Last updated: September 30, 2026
New Zealand calls its tourist visa by a plainer name: the Visitor Visa. One application covers holidays, family visits, short business trips, and courses of up to three months. Most travellers from Asia and Africa need one — only citizens of around 60 visa-waiver countries can skip it and use the quicker NZeTA instead. This guide covers the routes, the 2026 costs, the funds and documents INZ checks, and the newly digital application process.
Fees and processing times are current as of the date above. Immigration New Zealand adjusts fees periodically and publishes wait times weekly, so confirm the current figures on the official website before you apply or pay.
Visitor Visa or NZeTA: which one do you actually need?
New Zealand sorts short-term visitors by passport:
- Australian citizens need neither a visa nor an NZeTA for New Zealand.
- Visa-waiver travellers — citizens of around 60 countries, including the UK, USA, Canada, Japan, Singapore and most of the EU — request an NZeTA online before flying instead: NZD $17 via the official app or NZD $23 on the website, plus the NZD $100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL), usually approved within 72 hours.
- Everyone else — including most passport holders from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, China and most of Africa — must apply for a Visitor Visa before travelling. There is no visa-on-arrival option for this group.
An NZeTA is a light travel authority: passport, photo, payment. A Visitor Visa is a full application with documents. If your country is not on the visa-waiver list, the rest of this guide is for you. The official Visa Waiver Visitor Visa page sets out the NZeTA route for those who qualify.
| Feature | NZeTA (visa-waiver travellers) | Visitor Visa (everyone else) |
|---|---|---|
| Application | Quick online request or mobile app | Full online application with documents |
| Total cost (incl. IVL) | NZD $117 (app) / $123 (website) | From NZD $441 |
| Stay per visit | Up to 3 months (6 months for UK passports) | Up to 6 or 9 months, depending on visa type |
| Typical decision time | Within 72 hours | About 80% within two weeks |
| Remote work for overseas employer | Allowed | Allowed |
How long the visa lets you stay
INZ grants the Visitor Visa in two main shapes. A multiple-entry visa lets you come and go, with total stays of up to six months in any 12-month period. A single-entry visa allows one continuous stay of up to nine months.
A ceiling applies to repeat visitors: no more than nine months in total on visitor visas within an 18-month period, counted backwards from your intended last day in New Zealand. If you have already spent 12 months there as a visitor, expect to stay out for 12 months before reapplying. Some Pacific passport holders may qualify for a 24-month multiple-entry visa under recently extended durations.
What it costs in 2026
For most applicants applying from outside New Zealand, the total payable to Immigration New Zealand is NZD $441 per person. It is made up of three parts:
| Charge | Amount (NZD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor Visa application fee | $300 | Band C (Rest of World), applying from outside NZ |
| Immigration levy | $41 | Charged per application |
| International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) | $100 | Per person; non-refundable even if the visa is declined |
| Total | $441 | Per person, before any VAC service fee |
Two things sit on top of that total. Some applicants are asked to give biometrics (fingerprints and a photo) at a Visa Application Centre, which charges its own service fee — VAC fees rose in many countries on 1 January 2026. And fees are non-refundable: you do not get the $441 back if the application is declined, which is why the evidence needs to be right the first time. (The IVL tripled from NZD $35 to NZD $100 on 1 October 2024, so older guides quote much lower totals — ignore them.)
A lower fee for Pacific applicants. From 1 June 2026, citizens of 12 Pacific nations — including Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands — pay a temporarily reduced NZD $161 (including the $41 levy) for a 12-month trial. It applies only to applications lodged outside New Zealand, excludes the Parent Boost and Group Visitor visas, and Pacific visitors do not pay the IVL — see INZ’s official announcement for the eligible nationalities.
What you can and cannot do on it
The Visitor Visa is generous in some directions and strict in others. You can travel anywhere in the country, stay with family or friends, attend meetings or negotiate contracts, take part in unpaid sports or cultural events, and study for up to three months. Your partner and dependent children can be included in the same application.
You cannot work for a New Zealand employer. That line used to be absolute, but it changed on 27 January 2025: since that date, visitor visa holders — including people travelling on an NZeTA — may work remotely for an overseas employer or client while in New Zealand. Emails for your company back home, video calls, coding or freelancing for foreign clients: all permitted. What stays prohibited is working for a New Zealand business, serving New Zealand customers, or doing work that requires physical presence at a New Zealand workplace.
A Visitor Visa is not a pathway to residence. If your real goal is to move, plan a study, work or family-sponsored route instead.
The six things INZ actually checks
Every application is measured against the same conditions. Put simply, you must show you are a genuine temporary visitor who can fund the trip and will leave at the end of it.
1. A valid passport. It must be valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave New Zealand — not three months from when you apply. Airlines check this at check-in, and a passport close to expiring can stop you boarding even with an approved visa.
2. Genuine intentions. This is where most applications succeed or fail. Vague “tourism” with no itinerary reads worse than a specific two-week plan with bookings. Family visits need an invitation covering who is inviting you, how you know them, and where you will stay. The officer’s question throughout: does this story end with you going home?
3. Enough money. The benchmark is NZD $1,000 for each month of your stay, or NZD $400 per month if your accommodation is already paid for. An acceptable sponsor in New Zealand — typically a citizen or resident — can take responsibility for your costs using a sponsorship form. More on the funds evidence below.
4. Onward travel. A paid return or onward ticket out of New Zealand, or enough money to buy one. The ticket must be paid for, not merely reserved.
5. Good health. For most short visits this means a declaration, not an examination — longer stays trigger medical requirements (see below). You must also pay for any health care you use in New Zealand, so full medical insurance for the stay is strongly recommended.
6. Good character. Criminal convictions, deportations or removals from other countries count against you. Most short-visit applicants are not asked for police certificates, but declare everything honestly rather than hoping it goes unnoticed.
The funds rule, explained with numbers
The NZD $1,000-per-month figure is the most misunderstood number in these applications. It is a minimum benchmark, not a price of approval. A family of four visiting for a month shows NZD $4,000 in available funds; a couple on a three-week trip with prepaid hotels works from NZD $400 per month each. If a relative in New Zealand is hosting and covering your costs, their sponsorship form plus their own bank evidence replaces yours.
What counts as evidence: bank statements (three to six months is the norm), credit card statements showing available limits, or the completed sponsorship form. What weakens an application is money that appears from nowhere — a single large deposit a week before applying, with no explanation, creates more questions than it answers. Officers read the pattern of your finances, not just the closing balance. If your accommodation is prepaid, include the receipts: that is what unlocks the $400-per-month rate. The same evidence principles are covered in our Schengen tourist visa guide, which walks through funds documentation in detail.
Health examinations: when you actually need one
Most tourist applications never touch a doctor. The rule depends on intended stay length, including time already spent in New Zealand:
- Under 6 months: no medical certificate or chest x-ray required.
- 6 to 12 months: a chest x-ray certificate (INZ 1096) is required if you are from, or have spent time in, a country that is not on INZ’s low-tuberculosis-incidence list. Most of Asia and Africa is not on that list, so many applicants planning longer stays will need the x-ray.
- Over 12 months: a full general medical certificate (INZ 1007) plus a chest x-ray.
Examinations must be done by an INZ-approved panel physician using the eMedical system, and certificates must be less than three months old when you lodge the application. Children under 11 and pregnant women are generally not x-rayed unless a special report is needed. Coming specifically for medical treatment? Apply for the Medical Treatment Visitor Visa instead.
How to apply, step by step
Timing note: New Zealand is mid-switchover to digital. From 1 October 2026, INZ stops accepting paper applications for the Visitor Visa and most other visitor categories — apply through the enhanced Immigration Online system. Paper applications lodged before that date are still processed normally.
- Start the right application. Confirm whether your passport needs a Visitor Visa or qualifies for an NZeTA, then create a RealMe or Immigration Online account on the INZ website and open the Visitor Visa form — it adapts to your situation.
- Complete the form honestly. Answer everything — incomplete applications cause the most delays. INZ’s announcement on the form changes explains the current system.
- Upload your documents. Passport biodata page, a recent passport-style photo (under six months old), proof of funds or sponsorship form, travel plans and accommodation, onward ticket, invitation letter if visiting family, English translations of anything not in English, and medical certificates only if your stay length triggers them.
- Pay the fee and IVL. NZD $441 for most offshore applicants (or the reduced Pacific fee if eligible), payable online by card. Keep the confirmation.
- Give biometrics if asked. Some applicants are directed to a Visa Application Centre for fingerprints and a photo. Not everyone is asked — many recent approvals went through fully online — but if INZ asks, book promptly.
- Wait for the decision by email. If approved, the visa is usually linked electronically to your passport — no label, no stamp. Carry a printout of the grant notice when you travel.
- Complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration. Submit the NZTD online — it opens 24 hours before your journey and covers customs, immigration and biosecurity. Airlines verify your visa or NZeTA status at check-in.
How long processing takes
Immigration New Zealand publishes visa wait times weekly: recent figures put the average Visitor Visa decision at about one week, with 80% decided within two weeks (working days). Complete applications land near the average; anything missing pushes you toward the slower end.
Apply three to four weeks before you travel — longer in peak season (December to February). There is no paid priority processing; the only speed lever you control is the quality of your first submission.
Extending your stay
If your plans change while you are in New Zealand, apply for a further Visitor Visa before your current one expires — overstaying can affect future applications. Extensions are considered when you still meet the visitor criteria: enough funds for the extra time, continued good health and character, and a clear intention to leave. Remember the ceiling: total time on visitor visas is generally capped at nine months in an 18-month period.
When a different visitor visa fits better
The standard Visitor Visa is not the only option, and picking the right one avoids refusals:
- Business Visitor Visa — for meetings, negotiations and conferences. Do not use the general Visitor Visa as a workaround if your trip is genuinely business.
- Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa — a three-year multiple-entry visa for parents and grandparents of New Zealand citizens and residents: up to six months per visit, with a maximum of 18 months in the three-year period.
- Parent Boost Visitor Visa — a newer option (2025) letting parents of citizens and residents visit for up to five years per visa — up to ten years across two visas. Requires sponsorship by the New Zealand-based child and a residence-level health standard; not a pathway to residence. See INZ’s Parent Boost announcement.
- Group Visitor Visa — for people travelling together for the same purpose, so applications are processed as a group (moved fully online in 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Can I work remotely for my employer back home while visiting New Zealand?
Yes — since 27 January 2025, visitor visa holders may work remotely for an overseas employer or client. You may not work for a New Zealand employer, serve New Zealand customers, or do work requiring physical presence at a New Zealand workplace.
How much bank balance do I need to show?
NZD $1,000 per month of your stay, or NZD $400 per month if accommodation is prepaid. Show three to six months of statements — a genuine pattern, not a last-minute deposit. A New Zealand sponsor can cover your costs via INZ’s sponsorship form.
Do I need a return ticket before applying?
You need either a paid onward or return ticket, or clear evidence you can afford to buy one. Reservations that are not paid for do not satisfy the requirement.
My visa-waiver friend only needed an NZeTA. Why do I need a full visa?
The route depends entirely on passport nationality. Around 60 countries have visa-waiver agreements with New Zealand; everyone else needs the full Visitor Visa. Applying for the wrong one wastes the fee — it is non-refundable.
Can I include my children in my application?
Yes. Your partner and dependent children can be included in the same Visitor Visa application. Each person pays the fee and IVL, and everyone needs their own passport and photo.
What happens if my application is refused?
The fee is not refunded. Address each reason in the refusal letter with new evidence before reapplying — common fixable ones are weak funds evidence, vague travel purpose and thin ties to home. If you were in New Zealand on a valid visa when refused, you may ask INZ to reconsider within 14 days (NZD $220); otherwise lodge a fresh, stronger application. Our US B1/B2 visitor visa guide covers similar ground on what officers look for.
