Certified Self-Containment FAQs

To obtain a Green Self-Containment (Recommended):

• Fresh water tanks: 4L per person per day (12L per person minimum); eg. 24 litres is required for 2 people for 3 days & 48 litres is required for 4 people for 3 days;
• A sink: (via a smell trap/water trap connected to a water tight sealed waste water tank;
• Grey/black waste water tank: 4L per person per day (12L per person minimum, vented and monitored if capacity is less than the fresh water tank);
• Evacuation hose: (3m for fitted tanks) or long enough to connect to a sealed portable tank;
• Sealable refuse container (rubbish bin with a lid).
• Toilet: Cassette/Black Tank Minimum capacity 1L per person per day (3L net holding tank capacity per person minimum), fixed and installed to the manufacturers specifications.
• Toilet: Waterless/Composting Liquid Tank Minimum capacity 1L per person per day (3L net holding tank capacity per person minimum), Solids Tank Minimum capacity 0.5L per person per day (1.5L net holding tank capacity per person minimum). If a Composting toilet is installed, the vehicle must have a ventilation system to meet the requirements of Regulations 17(1)(a), 20(1)(a) & (d).

To obtain a Yellow Self-Containment:

The same requirements are needed as the Green self-containment, bar the requirement for the toilet to be fixed. Therefore portable toilets comply for a Yellow self-containment.

A portable toilet must be adequately restrained or secured when travelling. The portable toilet shall be usable within the motor caravan or caravan, including sufficient head and elbow room whenever required, even with the bed made up. 

For blue and yellow warrant cards, when these conditions are met, a portable toilet may be used externally e.g. within a toilet tent or awning, where it is appropriate and convenient to do so.

We strongly recommend including certified self-containment as a condition of any vehicle sale and purchase agreement, ensuring the certificate is issued by an approved certification authority.

Financial members are welcome to engage one of our 300-plus volunteer Self-Containment Inspectors located across the country. These volunteers will inspect your vehicle at a mutually convenient time and/or offer you technical advice if required. Find a Self-Containment Inspector Here

Following the inspection, your inspection form will be sent to the NZMCA national office for processing. Please allow up to ten working days from receipt of the inspection form.

For government green certification you will then be sent a request to pay the $120 government levy. Upon receipt of payment, your certification will be issued.

For NZMCA yellow certification your certification will be issued upon receipt of the inspection form.

Certification is valid for up to 4 years for government certification and 10 years for NZMCA certification unless the vehicle is modified or alterations are made to an item covered by the self-containment certificate, in which case a recheck is required. 

You can help avoid any delays by paying NZMCA’s invoice for the government levy (green warrant card) on time, and checking the inspection form is complete and accurate from your perspective, before signing it off on page 4. Processing and posting out your warrant card may be delayed if there is missing or incorrect information on the form.

Some organisations have offered them to their customers on request for advertising and marketing purposes only. You must display the warrant card, and if your vehicle is certified with a green warrant card it will be searchable on the public vehicle register.  

The key difference between the new regulations and the previous Standard is the need for a fixed toilet that is fit for purpose and installed in accordance with the toilet’s design and specifications. Visit HERE for further information on the NZMCA’s new self-containment programme. We also recommend reading the NZMCA technical guide and PGDB technical guide in our resource section here if you need further information on the toilet requirements, and if you need to modify your vehicle to comply with the regulations.    

If your blue warrant card was issued on or after 7/6/2024 (or 7 June 2023 for vehicles with a portable toilet) then you cannot rely on this certification to freedom camp unless the site specifically allows vehicles that are not self-contained to stay.  These warrant cards have the words "Certification is NOT for freedom camping purposes" printed on them.

If your blue warrant card was issued before 7/6/2024 (or 7 June 2023 for vehicles with a portable toilet) then you can rely on this certification to freedom camp until it expires or 7/6/2026, whichever occurs first. After this date, green government certification will be required to freedom camp. 

All NZS5465 blue certification can continue to be used until expiry at NZMCA parks and any other site which  accepts NZMCA yellow certification. Each site in the travel app and online travel directory will indicate if they accept NZMCA yellow certification.

You can rely on your blue warrant card up until June 6, 2026 provided it was issued prior to June 7, 2024 and/or doesn’t state “not for freedom camping purposes”.

This enables decision-makers to generally permit freedom camping and private camping in areas with limited or no immediate access to external facilities. 

Furthermore, under the NZMCA’s constitution, as of 01 July 2009 all new members that join the Association with a vehicle designed for camping are required to certify their vehicle within 12 months of joining.