News report | | 29-08-2023 | ±3 minutes reading time

You are soon travelling to New Zealand. Applying for the NZeTA is integral to preparing your trip. In this article, you will find some important travel tips, and further information about the specific entry requirements.

Key information about the NZeTA

A visa is required to enter New Zealand. The NZeTA is an electronic travel authorisation for tourists and business travellers, or for simple transfers in New Zealand. However, you are not allowed to work in New Zealand on a NZeTA. You are allowed to travel to New Zealand an unlimited number of times during the NZeTA’s two-year validity period. Each stay in New Zealand may last up to 3 consecutive months. It is not allowed to spend more than six months per year in New Zealand. If you want to stay longer in New Zealand, you will need to apply for a different visa.

Make sure that all the information on your NZeTA is correct well in advance. Your NZeTA displays your full name, passport number and nationality. If one or more of these details are incorrect, the NZeTA is invalid and may not be used to travel to New Zealand. If all the personal details are correct, you can travel without any worries.

Prohibited items when travelling to New Zealand

Imports to New Zealand are subject to strict rules. The regulations are meant to protect the environment and safeguard New Zealand’s fruit and vegetable industry from diseases and pests. Therefore, certain foods will not pass through customs. These include, but are not limited to:

  • fresh vegetables and fruit, as well as seeds and other plants;
  • meat and fish (even if they are canned);
  • ingredients to cook;
  • honey or products made from honey;
  • pickled vegetables;
  • religious offerings (such as prasada).

You need official permission to import certain items, such as protected species and certain luxury goods. You must always declare these on the so-called New Zealand Passenger Arrival Card, or on the New Zealand Traveller Declaration. Failing to do so may result in a fine of 400 New Zealand dollars. You will receive your Passenger Arrival Card as soon as you board on your flight to New Zealand, while the Traveller Declaration can be filled in online.

What do you need to bring to New Zealand?

Upon arrival in New Zealand, you must be able to show other important documents in addition to the NZeTA or visa. These include:

  • a passport valid for at least three months after your stay in New Zealand. It must be the same passport used to apply for the travel authorisation. You may apply for the NZeTA with a standard passport, emergency passport, or with the German child passport (Kinderreisepass);
  • a return or onward ticket;
  • documents to prove that you have sufficient financial resources to support yourself for the entire trip.

Safety in New Zealand

New Zealand is generally a safe country, but it is always wise to be aware of potential risks for your trip. If you are travelling into the vast countryside, make sure to keep someone informed of your plans, so that the emergency services will know where to look for you if you get in trouble. The emergency number in New Zealand is 111 and can be called toll-free. If you need to contact the police, for example to report a crime, you can call 105.

Driving in New Zealand
Many travellers choose to rent a car or camper to discover New Zealand’s nature. If this is your plan, make sure to prepare well, even if you are an experienced driver. Most roads in New Zealand are narrow, steep or winding. It may take longer than expected to cover certain distances, so make sure to take regular breaks and to set aside enough time. The speed limit on motorways in New Zealand is usually 100 kilometres per hour, but on certain highways you are allowed to drive 110 kilometres per hour.

Please note: this news article about the visa for New Zealand is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for New Zealand.

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e-Visa.ie is a commercial and professional visa agency, and supports travellers in obtaining, among others, the New Zealand visa. e-Visa.ie is an official partner of the International Air Transport Association, IATA, with membership number 57231226, acts as an intermediary, is no law firm, nor does it employ lawyers, does not provide legal advice, and is in no way part of any government. You can also apply for a visa directly with the immigration service (123 NZD per visa, via nzeta.immigration.govt.nz). However, not with our level of support. If you submit your application via e-Visa.ie, our support centre is available to you 24/7. In addition, we manually check your application and all the documents you provide before submitting it to the immigration authorities on your behalf. If we suspect any errors or omissions while doing so, we will personally contact you to ensure that your application can still be processed quickly and correctly. To use our services, you pay us 123 NZD in consular fees, which we pay to the immigration service on your behalf, as well as € 31,36 in service fees as compensation for our services, including VAT. Our services have saved many travellers from major problems during their trip. Should an application be rejected despite our support and verification, we will refund the full purchase price (unless an application for a previous New Zealand visa was rejected for the same traveller). Read more about our services here.