All travellers entering or transiting New Zealand are subject to the Immigration Service's Advance Passenger Screening.
Under Advance Passenger Screening, your travel documents (including passport and any visas) are checked and validated before you board your flight to New Zealand. All documentation must be valid and up-to-date, incomplete or invalid documentation may result in delays at check-in or even prevent you from boarding your flight.
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You will need to apply for a visitor visa before you come to New Zealand if you are not from a visa-waiver country.
United Kingdom and Australia
British citizens and other British passport holders who produce evidence of the right to reside permanently in the UK can visit for up to six months without a visitor visa. Australian citizens and people who hold a current Australian permanent residence visa or a current Australian resident return visa do not need a New Zealand visitor visa to enter New Zealand.
People travelling to New Zealand on a one-way ticket must be one of the following:
- a New Zealand passport holder
- an Australian passport holder
- a holder of a current permanent resident visa of Australia or a holder of a current Australian Resident Return Visa allowing an indefinite stay
- other foreign national holding a valid New Zealand Returning Resident's Visa
All other visitors to New Zealand must possess a return or onward ticket to a country to which you have right of entry.
If you are a visitor to New Zealand making a separate international journey from and returning to New Zealand before departing New Zealand on your onward ticket (e.g. travelling to Fiji and then returning to New Zealand), please remember to take your onward ticket with you. You will need to present this when checking in for your return flight to New Zealand.
If you do not hold an appropriate passport, visa or return ticket you may be required to purchase a ticket out of New Zealand to a country that you have right of entry prior to you being able to travel. Such tickets are non refundable until you are fully able to satisfy the entry requirements of New Zealand.
Immigration New Zealand's transit visa policy requires transit visas for all travel through New Zealand, regardless of embarkation point or destination with an exception to citizens of:
- New Zealand - or must be holders of a valid re-entry permit ("Returning Resident's Visa") issued by New Zealand and permitting unrestricted definite residence in New Zealand.
- Australia - or must be holders of a valid re-entry permit ("Resident Return Visa") issued by Australia and permitting unrestricted indefinite residence in Australia.
- Britain - Holders of British passports provided holding passport endorsed 'British Citizen' or passport that clearly establishes right of abode in the United Kingdom (max permitted stay 6 months); or in addition to their passport, alternative documentary evidence to establish right of abode in the United Kingdom; or passports endorsed "British National (Overseas)" (max permitted stay 3 months).
Non-New Zealand citizens will be required to hold a transit visa unless:
- they hold a current New Zealand visa; or
- they are a citizen of Australia travelling with a valid Australian passport; or
- they are from a visa-free country
- their destination is Australia and they hold a current visa to enter Australia; or they are a citizen of one or more of the countries specified in the transit visa country waiver list below.
If you are visiting New Zealand for three months or less and are from a country in the list below, you will not need a visa to enter or to transit:
Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia1, Finland, France, Germany, Greece2, Hong Kong3, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Kuwait, Latvia1, Liechtenstein, Lithuania1, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal4, Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan5, United Arab Emirates, United States of America6, Uruguay and Vatican City
1. Visa waiver does not apply to people travelling on alien's (non-citizen's) passports issued by these countries.
2. Greek passport holders whose passports were issued on and after 1 January 2006. (Greek passports issued before 1 January 2006 are not acceptable for travel after 1 January 2007.)
3. Residents of Hong Kong travelling on Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or British National (Overseas) passports.
4. Portuguese passport holders must also have the right to live permanently in Portugal.
5. Permanent residents of Taiwan travelling on a Taiwanese passport. A personal identity number printed within the visible section of the biographical page of the Taiwan passport demonstrates that the holder is a permanent resident of Taiwan.
6. Including nationals of the USA.
If you are in transit through New Zealand, regardless of which country your travel commenced from or is for travel to, you do not need a Transit Visa if you are a citizen of one or more of the following countries:
Bahamas, Bermuda, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Federated States of Micronesia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa (Western), Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Venezuela