New Zealand Visa & Entry Requirements: NZeTA or Visitor Visa?

These serve different purposes: the NZeTA authorizes eligible travel, a Visitor Visa sets your visa conditions, and the NZTD collects arrival information. Immigration officers still assess permission to enter at the border.

Do You Need an NZeTA or a Visitor Visa?

Start with the passport you will travel on. Your country of residence alone does not determine your eligibility.

The examples below cover ordinary tourist travel by air, using entry rules checked on 23 October 2026. They are representative groups, not a complete nationality list.

Use the official visa and NZeTA eligibility checker for your complete passport, status and itinerary combination. Other British passport categories can have additional conditions.

The Australia exception for Chinese and Pacific visitors

Citizens of China and eligible Pacific Islands Forum countries, including Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, can use a special NZeTA route if they:

• Hold an eligible Australian visa that is valid at check-in.

• Have entered Australia through immigration.

• Fly directly from Australia to New Zealand.

• Hold an approved NZeTA.

Eligible Australian visas include certain visitor, student and work subclasses. An Australian visa is not a general substitute for a New Zealand visa for every nationality.

Connecting airside through Australia does not qualify. This distinction matters when comparing a flight with an Australian connection against a trip that includes a stay in Australia.

The pilot began on 3 November 2025. As checked on 23 October 2026, Immigration New Zealand allows eligible travelers to continue using it until further notice.

How the NZeTA Works and What It Costs

The NZeTA is an electronic travel authority linked to your passport. It normally remains valid for two years, allowing repeated eligible journeys. That validity is separate from the time you can spend in New Zealand.

Ordinary visa-waiver visitors can generally stay for three months per visit, or six months for qualifying UK visitors, with a maximum of six months in any 12-month period. Each family member who needs an NZeTA must have their own, including children.

Allow at least 72 hours for processing and apply earlier where possible. Additional checks can take longer; approval needs to be in place before travel.

The NZeTA fees checked on 23 October 2026 are:

• NZ$17 through the official mobile app.

• NZ$23 through the official website.

• NZ$100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) for visitors who must pay it.

That makes the usual combined total NZ$117 through the app or NZ$123 online for an IVL-paying visitor. Australian permanent residents and eligible airside transit passengers are among the exemptions from the levy.

Request the authority through Immigration New Zealand's official NZeTA service. Your application details must match the passport you will use.

Applying for a New Zealand Visitor Visa

If your circumstances require an advance visa, apply for the New Zealand Visitor Visa before traveling. Applications can be completed online, and successful applicants receive an eVisa.

Prepare your passport, photo, travel plans and evidence that you can support yourself and leave the country. Supporting documents in another language require English translations alongside copies of the originals. Medical evidence or police certificates may also be requested.

The Visitor Visa has a listed starting cost of NZ$441, checked on 23 October 2026. The amount payable depends on your application circumstances.

The stay conditions differ:

• Multiple-entry Visitor Visa: generally allows a total of up to six months in each 12-month period.

• Single-entry Visitor Visa: can allow up to nine months in an 18-month period.

Your individual grant determines the permitted stay and travel conditions. A single-entry visa expires when you leave New Zealand.

Apply well ahead of departure, especially for travel during the busy September–March processing period. An application receipt is not an approved visa.

Passport Validity and Documents for Arrival

Most overseas visitors need a passport valid for at least three months after their intended departure from New Zealand. New Zealand citizens and residents, and Australian citizens, have different passport-validity treatment.

Carry accessible copies of:

• Your passport and NZeTA confirmation or eVisa.

• Your accommodation details and travel itinerary.

• Evidence of sufficient funds.

• Your return or onward travel arrangements.

• Documents allowing you to enter your next destination, where required.

Visa-waiver visitors must have a paid ticket out of New Zealand, or accepted evidence of departure by ship. Visitor Visa holders may instead be allowed to show funds to buy a departure ticket or an approved sponsorship arrangement, depending on their conditions.

How much money must you show?

The standard maintenance requirement is NZ$1,000 per month, reduced to NZ$400 per month if accommodation has already been paid for. Bank or credit-card statements and prepaid accommodation receipts can support this.

Having somewhere to stay for free is different from having prepaid accommodation. Visa-waiver visitors also cannot rely on the formal sponsorship route available to eligible Visitor Visa applicants.

Medical insurance is recommended for ordinary visitors. Select cover suited to your itinerary, particularly if it includes driving or outdoor activities; our New Zealand travel safety guide covers the practical risks to consider.

Save your essential documents offline. Arrange internet access in New Zealand before departure so you can also retrieve booking changes and contact your accommodation during the trip.

Completing the New Zealand Traveller Declaration

The NZTD is free and is separate from your NZeTA or visa. Each person entering New Zealand needs a declaration, including babies, children, citizens and residents. Someone else can help complete it on their behalf.

Submit the New Zealand Traveller Declaration online or through the NZTD app. Paper forms are available if you cannot complete it digitally.

Air travelers can submit the declaration from 24 hours before their journey to New Zealand begins:

• Connecting flights without a stopover: count from the first flight of the journey.

• A stopover where you leave the airport and take your bags: count from the flight leaving that stopover for New Zealand.

On a London–Singapore–Auckland journey with an airside connection, use the London departure. If you stay in Singapore before continuing, use the Singapore departure.

Use the passport you will present on entry. You can amend the declaration before passport control, but must resubmit changes. You do not need to print the digital declaration.

The form also covers customs and biosecurity. Our New Zealand customs and biosecurity guide explains the separate decisions about food, outdoor equipment and other belongings.

Auckland Transit Rules and Connecting Flights

New Zealand's international airside transit arrangement applies at Auckland International Airport, for a stay of no more than 24 hours. You must remain in the transit area.

Transit eligibility differs from permission to visit. For example, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Peru appear on the transit visa-waiver list, allowing eligible passengers to request a transit NZeTA even where their passport does not provide ordinary visa-waiver admission.

Travel to or from Australia can also change the transit requirement. When traveling onward to Australia, you must hold the required valid Australian visa.

Depending on your passport and route, you may need a Transit Visa instead. Existing valid New Zealand visa holders generally do not need an additional NZeTA.

When a connection becomes entry into New Zealand

You need permission to enter if your itinerary involves:

• Leaving the transit area for a hotel or sightseeing.

• Taking a domestic flight, such as Auckland to Queenstown.

• Connecting through a New Zealand airport without an international transit area.

• Staying beyond the permitted airside transit period.

Airside passengers cannot go through immigration to collect their own checked bags. Arrange the transfer with the airline; the International Transit Desk can assist if needed.

Passengers remaining within the permitted airside transit arrangement do not complete an NZTD. A transit NZeTA or Transit Visa cannot be used for a visit outside the airport.

Arriving by Cruise Ship

Cruise passengers can qualify for an NZeTA even when their passport would normally require a Visitor Visa for an air arrival. The ship-based permission has its own conditions and should not be treated as an ordinary three-month visitor stay.

If you fly to New Zealand to join a cruise, you must meet the entry requirements for arrival by air. A cruise booking does not replace the necessary visa or travel authority.

Cruise arrivals also require an NZTD. Submit it from 24 hours before leaving the last overseas port, and complete it by arrival at the first New Zealand port. This applies even if you only go ashore during port calls.

Can You Extend Your Stay?

If you want to stay beyond the period permitted by your current visa, apply for an appropriate further visa before your lawful stay ends. Renewing an NZeTA does not extend permission to remain in New Zealand.

The two-year NZeTA validity is a travel-authority period. The expiry date and conditions of the visa granted for your visit control your stay.

Build your itinerary around both the permitted time and the season. Our guide to the best time to visit New Zealand can help you choose dates before committing to a longer trip.

Your Final Pre-Departure Checklist

Before leaving, make sure the arrangements fit the whole journey:

• Passport and permissions: Match your passport details across your bookings, NZeTA or visa, and NZTD.

• Every connection: Check whether you remain airside, enter Australia, or take a domestic New Zealand flight.

• Documents: Keep your departure arrangements, accommodation details and financial evidence available offline.

• Arrival declaration: Submit each person's NZTD within the correct window.

• Mobile data: If your phone supports eSIM, compare the best eSIM options for New Zealand before choosing your allowance and validity.

• Rules during your visit: Familiarize yourself with local laws visitors should know.

Keep your accommodation address and arrival transport instructions saved on your phone. Roafly's New Zealand eSIM provides prepaid mobile data for retrieving booking updates and contacting your host after arrival.