For a holiday or business trip to New Zealand, you will need a visa or NZeTA. A number of requirements are attached to this. These include your nationality, your purpose of travel and the validity period of your passport. Most travellers meet all visa requirements after receiving the visa. Nevertheless, read the requirements carefully.

What is an NZeTA?
The New Zealand immigration service issues different types of visas. Tourists and business travellers can use the NZeTA (New Zealand electronic Travel Authority). This is an electronic visa. Compared to other visas, the NZeTA has lower costs and an easier online application procedure.
Apply for your NZeTA visa now

Not all nationalities are eligible

To use the NZeTA visa, your passport must state that you are a national of a visa waiver country. This includes the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Ireland and all (other) countries in the European Union. Do you have a different nationality according to your passport? In that case, you can determine whether you are also eligible for this visa type on this page.

Passport requirements

In addition to the nationality listed in your passport, your passport must meet other requirements to allow you to travel to New Zealand with an NZeTA. Keep in mind that these requirements also apply to children. Children also each need their own passport. The passport must still be valid for at least 3 months on the day you leave New Zealand. Apart from a standard passport, it is also possible to apply for the visa using an emergency passport or a German child passport. If you only have an ID card, driving licence, travel document, or residence permit, you cannot apply for a New Zealand visa through this website.

Will your passport not remain valid until 3 months after your trip?
If so, apply for a new passport first and only then for your New Zealand visa. If your passport expires during the validity period of your NZeTA, your travel authorisation will also expire. If you apply for a new passport, you must therefore also apply for a new visa for New Zealand with the new passport details.

What you are allowed to do in New Zealand with a NZeTA visa

The New Zealand visa that you can easily apply for online through this website is valid for:

• Tourism (including: holidays, family visits, visiting friends, amateur sports)
• Business (including: meetings, networking, visiting events, study tours, applying for jobs)
• Transit

In the application form, you need to select the purpose of your trip to New Zealand. You have the option of selecting “Tourism,” “Layover/transit,” “Business,” or “Other travel purpose.” A NZeTA visa for New Zealand does not permit additional travel purposes. Therefore, when you select “Other travel purpose” in the application form, you will get an error message. Are you travelling to New Zealand for a short transit only? In that case, be sure to also read the information on the page about transit in New Zealand before submitting the application. Does your trip fall under multiple permitted travel purposes? If so, always select “tourism” in the application form, as this allows all the activities listed above.

Is your purpose of travel not listed? For example, because you plan to be employed by a New Zealand organisation? Then you are not eligible for the NZeTA and must apply for a different type of visa from the New Zealand immigration service.

A trip to New Zealand requires proper preparation.

Other requirements for travelling with a New Zealand visa

There are a number of other requirements that travellers must meet if they want to travel to New Zealand with a NZeTA. These relate to the travellerʼs travel plans and background.

Travel plans

On arrival in New Zealand, you must have a return or transit ticket and be able to show it to a customs officer. There is no need to make further travel plans or book accommodation before you leave for New Zealand. However, it is always wise to think about what you want to do in New Zealand in advance and book some initial accommodation. This is because the New Zealand immigration service might find it suspicious if you travel into the country without plans.

Traveller background

Finally, there are some requirements regarding each travellerʼs personal background. If you want to travel with a New Zealand visa, you must be able to prove that you have sufficient financial resources to cover your entire stay in New Zealand. This can be done, for example, by showing a recent bank statement.

Moreover, you are not allowed to use the New Zealand visa if you have ever been sentenced to prison or are suspected of a crime that could potentially lead to a prison sentence. You must also be in good health. If you have a serious communicable disease and/or will potentially pose a major burden on New Zealandʼs health services, you may be refused entry to the country.

Do you meet all the requirements? Then apply for your New Zealand visa

If you meet all the requirements, you can apply for your New Zealand visa right away. The application process only takes a few minutes and consists of filling out an online application form and submitting a passport photo. If you are not eligible for an NZeTA, you may be able to use one of the other types of visas issued by the New Zealand immigration service.
Apply for the NZeTA now