New Zealand Visa Requirements

If you hold a passport from a visa-waiver country, you do not apply for a visa before travel; instead you get an NZeTA, and the immigration officer grants you a visa on arrival. The waiver list covers Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (HKSAR and BN(O) passports), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the UAE, the UK, the US, Uruguay and the Vatican.

On arrival with an NZeTA you can stay up to 3 months per visit, or up to 6 months if you travel on a UK passport, but never more than 6 months in any 12-month period counted back from your planned departure date. The NZeTA itself is valid for 2 years and multiple trips, so a second holiday the following year needs no new application, though you pay the IVL again only when you request a new NZeTA.

You also need an NZeTA if you arrive on a cruise ship (even from a non-waiver country, for a 28-day stay), hold Australian permanent residence, are a Chinese or Pacific Islands Forum citizen flying in from Australia on an eligible Australian visa, or are transiting Auckland International Airport for up to 24 hours on a waiver or transit-waiver passport. Auckland is the only airport where you can transit airside; changing planes in Christchurch or Queenstown means entering the country.

The NZeTA request takes about ten minutes. You need your passport, a face photo (the app takes it with your phone camera), an email address and a Visa or Mastercard. The fees in October 2026 are NZ$17 through the official NZeTA app and NZ$23 through the website, plus the NZ$100 IVL, so most travellers pay NZ$117 or NZ$123 in total. Immigration New Zealand asks you to allow up to 72 hours; many are approved within minutes, but do not leave it until the airport.

The IVL funds conservation and tourism infrastructure, and it is charged per person, including children. Australian citizens and permanent residents and citizens of most Pacific Island countries are exempt. Each family member needs their own NZeTA, and the details must match the passport you will travel on; if you renew your passport, request a new NZeTA.

At check-in your airline checks the NZeTA electronically, along with proof of onward travel. You can be refused boarding without either.

If your country is not on the waiver list, including India, China (unless flying from Australia on an eligible visa), the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, South Africa, Turkey and most of Africa and South Asia, you need a Visitor Visa before you travel. Apply online through Immigration New Zealand’s system; fees start at NZ$441 and depend on your nationality and where you apply, and the IVL is added for most applicants. INZ decides 80 percent of applications within 2 weeks, but processing is busiest from September to March, so apply at least six weeks ahead and do not buy non-refundable flights until the eVisa arrives.

A Visitor Visa can be multiple-entry, allowing up to 6 months in New Zealand in any 12 months, or single-entry, allowing up to 9 months in an 18-month period. You cannot work, except remotely for an overseas employer, but you can study short courses of up to 3 months. You will be asked for a return or onward ticket and evidence of funds: at least NZ$1,000 per month of your stay, or NZ$400 per month if your accommodation is already paid, as bank statements, credit card statements or a sponsor’s guarantee. Pacific passport holders may be eligible for a 24-month multiple-entry visa.

Australian citizens travelling on an Australian passport need neither a visa nor an NZeTA and do not pay the IVL. On arrival you are normally granted a resident visa that lets you live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely, provided you meet character requirements; anyone with a serious criminal conviction or a past deportation should apply for a visa before travelling. Australians can use the eGates at major airports, and their passport only needs to be valid for the trip.

Australian permanent residents (permanent resident or resident return visa holders) need an NZeTA but are exempt from the IVL, and are also normally given a resident visa on arrival. A temporary Australian visa such as a student or work visa does not count; check your status on VEVO before you book.

Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave New Zealand, undamaged and matching your NZeTA or eVisa. Everyone arriving, including New Zealand citizens and infants, must submit a New Zealand Traveller Declaration on travellerdeclaration.govt.nz or the NZTD app. It is free, covers customs, immigration and biosecurity questions, and can be submitted from 24 hours before you start your journey until you reach passport control. On long trips with stopovers, the 24-hour window starts from your first flight.

At the border you apply for entry permission even if you hold a visa. Officers may ask to see your onward ticket, accommodation and funds, and they can refuse entry to anyone who does not appear to be a genuine visitor. Eligible passport holders, including Australians, New Zealanders and citizens of several visa-waiver countries, can use eGates at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown; others queue for an officer. Carrying NZ$10,000 or more in cash requires a Border Cash Report.

New Zealand’s biosecurity check is the strictest most travellers will meet, because its farming and native wildlife have no defence against many foreign pests. On the NZTD you must declare all food (including snacks, honey, dried fruit and instant noodles with meat), plants, seeds, wooden items, animal products, medicines containing animal material, and outdoor gear that has been used: hiking boots, tents, fishing equipment, bikes and golf clubs. Bags are X-rayed and sniffed by detector dogs, and declared items are inspected and usually returned, cleaned or disposed of free of charge.

Failing to declare a risk item brings an instant infringement fine of NZ$400 on the spot, with no appeal at the airport, and serious or deliberate cases can be prosecuted with far larger penalties, including imprisonment. Throw unwanted food in the amnesty bins before the immigration hall if you are unsure. Clean the soil off your boots and tent before you pack: a muddy pair of hiking boots is the classic way trampers bound for the Milford Track, the Routeburn, the Kepler or Tongariro get fined. The same care applies inside the country: scrub and dry boots between catchments to protect places like Fiordland and Abel Tasman from kauri dieback and didymo.

You can apply to stay longer by applying online for a new Visitor Visa before your current one expires. It is granted as a single-entry visa and you cannot exceed 9 months in an 18-month period, so visa-waiver visitors who used 3 months can generally extend toward that ceiling only with a genuine reason, enough funds and an onward ticket. Applying before expiry keeps you lawful while you wait; if your visa expires mid-application you may be granted an interim visa.

Overstaying is treated seriously. Once your visa expires you are unlawful, liable for deportation and can be banned from returning for years, and an overstay makes future NZeTA and visa applications far harder. There are no overstay fines to pay your way out of; if you have overstayed, contact Immigration New Zealand before you try to leave.

The Working Holiday Visa lets young people from around 45 partner countries travel and take short-term or seasonal work for up to 12 months, with longer schemes for a few countries such as the UK and Canada. Most schemes cover ages 18 to 30, with the UK and Canada among those open to 35; some have annual caps, open on fixed dates and need proof of funds, insurance and, for some nationalities, a medical or English test. Remote workers on a Visitor Visa or NZeTA can work for an overseas employer under the digital nomad rule introduced in 2025, but not for New Zealand clients. Working holidaymakers often follow the fruit-picking and vineyard seasons around Hastings, Blenheim, Nelson and Tauranga, or take winter jobs in the ski towns of Queenstown and Wanaka. See our digital nomads guide to New Zealand for the details, the travel costs guide for what the levy and fees add to a trip, and the getting around guide once you have landed.

Every child needs their own passport, their own NZeTA or visa, their own IVL payment where it applies, and their own NZTD, which a parent can complete. Children from visa-waiver countries follow the same 3-month rule as adults. A parent travelling alone with a child should carry a letter of consent from the other parent and the child’s birth certificate; airlines and border officers can ask for them. Younger children cannot use the eGates, so families with small children usually queue together for an officer.