Planning to Visit NZ? You Might Now Need an NZeTA
Many travellers wanting to visit New Zealand will soon need an electronic authorisation, thanks to a new government requirement starting next month.
The New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) will be required for most people visiting the country from October 1.
More than 100,000 travellers have applied for an NZeTA since the processing system went live about a month ago, according to Immigration New Zealand policy director Nick Aldous.
Who needs one?
Anyone from a visa waiver country will need an approved NZeTA before they enter New Zealand. This includes children, citizens not required to have a visa to enter New Zealand and anyone who is only passing through an airport on their way elsewhere.
A list of visa waiver countries and territories is available here on
the INZ website.
The NZeTA can be requested online, and sometimes approved within 10 minutes – although it is best to allow up to 72 hours to be safe as approval is required before commencing travel, according to Immigration New Zealand (INZ). Those eligible who do not have a NZeTA by the time they check in for their flights or cruise into New Zealand from October 1 will not be allowed to board.
Anyone who is unsure about whether they need a NZeTA can find out here.
Who doesn’t need one?
New Zealand and Australian citizens travelling with a NZ or Australian passport are not required to apply for a NZeTA. Anyone whose foreign passport has a New Zealand citizen endorsement or who holds a valid visa, including a permanent resident visa, also needn’t apply.
How much do they cost?
NZeTAs can be requested via the free app downloadable from the Apple Store or Google Play for NZ$9 (FJ$12.46), or from the INZ website for NZ$12 (FJ$16.61).
At the same time, travellers will be charged the new NZ$35 (FJ$48.45) International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) introduced in July, which will go towards protecting the country’s tourist hot spots, conservation, infrastructure and systems.
The IVL is charged to international visitors staying in New Zealand for less than 12 months and is expected to raise more than NZ$450 million (FJ$623.08m) over five years.
The fee won’t be required from Australian citizens, permanent residents and people from many Pacific Island nations.
Why was the NZeTA created?
Immigration Minister Iain LeesGalloway said the NZeTA was an important step to help strengthen the country’s border security. The legislation extended the automated decision-making process already implemented by INZ to accommodate the millions of visitors coming to New Zealand from 60 visa-waiving countries, he said. “The NZeTA will provide us with more information about those travellers before they arrive here and brings New Zealand’s border in line with international best practice,” he said.