Visa requirements for visiting New Zealand

A land of snow-capped mountains, mirror lakes and lush forest, New Zealand comes up on many travelers’ bucket lists.

Before you book your flights, however, it’s important to make sure you have all your paperwork in order. Here’s all you need to know about whether you need a visa or vaccination certificates to travel to New Zealand this year.

There are no longer any COVID-19 requirements for New Zealand 

Known to be one of the hardest countries to enter during the pandemic, New Zealand now has no COVID-19 restrictions and travelers do not need to show proof of vaccination to visit. However, the New Zealand government’s COVID-19 website is still live and is a good source of information if you should get sick during your time there. 

You may not need a visa but you will need a NZeTA

Residents of Australia and the United Kingdom do not need visas to travel to New Zealand and can easily visit the country. Australian residents can stay in New Zealand for as long as they like, while visitors from the UK can stay for up to six months.

In addition, 60 countries have visa waiver agreements with New Zealand, including the USA and most European countries. This means that residents from these countries do not need visas to visit New Zealand for up to 90 days.

To enter the country, residents of visa waiver countries (including the UK) need to fill out an Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before arriving in the country. These can take up to 72 hours to process, so visitors need to fill out the form online before they leave for New Zealand.

Apply online for a visitor visa

Residents of countries that don’t have a visa waiver agreement with New Zealand will need to apply for a visitor visa, which allows tourists to spend up to nine months in the country. The easiest way to do this is online. Visas take at least a month to process, so be sure to apply in plenty of time.

All visitors to New Zealand must have enough funds to cover their stay and proof of onward travel. They must also hold passports that are valid for at least three months after their planned departure dates. 

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