Document Actions
Search the website
What are the fees to search the PPSR?
How do I register for a logon (become a Registered User)?
What measures are in place to protect the integrity of the information in a financing statement?
Who can search the register?
If you want to conduct a search, you will have to be a registered user and have successfully logged on to the PPSR with your User ID and password. This will enable the PPSR to 'footprint' you as you search.
If you prefer, you can engage an agent to search on your behalf. PPSR staff are not able to complete this search for you.
You (or your search agent) will also be required to validate on screen that your search is for one of the purposes set out in the Personal Property Securities Act 1999. These include:
- searching for information about yourself, or someone else searching for information about you with your consent;
- the debtor or secured party may search for a purpose related to their registered financing statement;
- establishing whether the collateral (personal property) you are about to purchase or deal with has a security interest registered against it;
- establishing whether to provide credit to, or to obtain a guarantee or an indemnity from the person you are searching;
- establishing whether to invest in, with, or through, the person you are searching;
- the news media for verifying or establishing, in relation to a particular record, a fact that relates to its news activities; and
- a liquidator for purposes related to the administration of the liquidation of a company.
Other search purposes are set out in section 173 of the Personal Property Securities Act 1999.
What searches are available?
- Debtor Person Search - to search for registrations against debtors who are individuals
- Debtor Organisation Search - to search for registrations against debtors who are organisations
- Motor Vehicle Search - to search using a motor vehicle's registration number, chassis number and VIN
- Aircraft Serial Number Search - to search using an aircraft's serial number(s)
- Financing Statement Number Search - to search for a specific financing statement, even one that has been discharged.
What are the fees to search the PPSR?
All searches cost $NZ1 and you will be charged irrespective of whether any results are returned. Please note that a search conducted using appropriate criteria that returns no results can be just as useful as one returning registered financing statements.
View the current fee schedule.
What are my payment options?
You have two payment options. All services that require a fee are identified by a 'Pay Now' screen so you can decide whether or not to proceed.
1. Pay by Credit Card
If you only use our services occasionally, credit card payment is a practical option. We offer secure credit card transactions using 128-bit encryption technology. Your transaction is validated in real time and confirmed immediately to you by email. A tax invoice will appear on screen that you are able to print for your own records if you wish.
2. Create a Logon (Direct Debit or Credit Card)
If you deal with us frequently, creating a Logon with us will simplify your transactions. When you log on as a registered user, we can debit your bank account once a month for fee-based transactions. This avoids the need for you to re-enter credit card details (for security reasons we do not store credit card details). However you still have the option to pay by credit card if you wish.
Your organisation (or its branches) will receive an invoice by email or you can download a copy of the invoice immediately from the website for your accounting records.
![[icon] Note.](./medicons/med_icon_note.gif "[icon] Note.")
Note
The invoice amount will only be direct debited from your bank account approximately 20 days after you have been invoiced.
Do I need a logon?
To search or register on the PPSR you need to have a User ID and password. Your User ID and password are required to log on to the PPSR whenever you want to search or register a financing statement.
There is no charge for registering as a user. All services that require a fee are identified by a 'Pay Now' screen so you can decide whether or not to proceed. If you already have a User ID and password with the Companies Office you will be able to use this to access the PPSR. If you need to register as a user, choose the Get User ID option when you reach the website.
How do I register for a logon (become a Registered User)?
Need help becoming a registered user?
This animated demonstration will show you how to Get a User ID.
The clip will open in a new window.
Requires Adobe Flash Player version 7 or higher.
If anyone in your organisation has already registered as a user on one of the Ministry of Economic Development websites, we will already have customer details for your organisation and there may be a direct debit facility.
To save yourself time, please ask the Administrator to create a new User ID for you. Contact us if you are not sure who your Administrator is. To register as a user:
- Select the Get User ID button on the home page.
- Complete the online application form (fields marked with an asterisk * must be completed).
- Select Continue.
- Read, then acknowledge that you have read and accepted the terms and conditions.
- If you have elected to operate a direct debit facility, complete and sign the direct debit form that is emailed to you. The banks require original signatures. Please return the completed direct debit form to us by post to the address on the form.
- Your User ID will be emailed to you. Please ensure you keep it in a secure place. You can log on to the PPSR as soon as you have been allocated a User ID and password. Any fees incurred can be paid by credit card until your direct debit facility has been activated. It takes up to five working days from the day we receive your signed form to activate your direct debit with the bank.
We have assembled step by step instructions to help you open and manage your User ID, whether it is the first time you have visited our website, or you just need a refresher.
Tips for searching the PPSR
Outlined below are some searching tips to ensure you are getting the best possible search results when searching the PPSR via our website.
How do I search using a debtor's details - organisation?
All spaces, apostrophes, the abbreviated word ‘NZ’ and the word ‘The’ are removed as part of your search criteria. This means if you enter an incorrect amount of spaces or forget to include an apostrophe in a 'Debtor Organisation Search' your results will not be affected.
- The word ‘Limited’ may be abbreviated to ‘Ltd’ when you are conducting a Debtor Organisation Search.
- An ‘&’ may be used in a Search in place of the word ‘and'.
- When searching for an organisation that is a New Zealand company we recommend searching using only the incorporation number (if you do not know the number, you can search the Companies Register - FREE).
You can use the wild card character in some of the search fields. The asterisk character (*) is the wild card used within the PPSR system.
- A minimum of two characters must be entered to use the wild card.
- Putting the * at the end of text tells the system to find all records that start with the text you have entered.
- When it is positioned in the middle of the text, it tells the system to find all records that begin and end with the text separated by the wild card character eg com* will return company, committee and community while com*y will return company and community.
- Only one wild card character is permitted per field and it can take the place of one or many characters.
You are also able to conduct a 'Debtor Organisation Search' by searching for the organisation at the Companies Office website at www.companies.govt.nz then choosing the 'Charges – PPSR' option. This initiates a search of the PPSR using the incorporation number of the company - it will not conduct a wide search of the PPSR e.g. it will not search for organisations that have a name that is similar to the criteria you enter.
How do I search using a debtor's details - person?
When conducting a 'Debtor Person Search' the system will look for an exact match to all the search criteria entered. The mandatory search criteria to be entered are Surname and First Name. If you do choose to enter more criteria into the search fields please be sure this information is correct. The more search criteria you enter, the narrower your search becomes.
As with Debtor Organisation Searching, a wild card character * can be used for a 'Debtor Person Search'.
How do I search using a motor vehicle's details?
When conducting a 'Motor Vehicle Search' you are required to enter one of the following, or all if they exist:
- Registration Number
- Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
- Chassis Number.
You can enter more than one search criteria e.g. (Registration Number and VIN) as the system will look for any securities that match either one of your search criteria. You should enter as much detail as you have available to you as, the more search criteria you enter for a motor vehicle search, the wider your search becomes.
The wild card character * cannot be used for this search.
Tip
Remember to use our mobile phone SMS service 'TXTB4UBUY' when you are not close to your PC.
How do I search using my mobile phone?
Use your mobile phone anywhere, anytime to get an indication of whether there is a registered security interest (debt) over a vehicle using our mobile phone 'TXTB4UBUY' service. Read more...
What measures are in place to protect the integrity of the information in a financing statement?
Once a financing statement is registered, a record is kept of all changes to that financing statement. This includes recording the user that made the changes and the date and time of those changes.
A user of the PPSR must pass through three levels of security before being able to discharge, or make amendments to the content of a financing statement:
- User Logon (User ID and password): The Logon identifies the user and determines their authority and permissions e.g. some users may not be assigned amendment or discharge rights.
- Secured Party Group identification (Secured Party Group ID and password): The user must have the rights to enter or amend financing statements within their jurisdiction. A registered user with the secured party group ID and password is able to change financing statements associated with that secured party group, provided they also have the financing statement registration number and PIN.
- Financing statement identification (financing statement registration number and PIN).
![[icon] Further information.](./medicons/med_icon_furtherinfo.gif "[icon] Further information.")
Further information
Financing Statement Number
You can search for a specific financing statement by using the Financing Statement Number Search. This is also the only way to search for discharged or expired financing statement.