Having a valid passport and the right visa is key to a trouble-free entry into New Zealand. Read more about our immigration requirements.

We enjoy welcoming visitors to New Zealand. To ensure you have an experience to remember, make sure you’ve done your homework and have everything sorted before you leave.

When you arrive, your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your intended departure date, and if required, have a valid New Zealand visa.

Holidaying in New Zealand

You do not need a visa to visit New Zealand if you are:

• A New Zealand or Australian citizen or resident

• A UK citizen and/or passport holder (you can stay up to six months)

• A citizen of a country which has a visa waiver agreement with New Zealand (you can stay up to three months).

If you don’t meet the above, then you’ll need a visitor visa, which allows you to holiday in New Zealand for up to nine months. The fastest and easiest way to apply for a visitor visa is online.

Before travelling to New Zealand, you need to make sure your passport is valid for at least three months longer than your expected departure date. If you come from a country that needs a New Zealand visa to enter, please be sure to apply in advance.

If you have a biometric ordinary passport (or electronic passport) and are over 12 years old, you may be able to use New Zealand Customs eGate service. This allows you to complete your Customs and Immigration checks faster so you can get on with enjoying your visit to New Zealand.    

More information about visas

The visa and immigration information on this page is just a summary. For everything you need to know about coming to New Zealand, visit Immigration New Zealand.

On arrival

You will need to complete a Passenger Arrival Card before passing through Customs Passport Control. A passenger arrival card will be given to you during your flight. If not, cards are available in the arrival area.

What you can bring into New Zealand

After you’ve cleared passport control, you should collect your baggage and proceed through customs and biosecurity checks. In order to protect New Zealand and its environment, certain items are not allowed to be brought into the country, have restrictions for entry or must be declared if they are deemed to present a biosecurity risk. These include food, plants, animal products and outdoor recreational equipment.

Your baggage may be sniffed by a detector dog and/or x-rayed, and it may be searched to identify any risk goods you might be carrying.

To avoid penalties it is best to familiarise yourself with these guidelines prior to travel. For a detailed list of prohibited, restricted or declarable items, please visit Ministry for Primary Industries (biosecurity agency).

Invitation Letter

The secretariat will send official invitation letters upon request. Such an invitation is intended to help potential attendees raise funds or obtain visas. It is not a commitment on the part of the organizers to provide any financial support.

If you need an individual invitation, please feel free to contact us.