New Zealand Tourist Visa

A New Zealand Tourist visa allows you to visit New Zealand and explore the country. You can go on a holiday and enjoy the landscapes and the multiple activities New Zealand offers. Safety, amazing scenery, and delicious food are only a few of the things you will enjoy in the beautiful island country of New Zealand.

Who Can Apply for a New Zealand Tourist Visa?

There are 25 categories of visitors that qualify for a tourist visa in New Zealand:

• Tourists.
• Private Yacht or Plane visitors.
• Partners of work visa holders.
• Child of a New Zealander citizens.
• Parents and Grandparents of New Zealand residents.
• Medical treatment visitors.
• Arts and music festival visitors.
• Super yacht visitors.
• Dismissed Worker visitors.
• Crew joining a ship or plane.
• Adoption pre-citizenship visitors.
• Children of work visa holders.
• Critical purpose visitors.
• Sports events visitors.
• Occupational registration visitors.
• Business visitors.
• Temporary retirement visitors.
• Culturally arranged visitors.
• Escorts of medical visitors.
• Tour escort visitors.
• Children of student visa holders.
• Children of military visitors.
• Visiting media.
• Marriage visitors.

Tourists from countries that have a visa-waiver with New Zealand do not need to apply for a tourist visa.

What Are the Eligibility Requirements for the New Zealand Tourist Visa?

To qualify for a New Zealand Tourist visa, you must meet the following criteria:

• Be of good character.
• Be in good health.
• Pay for your healthcare.
• Be a genuine tourist who plans on leaving New Zealand at the end of your stay.
• Have enough money or an acceptable sponsor to stay in New Zealand.
• Have a ticket to travel out of New Zealand unless a sponsor pays for your onward travel.

What Are the Required Documents For a New Zealand Tourist Visa?

To apply for a New Zealand tourist visa, you must prepare the following documents:

• A valid passport. If you apply physically, you must provide your original passport. If you apply online, you must submit a copy of your passport. You may be required to send your physical passport after applying online.
• A photo. If you apply online, you must submit one photo of your face; if you apply in person, you must submit two acceptable photos. The photo you submit must meet the New Zealand photo requirements.
• Evidence of your travel history. You must provide the following:
  • A copy of your current and older passport.
  • You must submit the visa that entitles you to live in a country that is not your home country (if applicable).
  • If a country has rejected your visa application, you must provide a copy of the letter from the country’s immigration authority rejecting your visa application or a letter explaining why your application was unsuccessful.
• Evidence that you will return to your home country. You must submit the following:
  • A letter from your employer confirming that you will go back to work.
  • A letter or student identity card from your school to prove that you are registered for study.
  • A letter explaining your family connections in your home country.
• Health declaration. You must explain in your visa application that you will pay for any medical assistance or healthcare you receive in New Zealand.
• Proof you have enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand.
• A ‘Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry‘ that your sponsor completed (if you have a sponsor in New Zealand). If you are sponsored, your sponsor must provide evidence they can look after you in New Zealand by submitting the following:
  • Recent bank statements.
  • Pay slips.
  • Employment agreement.
  • Accommodation ownership or payment of rent.
• Proof of your relationship with your family members. You must prove your relationship to the family members you will visit. Documents you must submit are:
  • Marriage or civil union certificate.
  • A joint rental agreement or home loan.
  • Joint bank accounts.
  • Evidence that you own assets together.
  • Joint utilities account.
  • Joint credit cards.
  • Birth certificates of your children.
• Proof of sufficient financial means. You must have at least NZD $1,000 per month or NZD $400 per month if you’ve already paid for your accommodation.Documents you must submit are:
  • Hotel pre-paid vouchers or receipts as proof of paid accommodation
  • Credit card statements
  • Bank statements
  • Bank drafts
  • Travelers’ cheques
  • A ‘Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry’ filled out by an acceptable sponsor
• Proof of good health. You are required to submit a chest x-ray, a medical examination, or both if you:
  • will be staying in New Zealand for more than one year.
  • are applying for as a Parent and Grandparent Visitor.
• A police certificate. You must provide a police certificate as evidence that you are of good character if you stay in New Zealand for more than 24 months. The certificate must be in English and not older than six months.

How to Apply for a New Zealand Tourist Visa?

You can apply for a tourist visa in two ways:

• In person, or
• Online

In Person Application Steps

To apply in person, you must complete the paper application and submit it to your nearest visa application center. You must follow the steps below to apply for a New Zealand Tourist visa:

1. Complete and print the application form. You must print the application form from the New Zealand Immigration webpage. You can use this form to apply for a single person or family visa. The answers you provide must be in English and capital letters. Before you attach the photos, you must write your name on the back of them.
2. Book an appointment at your nearest visa application center. Check the Visa application centers outside New Zealand on the New Zealand Immigration website to find your nearest visa application center.
3. Print the confirmation email. When you submit your booking application, you will receive a confirmation email with the appointment details. You must print the attachment email together with the booking details and means of payment when you visit the VAC.
4. Attend the appointment to submit the application form and all the required documents. Bring all the required documents to the appointment and avoid any possibility of your application being rejected.
5. Pay the application fee and the required levies. You can pay the required fees when you attend the appointment. The Immigration Cost, VAC Service Fee, and (if applicable) courier fee should be combined into one payment. You can pay with Visa or MasterCard.

Online Application Steps

To apply online for a New Zealand Tourist visa, you must follow the steps below:

1. You must complete the online application. You can apply online for a Tourist visa by clicking ‘apply online’ on the Immigration New Zealand website. To start the application, you must create a RealMe account.
2. Upload your documents and photo. You must upload scanned documents that do not exceed 10MB. You must upload them as PDFs. The documents that are translated must be certified or official translations. You must submit your passport-style photo in jpeg format.
3. Pay the application fee with your credit card. You must pay the required fee by using a Visa or MasterCard. The Immigration Cost, VAC Service Fee, and (if applicable) courier fee should be combined into one payment.
4. Submit the application. When you complete the online application, you can submit it. You will be notified when your eVisa is issued. You must print your eVisa letter and bring it when you travel to New Zealand. You will use the eVisa to travel to and stay in New Zealand for the time allowed by your visa.

Entering New Zealand With a Visitor Visa

When you enter New Zealand with a Visitor visa, you must apply for an entry permission. To apply for entry permission, you must either:

• Present your documents to an immigration officer. The documents you need to apply for entry permission are as follows:
  • An Arrival Card. You will be given this on the ship or plane before you arrive in New Zealand to complete it before arriving at the border.
  • Your passport or another valid travel document.
  • A travel ticket out of New Zealand if you are visiting New Zealand on a passport from a visa waiver country or were requested when your visa was approved.
• Use eGate or Smartgate. This system uses biometrics to match the picture of your face in your ePassport with the picture it takes of you at the gate. You can use eGate if you are 12 years or older and have an ePassport from a certain country.

Who Can Sponsor Me for a New Zealand Tourist Visa?

A person that can sponsor your application is:

• A New Zealand citizen.
• A person that has a New Zealand residence visa.
• A refuge (they can sponsor their family to come to New Zealand).
• An organization registered as a company in New Zealand.
• A government agency.
• A community organization (if the visa applicant is a refugee).

What Are the Fees for a New Zealand Tourist Visa?

To apply for a New Zealand Tourist visa, you must pay the following fees:

	Online application	On paper application
Application fee	NZD $170 — $245	NZD $230 — $390
Passport fee	–	NZD $45 — $80
Courier fee	–	NZD $12 — $100
VAC Service Fee	–	NZD $75

New Zealand visa fees are non-refundable.

What Is the Processing Time for a New Zealand Tourist Visa?

It usually takes 51 days to process a New Zealand Tourist visa application. 90% of applications are usually processed within this time.

How Long Can You Stay in New Zealand?

You can stay in New Zealand for nine months within 18 months. The maximum duration of a New Zealand visitor visa is 18 months.

Dos and Don’ts of the New Zealand Tourist Visa

The dos and don’ts of the New Zealand visitor visa are listed below:

Do’s	Don’ts
Apply for entry permission when entering the New Zealand border.	Do not overstay your Visitor Visa validity.
Carry your passport, a ticket back to your home country, and a completed Passenger Arrival Card.	Do not attempt to work in New Zealand under a visitor visa.
Leave New Zealand before your visa expires.	Do not stay for more than nine months within an 18-month period.
Ensure you have a valid multiple-entry travel condition if traveling in and out of New Zealand.	Do not study for more than three months in any 12-month period.
Prove you have enough money to support yourself financially while in New Zealand.	Do not travel without a return or onward travel ticket unless your visa explicitly states it’s not required.
Have a travel ticket to a country you can enter or an acceptable sponsor for travel costs if required.	Do not assume you can return without meeting the entry conditions again.

Applying to Change the Conditions

You can apply to change the following conditions:

• study part-time for more than three months
• work in the horticulture or viticulture industries
• work up to 20 hours per week if you are a dependent child included in a 2021 Resident Visa application
• change the number of times you can travel to another nation and return to New Zealand before the expiration date of your visa