Rapid antigen tests are a quick and easy option for you to check for COVID-19. If you are unvaccinated, you can use a rapid antigen test results for domestic travel purposes where a proof of a negative test result is required.
Testing for unvaccinated individuals for domestic travel and attending a court of law will be available and free of charge from 15 December 2021 until the end of June 2022
Asymptomatic, unvaccinated individuals over 12 years leaving Auckland. Port Waikato is included in the boundary with Auckland, and travellers across the boundary must follow the same rules.
Asymptomatic, unvaccinated domestic travellers over 12 years from any other part of the country, who travel with a transport company that requires evidence of a negative test result.
Asymptomatic unvaccinated people need to produce a negative test result when attending a court of law. This will primarily relate to people who are required to attend court in person, are those pursuant to a summons, legislative requirement, or judicial direction, eg, criminal defendants, lawyers for criminal defendants (including duty lawyers), summonsed witnesses, summonsed jurors, prosecution, applicants for habeas corpus, accredited news media for criminal hearings only, or members of the public permitted to enter court buildings.
Do not come into the pharmacy for a Supervised Rapid Antigen Test. Get a test at your local community testing centre or GP.
Call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for more information. To find your local testing centre, please visit Healthpoint.
Evidence of a negative rapid antigen test is required by the following people no more than 72 hours prior to domestic travel, preferably within the 24 hours immediately preceding travel for the eligible groups outlined above.
If you are asymptomatic and unvaccinated, a RATs will be required for travel with some domestic travel operators, such as Air NZ and Cook Strait ferry operators on a per-trip basis.
If you need to attend a court of law in person and are asymptomatic and unvaccinated, you will need to produce a negative COVID-19 test result. You will need to provide evidence of a negative RAT within 24 hours of attendance.
Tests are free and only available for eligible people, as outlined below:
Asymptomatic, unvaccinated domestic travellers over 12 years from any other part of the country, who travel with a transport company that requires evidence of a negative test result (e.g. Air New Zealand and the Interislander Ferry).
Do I need to book for this service, or can I walk into a pharmacy?
It is recommended you should book through the website, enquire online, or phone in advance to make sure there is capacity to see you for a supervised rapid antigen test. Availability will change with demand.
A rapid antigen test result takes about 15 minutes. If the result is negative, you will receive a text notification as proof of a negative test result almost immediately after this result has been entered in by the trained pharmacist. If your result is invalid, you will receive a text notification of the invalid result. The text will advise you to have a repeat RAT.
If your rapid antigen test result is positive, you will receive a text notification of the positive result. The text will also contain isolation advice and links to complete an electronic contact tracing and welfare and support assessment. The result will be automatically added to their My Covid Record and communicated to the local COVID-19 Care in the Community hub.
If you do not have access to a mobile phone to receive texts, the RAT supervisor will advise you of the outcome of your result.
If a person has flu-like symptoms or symptoms associated with COVID-19 or is a close or casual contact for COVID-19, rapid antigen screening should not be used, and the person should be directed immediately to their GP or a local community testing centre.
When visiting the pharmacy:
Contact us for more information on supervised RAT for International travel
Content supplied from the Ministry of Health
