New Zealand Tourist Visa Information and Application Requirements

Travelers should be aware that only citizens from 60 countries are permitted to apply for the electronic visa, which allows them to visit the nation without a regular visa to explore the breathtakingly beautiful places of New Zealand.

Travelers from other than these 60 visa-waiver countries, cannot apply for the New Zealand eTA. Travelers from such countries are required to apply for a normal visa. There are different visa-rules for different nationals.

Travelers planning to visit New Zealand should plan a few things in advance like: do you belong to a visa waiver nation, do you have the necessary documents as proof, sufficient funds in your account for your expenses in New Zealand, etc.

Australians do not need a tourist visa for New Zealand, they can easily visit the nation without a visa for business or study or work purposes.

Want to know what NZeTA is and how it works?

Citizens from visa waiver countries can apply for the NZeTA, they can enter New Zealand with the help of this electronic visa.

Only the citizens with designated passports from the above mentioned countries can apply for NZeTA and in order to obtain the NZeTA, applicants need to follow certain rules:

• The approved NZeTA offers validity of two-years with multiple entries into the country.
• The time period offered to stay during each visit is 90 days (3 months). Those travelers who want to stay in New Zealand for a longer period will have to apply for a regular tourist-visa.
• The time taken for the NZeTA to get approved is 72 hours (3 days), so apply in advance to avoid issues.

Foreign travelers cannot apply for the NZeTA if they have the following history:

• Have a criminal record in the past, even been arrested and served as a prisoner.
• Have a past record of deportation from any country
• Have serious health issues or communicable diseases.

For these mentioned cases, the authorities may ask you to provide additional documents to obtain the New Zealand tourist visa. The NZeTA is not guaranteed, it depends on the authorities verification and reviews.

Regular tourist visa

To visit New Zealand apply for the regular New Zealand tourist visa which offers validity up to 9 months with multiple-entries. They can also use it for a 3 months (90 days) course in New Zealand. To obtain a New Zealand tourist visa, the requirement or eligibility conditions varies from country to country. The citizens of some countries need to sit for the personal interview as well.

Citizens of some countries can apply for the regular New Zealand tourist visa online.

The applicant simply needs to visit the website, and fill the online form. While filling the form make sure that you do not make any mistakes, submit genuine documents, complete filling the whole form and at last review the form and make the visa fee payments.

The immigration officials of New Zealand are strict, they have their own rules and regulations to accept or reject your application. Also, on-arrival in New Zealand, if you fail to fulfill certain conditions you might not be able to exit from the airport as well.

The applicant has to present a valid passport, maximum 3 months (90 days) from the day you enter the country. Also, have blank pages for stamps on the passport, the immigration official will put stamps on your passport on-arriving in New Zealand.

While filling the regular visa form, the applicant might need to present an invitation letter from their friend or relatives in New Zealand, their departure date, their travel plans like places they will be visiting, and their booked accommodations.

Evidence that you have a strong bond with the country of your origin.

Enough money to pay for the stay and to deal with daily expenses, show bank statements, details of sponsors, or balance in credit cards as proof.

If you are visiting the country on a tour package, you might need to show the confirmation letter of the tour package and complete itinerary from the tour operator.

Extended stays are not allowed, doing so will lead to fines and penalties.

Transit visa rules

Travelers entering New Zealand for transiting (stoppage or layover) through New Zealand, either by air or sea, should apply for the NZeTA. Travelers even if they have no plans for exiting the airport, they need to apply for the NZeTA.

If travelers are entering New Zealand through Australia, they will have to apply for the Australian transit visa. Travelers transiting through any of the countries, if you are not sure about the visa-rules check the transiting information.

Rules for an emergency tourist visa

Foreign travelers can apply for eVisa for emergencies, if they need to travel for a crisis situation to New Zealand. In order to be eligible for the New Zealand eVisa for emergency, the applicant should provide the following valid reasons:

• In case of a sudden death of an immediate family member.
• Need to visit the court for urgent legal issues.
• Severe medical condition of a family member who requires treatment.

Note:

The applicant needs to apply for a regular tourist visa which is processed within 72 hours (3 days) working days and will be mailed to you. The immigration officials will not accept the emergency tourist visa, if applied for business emergencies. There must be strong reasons to apply for the same.

Applicants should know that emergency tourist visa will be taken into consideration, if applied for the following purposes like:

• Visiting the sightseeing and tourist place
• To visit for mending complicated relationship
• To visit friends.

There is also an option to apply for the emergency tourist visa online by visiting the website. The approved emergency tourist visa will be mailed to you, you are required to carry a digital copy or hard copy of the same, which you will need to present on-arrival in New Zealand Airport.

New Zealand Tourist Visa and NZeTA FAQs

Who can apply for the NZeTA and what is it?

For official entry into New Zealand, foreign travelers from eligible visa-waiver countries can apply for the NZeTA. The time-take for the electronic travel authority visa is 72 hours (3 days) working days, offering a maximum 3 month (90 days) stay for each visit.

For how long is the NZeTA valid? What does it require?

The NZeTA allows people to enter New Zealand multiple times in two-years, but travelers cannot extend the trip for 90 days (3 months) each time they visit the country. Extension on the stay will lead to fines and penalties.

Travelers who have been sentenced to jail in the past, deported, serious health issues, criminal records, etc, their application will face extra checks and they might need to submit extra documents.

Need New Zealand's emergency tourist visa: how to obtain it and what are its rule's?

Foreign travelers can apply for New Zealand emergency tourist visas for situations like serious illness, have to visit the court for legal issues or sudden death of a family member. The time taken to process the New Zealand emergency tourist visa is 72 hours (3 days) working days and must provide valid reason with proof of documents. For pleasure travel, or complicated relationships, you cannot apply for the same.

Want to apply for a normal tourist visa for New Zealand? How do I get?

Travelers can apply for the New Zealand normal tourist visa online which grants multiple entries with 2 years validity, offering each stay limited to 9-months and they can opt for a 3-months study programme as well.

Those who wish to apply for this visa, the requirement differs from one country to another, but they need to have the common documents like valid passport, strong home-country ties proof, funds to support his stay, etc.

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Ensure that you have checked the eligibility for New Zealand eTA. If you are from a Visa Waiver country then you can apply for an eTA regardless of the mode of travel (Air / Cruise). United States citizens, Canadian citizens, German citizens, and United Kingdom citizens can apply online for New Zealand eTA. United Kingdom residents can stay on New Zealand eTA for 6 months while others for 90 days.