of sale)..

G
  • Evidence of vehicle ownership (eg purchase receipt, bill of sale)
Note 1

All documents supplied in support of an application to register a left-hand drive vehicle must be original.

Note 2

If the owner is unable to supply the required documents, the vehicle must not be certified.

Note 3

Entry certifiers must retain copies of all documentation in their original form for a minimum of two years. If the vehicle owner requests that original documents be returned to them, verified copies must be retained in the vehicle file. The recipient’s name and the reason for return must be recorded in the LANDATA notes.

Note 4

Left-hand drive vehicles that were entry certified into New Zealand before 1 April 2010 are also able to be continued to be registered, and so are vehicles temporarily imported into New Zealand.

Note 5

LHD vehicles imported temporarily must be cleared through the New Zealand Customs Service with the appropriate documents – Carnet de Passage en Douanes, Triptyque or the relevant New Zealand Customs Service import declaration form.

The vehicle will then need to be registered as an overseas vehicle and pass a warrant of fitness inspection. This will allow you to operate the vehicle on overseas plates for up to 12 months.

5-3 Completing the left-hand drive process

A left-hand drive vehicle must be recorded as the appropriate type in the ‘special permit types’ field in the ‘VIN authority allocation/confirmation’ screen. Table 5-3-1 lists valid permit type codes.

Table 5-3-1. Special permit type codes

Code

Description

A

Left-hand drive – Category A (Note 1)

B

Left-hand drive – Category B

C1

Left-hand drive – Category C1

C2

Left-hand drive – Category C2

C3

Left-hand drive – Category C3

C4

Left-hand drive – Category C4

C5

Left-hand drive – Category C5

D

Left-hand drive – Category D

E

Left-hand drive – Category E

F

Left-hand drive – Category F

G

Left-hand drive – Category G

Note 1

Where code A is entered, a note stating the following must be added to the vehicle notes:
‘Vehicle ceases to qualify for left-hand drive exemption if the registered person changes before [DDMMYYYY]’.
The date specified must be either four years after first registration in New Zealand or when the vehicle reaches 20 years of age, whichever is earlier.

Once all the required documentation has been checked and the certification completed, the entry certifier prints an MR2A form and fills in the owner’s name (Category A only) before handing it to the owner. A copy of the completed MR2A showing the name of the person who the permit was issued to must be archived with the vehicle file.

Category A vehicles must have NOTES entered in LANDATA showing the restrictions on change of ownership to complete the process. The LHD permit number may have already been entered in LANDATA notes by the Transport Agency. If it hasn’t, it ismost likely that the vehicle did not exist in LANDATA at the time when the permit was issued. In this case. Please advise the Transport Agency accordingly so that the Permit details can be added to NOTES.

Any queries about individual cases involving left-hand drive vehicles not covered by these procedures should be referred to the Transport Agency call centre, on 0800 699 000.

Reprinting MR2A forms

Please see Inspection and certification 1-9, section 2.2 Reprinting an MR2A for a left-hand drive vehicle.

Page updated 17 May 2023 (see details).