New Zealand NZeTA
Everything you need to apply for your New Zealand NZeTA: the requirements, the documents, and the steps from start to approval.
Official New Zealand government portalOverview
The New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, or NZeTA, is New Zealand's online travel authorisation for visitors who do not need a visa. It is not a visa: it is an electronic permission to board a carrier and request entry for a short stay, linked to the passport you apply with and checked against immigration records before you travel. An approved NZeTA is valid for up to two years and allows multiple visits in that period.
Each visit may last up to three months for tourism, business meetings or transit, and visitors who hold a British passport may stay up to six months per visit. The NZeTA does not authorise paid work or long-term residence, which require the appropriate work or residence visa. Two groups need it: nationals of New Zealand's visa-waiver countries, which include most of the European Union, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia, and cruise ship passengers visiting New Zealand, who need an NZeTA regardless of their nationality.
Travellers who already require a visitor visa apply through a different route. The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, the IVL, is a separate New Zealand government charge collected alongside the NZeTA government fee, and it funds conservation and tourism infrastructure across the country. Your NZeTA is prepared in your own language and every answer is checked before it is submitted to New Zealand Immigration.
Requirements in detail
An NZeTA asks for less than a full visa, but every detail must match your travel documents exactly. You need a passport from a visa-waiver country, valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure from New Zealand; the authorisation links electronically to that passport, so you must travel on the same one. Have your passport number, its issue and expiry dates and country of issue ready.
You also give a valid email address for the decision and basic trip information, such as your New Zealand accommodation address and travel dates. There is no photograph requirement for an NZeTA, unlike a visitor visa. A short set of eligibility questions covers your immigration and character history; answer them honestly, because an inaccurate answer is a common reason for refusal.
You pay one all-inclusive price covering the NZeTA government fee, the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, and our service fee, with the government and levy portions itemised on your receipt. The single most common avoidable error is a mistyped name or passport number: a one-character mismatch between your application and your passport can hold you up at the airport, so check both against the passport itself before you submit.
What you'll need
Have these ready before you begin your application. Requirements can vary by nationality and trip purpose.
- Passport from a visa-waiver country with at least three months validity beyond planned departure
- Email address for NZeTA delivery
- Travel dates and New Zealand accommodation address
- Payment method (one all-inclusive price covering the government fee and the IVL)
How to apply
Three steps from start to approval.
Complete the form
Answer the official questions online. Your draft is saved for 30 days, so you can finish once your documents are to hand.
Pay securely
You see the one all-inclusive price before you pay. We check your application for completeness before it reaches the government portal.
Receive by email
Your approved travel authorisation arrives by email. Bring it, or a copy, together with the passport you applied with when you travel.
On arrival
Your approved NZeTA is held electronically against your passport, so there is no printout to carry; the airline checks your authorisation when you check in, and the border system reads it on arrival. Even so, it is sensible to save the approval email or your application reference in case of a systems issue. Travel on the exact passport you applied with.
An NZeTA lets you board and request entry; the final admission decision is made by an immigration officer at the New Zealand border, who may ask about your trip. Have your return or onward ticket and your accommodation address ready to show, and be prepared to confirm that your visit is for tourism, business or transit rather than work.
Government processing time
What the issuing authority typically takes once the application is submitted.
Government processing: New Zealand Immigration decides most NZeTAs within 72 hours of submission, and clean applications are often approved within minutes. VisitPass review: Standard one to three business days; Rush one business day; Super Rush in under six hours, during which the application is checked for completeness, submitted to the authority, and the confirmation issued. When to apply: request your NZeTA as soon as your trip is booked and at least 72 hours before departure, because the approval is linked to your passport and an airline can decline boarding without it.
If you are travelling within a day or two, choose Rush or Super Rush so the immigration clock starts without delay.
At a glance
- Validity
- 2 years
- Maximum stay
- 3 months per visit
- Entry type
- Multiple
Who can apply
Required for nationals of visa-waiver countries and for cruise ship passengers regardless of nationality. The NZeTA is valid for two years from approval with multiple entries up to three months per visit; UK passport holders may stay up to six months. The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) is charged alongside the NZeTA government fee at the New Zealand Immigration portal.
New Zealand help desk
Have questions about your NZeTA? Email the New Zealand desk and we reply within 24 hours.
newzealand@visitpass-online.com