New Zealand visa requirements: How to get a New Zealand Visa

New Zealand is considered to be one of the countries with the highest quality of life in the world. This country is made up of two large islands and several small ones, all located in the southwest of the Pacific Ocean, with a total surface area of more than 265,000 square km, and a population of almost 5 million inhabitants.

New Zealand boasts stunning scenery, with incredibly beautiful and virgin landscapes. Are you travelling there? Do you know how to get a New Zealand visa? What are the New Zealand visa requirements? Find out here.

Do I need a visa to go to New Zealand?

Yes, anyone wishing to travel to New Zealand, for whatever reason, must apply for a visa, or an NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority) travel authorisation. The type of visa required will depend on your nationality and your reason for travelling.

The NZeTA travel authorisation (New Zealand visa) is an online visa processing programme available for over 60 nationalities. You can check our eligibility verifier to find out the specific status of your nationality. You do not need to follow the New Zealand visa requirements if you are:

• New Zealand or Australian citizen or resident.
• UK citizen or passport holder (for a maximum stay of 6 months).
• A citizen of a country with the option of applying for an NZeTA (for a maximum stay of 3 months).

Types of visas for New Zealand

Depending on the reason for your visit to New Zealand, you must apply for a specific type of visa or an NZeTA travel authorisation:

NZeTA

It allows citizens from the 60 countries in the Visa Waiver Programme to travel to New Zealand without the need to apply for a Visa Visitor. Simply by applying for the NZeTA online, these 60 nationalities can travel to New Zealand, and stay for a maximum of 3 months. The NZeTA travel authorisation has 2 travel options: transit and sightseeing.

Visitor Visa

This visa is available to all nationalities, both those in the NZeTA programme and those who are not. People who are in the visa waiver programme, and still want to apply for a Visitor Visa, must first apply for the NZeTA. With the Visa Visitor, you can visit friends and family, go sightseeing in New Zealand, or enjoy sports and adventure activities. This visa allows a maximum stay of 9 months in the country. If your intention is to go to New Zealand to study, this visa is valid, but only for a maximum of 3 months.

Work visa

There is a wide variety of visas within the work visa category. There is a specific visa for each professional area. If your intention is to travel to New Zealand to work, you must contact the nearest embassy, which will offer guidance about the requirements. 

Student visa (Study visa)

As with the work visa, there are numerous visas available to study in the country. Usually, this type of visa is processed by the institution where you are going to carry out your training. If this is not the case, you must contact the embassy to process it in person.

Permanent Resident Visa

This visa will allow you to live in New Zealand without being a New Zealand citizen. You will be able to work, study and live in the country indefinitely. This visa can only be processed through the embassy or consulate nearest to your place of residence.

Can I apply for New Zealand visa online?

Are you wondering how to get a NZeTA? If you need a Visitor Visa or the NZeTA, you can pply online. If your nationality doesn't allow you to get a NZeTA, then you must apply for the Visitor Visa. The latter requires a more extensive and complicated process and a longer waiting time for the government's resolution.

Therefore, it is only advisable to apply for the Visa Visitor if you are not in the NZeTA programme or your visit exceeds 3 months within the country. The NZeTA is a simpler and faster process. If you choose the NZeTA, the process for obtaining your visa is smoother as you will simply be filling out a straightforward form, and in 24/48h you will have an answer in your email.

Who is eligible for New Zealand visa?

While all foreign nationals, with the exception of Australian citizens, need to apply for the travel authorisation, NZeTA, there are only 60 nationalities eligible for the NZeTA. These are the nationalities who are eligibile for New Zealand visa:  

Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia (citizens only), Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (residents with HKSAR or British National–Overseas passports only), Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Kuwait, Latvia (citizens only), Liechtenstein, Lithuania (citizens only), Luxembourg, Macau (only if you have a Macau Special Administrative Region passport), Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Poland, Portugal (if you have the right to live permanently in Portugal), Qatar, Romania, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (if you are a permanent resident), United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom (UK) (if you are travelling on a UK or British passport that shows you have the right to reside permanently in the UK), United States of America (USA) (including USA nationals), Uruguay, and Vatican City.

What are the New Zealand visa requirements?

Amongst the New Zealand visa requirements, the most important one to apply for the NZeTA is to have an eligible nationality within the online visa programme. Necessary documentation includes a clear and legible copy of the passport, and a photo with a white background and with no objects on the face or head.

Do you need a transit visa for New Zealand?

Unless you are an Australian citizen you might need a transit visa, if you are just passing through New Zealand.  If you are coming from Australia you might require an Australian transit visa also. 

If you are transiting through New Zealand, you will have to stay in the transit area and usually spend less than 24 hours in New Zealand. If you are eligible for an NZeTA you can transit with this visa waiver program.

Can the New Zealand visa be changed once it has been processed?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to make changes to your application once it has been paid for unless the government finds an error and requires a change, which happens very rarely. If you have made a mistake on your application, you must arrange for a new authorisation.

How much is New Zealand ETA?

The NZeTA travel authorisation leads to two possible authorisations, tourism and transit. The NZeTA government costs are NZD 44 (including tax) for the tourist permit and NZD 9 for the transit permit. The fees must be paid before the form is sent. Depending on the exchange rate, the cost in euros of the tourist permit would be of 25-30 EUR (including taxes), and the cost of the transit processing fees would be between 5 and 10 EUR.

The NZeTA Tourist Authorisation is valid for multiple entries, with a maximum of 90 total days in the country, and with a duration of 2 years.

How long will New Zealand visa take?

The NZeTA should not take longer than 5-7 days to process, and for you to receive it. You have the option of selecting the express visa which will take about 24/48H. Whenever possible, it is advisable to process your visa at least 10 working days in advance.

What are the entry borders to New Zealand?

New Zealand allows you to enter by air or sea. Your travel authorisation will be valid for any port of entry. When you arrive in New Zealand to transit to your final destination, you must transit at Auckland International Airport and will not be able to leave the "Transit Area" of that airport.