New Zealand entry requirements, by passport
New Zealand visa requirements at a glance: 61 of the 198 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter New Zealand without arranging a visa beforehand: visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorisation. The other 137 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for New Zealand for your nationality.
What we've verified for New Zealand
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 21 August 2026). The specifics depend on your nationality: open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Authorisation fee: 117 NZD
- Typical processing time
- Required documents (3)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Stay and transit rules
Sources: immigration.govt.nz (official NZeTA page: validity, maximum stay, fee "from NZD 17"; official IVL page: NZD 100; archived operations manual at opsmanual/66701.htm: re-entry ban periods under the Immigration Act 2009 s154; "Before you travel" page: 3-month passport, departure ticket, proof of funds) (checked 21 August 2026). New Zealand Customs Service: customs.govt.nz/travel-to-and-from-new-zealand/duty-free-shopping (alcohol and tobacco allowances, minimum age of 17, personal use or gifts) and customs.govt.nz/travel-to-and-from-new-zealand/border-cash-report (Border Cash Report from NZD 10,000) (checked 29 September 2026). immigration.govt.nz, "Fees, decision times and where to apply" ("Fees and receiving centre" finder for the Visitor Visa: fee, online payment and processing time) (checked 17 October 2026).
New Zealand requires most visitors to get an Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before boarding, valid for up to 2 years for stays of up to 3 months (6 months for British passports).
This table summarises the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track. The difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorisation, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorisation: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 2 November 2026. Published: 21 August 2026.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Andorra | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Argentina | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Australia | Visa-free | — |
| Austria | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Bahrain | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Belgium | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Brazil | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Brunei | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Bulgaria | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Canada | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Chile | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Croatia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Cyprus | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Czech Republic | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Denmark | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Estonia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Finland | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| France | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Germany | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Greece | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Hong Kong | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Hungary | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Iceland | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Ireland | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Israel | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Italy | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Japan | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Kuwait | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Latvia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Liechtenstein | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Lithuania | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Luxembourg | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Macao | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Malaysia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Malta | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Mauritius | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Mexico | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Monaco | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Netherlands | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Norway | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Oman | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Poland | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Portugal | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Qatar | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Romania | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| San Marino | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Seychelles | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Singapore | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Slovakia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Slovenia | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| South Korea | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Spain | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Sweden | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Switzerland | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Taiwan | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| United Arab Emirates | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| United Kingdom | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| United States | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Uruguay | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Vatican | Electronic authorisation (ETA) | — |
| Visa required | ||
| Afghanistan | Visa required | — |
| Albania | Visa required | — |
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Angola | Visa required | — |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Visa required | — |
| Armenia | Visa required | — |
| Azerbaijan | Visa required | — |
| Bahamas | Visa required | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Barbados | Visa required | — |
| Belarus | Visa required | — |
| Belize | Visa required | — |
| Benin | Visa required | — |
| Bhutan | Visa required | — |
| Bolivia | Visa required | — |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Visa required | — |
| Botswana | Visa required | — |
| Burkina Faso | Visa required | — |
| Burundi | Visa required | — |
| Cambodia | Visa required | — |
| Cameroon | Visa required | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa required | — |
| Central African Republic | Visa required | — |
| Chad | Visa required | — |
| China | Visa required | — |
| Colombia | Visa required | — |
| Comoros | Visa required | — |
| Costa Rica | Visa required | — |
| Cuba | Visa required | — |
| Djibouti | Visa required | — |
| Dominica | Visa required | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa required | — |
| DR Congo | Visa required | — |
| Ecuador | Visa required | — |
| Egypt | Visa required | — |
| El Salvador | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Eritrea | Visa required | — |
| Eswatini | Visa required | — |
| Ethiopia | Visa required | — |
| Fiji | Visa required | — |
| Gabon | Visa required | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Georgia | Visa required | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| Grenada | Visa required | — |
| Guatemala | Visa required | — |
| Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | Visa required | — |
| Guyana | Visa required | — |
| Haiti | Visa required | — |
| Honduras | Visa required | — |
| India | Visa required | — |
| Indonesia | Visa required | — |
| Iran | Visa required | — |
| Iraq | Visa required | — |
| Ivory Coast | Visa required | — |
| Jamaica | Visa required | — |
| Jordan | Visa required | — |
| Kazakhstan | Visa required | — |
| Kenya | Visa required | — |
| Kiribati | Visa required | — |
| Kosovo | Visa required | — |
| Kyrgyzstan | Visa required | — |
| Laos | Visa required | — |
| Lebanon | Visa required | — |
| Lesotho | Visa required | — |
| Liberia | Visa required | — |
| Libya | Visa required | — |
| Madagascar | Visa required | — |
| Malawi | Visa required | — |
| Maldives | Visa required | — |
| Mali | Visa required | — |
| Marshall Islands | Visa required | — |
| Mauritania | Visa required | — |
| Micronesia | Visa required | — |
| Moldova | Visa required | — |
| Mongolia | Visa required | — |
| Montenegro | Visa required | — |
| Morocco | Visa required | — |
| Mozambique | Visa required | — |
| Myanmar | Visa required | — |
| Namibia | Visa required | — |
| Nauru | Visa required | — |
| Nepal | Visa required | — |
| Nicaragua | Visa required | — |
| Niger | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| North Korea | Visa required | — |
| North Macedonia | Visa required | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Palau | Visa required | — |
| Palestine | Visa required | — |
| Panama | Visa required | — |
| Papua New Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Paraguay | Visa required | — |
| Peru | Visa required | — |
| Philippines | Visa required | — |
| Republic of the Congo | Visa required | — |
| Russia | Visa required | — |
| Rwanda | Visa required | — |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Visa required | — |
| Saint Lucia | Visa required | — |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Visa required | — |
| Samoa | Visa required | — |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Visa required | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| Serbia | Visa required | — |
| Sierra Leone | Visa required | — |
| Solomon Islands | Visa required | — |
| Somalia | Visa required | — |
| South Africa | Visa required | — |
| South Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Sudan | Visa required | — |
| Suriname | Visa required | — |
| Syria | Visa required | — |
| Tajikistan | Visa required | — |
| Tanzania | Visa required | — |
| Thailand | Visa required | — |
| Timor-Leste | Visa required | — |
| Togo | Visa required | — |
| Tonga | Visa required | — |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Visa required | — |
| Tunisia | Visa required | — |
| Turkey | Visa required | — |
| Turkmenistan | Visa required | — |
| Tuvalu | Visa required | — |
| Uganda | Visa required | — |
| Ukraine | Visa required | — |
| Uzbekistan | Visa required | — |
| Vanuatu | Visa required | — |
| Venezuela | Visa required | — |
| Vietnam | Visa required | — |
| Yemen | Visa required | — |
| Zambia | Visa required | — |
| Zimbabwe | Visa required | — |
New Zealand rules for every passport
Vaccinations, customs limits and penalties are the same for every traveller.
Vaccinations
- No mandatory vaccines for entry. The international vaccination certificate is asked of nobody: not the yellow fever one, and not even of travellers arriving from a country with risk of transmission. That is what the country has declared in the International Health Regulations list.
Customs limits
- Cash
- Declare via a Border Cash Report if carrying NZD 10,000 or more (or the equivalent in another currency).
- Alcohol
- From age 17, duty-free and only for personal use or gifts: up to 4.5 litres of wine or beer and up to 3 bottles (or other containers) of spirits or liqueur, each holding no more than 1.125 litres. Any excess pays full duty.
- Tobacco
- From age 17: 50 cigarettes, or 50 g of cigars or tobacco products, or 50 g of a mixture of all three, duty-free. Anything over that limit must be declared and pays duty and GST; if it is not declared, it is seized and destroyed.
Overstay penalties
Under the Immigration Act 2009 (section 154), someone deported within 12 months of becoming unlawfully present faces a 2-year re-entry ban; if 12 months or more have passed, or in case of a repeat offence, the ban rises to 5 years. Someone who leaves the country voluntarily before being served a deportation order is not subject to any prohibition period.
Grounds for refusal
- Failing the good character requirement: if Immigration New Zealand has reason to believe you do not meet it, you will not be granted an NZeTA, and they can stop you travelling at check-in or refuse you entry permission on arrival.
- Being considered a risk to New Zealand’s security, public order or public interest: the authority itself gives registered sex offenders and people associated with gangs as examples.
- Being unable to show enough money to support yourself during the stay, or a ticket out of the country: the airline may ask to see your onward ticket, and the authority can refuse entry if you cannot show evidence supporting your visa conditions.
Travel insurance
Each destination decides whether to require insurance, and some check it at the border. If yours does, make sure the policy covers the whole trip.
See IATI's international site →IATI sells its policies according to the country you live in. Where do you live?
If your country isn't listed, try IATI's international site.
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Do you need a different visa for Auckland, Wellington, or Queenstown?
No. New Zealand sets the requirements, so entering through Auckland asks for the same as entering through Wellington or Queenstown. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travellers to New Zealand
New Zealand is two islands of different character, best covered by car or campervan. The North Island concentrates urban life: Auckland, Wellington: and the geothermal area of Rotorua, plus the Hobbiton film set from The Lord of the Rings. The South Island is the one with the spectacular scenery: the Southern Alps, the glaciers, Queenstown as the adventure-sport capital and, above all, Fiordland, within the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage area, with Milford Sound. The country has 3 UNESCO World Heritage sites, two of them natural. Two weeks allow an unhurried South Island trip or both islands at a reasonable pace. It is in the southern hemisphere: the austral summer (December-February) is peak season; autumn and spring have fewer people and good weather, and winter is for skiing on the South Island.
Sources for this section: newzealand.com (Tourism New Zealand); UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org, 3 sites in New Zealand); UK FCDO travel advice for New Zealand. Accessed 31 August 2026.
Things to see and do in New Zealand
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Seeing the featured activities here needs advertising cookies. In the meantime, you can open them directly:
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Where can New Zealand passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.