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New Zealand · Electronic travel authority

NZeTA: who needs one, the fee and the official app

By the Visa Almanac editorial teamChange logUpdated 5 Nov 2026

In brief

The NZeTA is mandatory for all visa-waiver air, cruise and cargo passengers and crew; Australian citizens travelling on an Australian passport do not need one, but Australian residents do.1 An NZeTA costs NZD 23 on the official INZ website or NZD 17 in the mobile app, and is issued within 72 hours.2 Allow 72 hours: INZ says its checks can take up to 3 days, longer if it needs to investigate further.3

Apply only on the official site: nzeta.immigration.govt.nz. Other websites are not the government's.

Checked 5 Nov 2026Source: Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment)Report a change

Independent reference, not a government website. We don't issue visas or sell visa services.

ContentsIn brief
  1. In brief
  2. At a glance
  3. Who needs one
  4. Who doesn't need one
  5. Official website
  6. Fee
  7. Fee history
  8. Validity and stay
  9. How to apply
  10. Warnings about other sites
  11. Processing time
  12. Transit
  13. Recent changes
  14. NZeTA for US citizens
  15. NZeTA for UK citizens
  16. NZeTA for Canadians
  17. FAQ
  18. Sources
  19. About this page

NZeTA at a glance

Who needs itCitizens of 59 listed countries and territories are visa waiver for visits of up to three months that are not for medical treatment (footnoted conditions apply for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Hong Kong, Macau, Portugal and Taiwan).4
FeeAn NZeTA costs NZD 23 on the official INZ website or NZD 17 in the mobile app, and is issued within 72 hours.2
Valid forTraveller and transit ETAs are valid for 2 years from the date of issue (crew ETAs 5 years).5
Stay per visitVisits of up to 3 months at a time (6 months for the United Kingdom), and no more than 6 months in any 12-month period.3
Official websitenzeta.immigration.govt.nz3immigration.govt.nz2
Official appNZeTA app3
DecisionAllow 72 hours: INZ says its checks can take up to 3 days, longer if it needs to investigate further.3

Who needs an NZeTA

  • The NZeTA is mandatory for all visa-waiver air, cruise and cargo passengers and crew; Australian citizens travelling on an Australian passport do not need one, but Australian residents do.

    The NZeTA is mandatory for all visa-waiver air, cruise and cargo passengers and crew. Australian citizens travelling on an Australian passport do not need an NZeTA. However, Australian residents are required to have an NZeTA.Immigration New Zealand · checked

  • Under the INZ Operational Manual a person travelling to New Zealand visa waiver must hold an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) unless exempt.

    A person travelling to New Zealand visa waiver is required to hold an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) unless exempt (see E12 Electronic Travel Authority).Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): Operational Manual E2.1 · checked

  • Citizens of 59 listed countries and territories are visa waiver for visits of up to three months that are not for medical treatment (footnoted conditions apply for Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Greece, Hong Kong, Macau, Portugal and Taiwan).

    citizens of the following countries, but only if the person concerned is seeking a visitor visa current for not more than three months and the purposes of the visit is not for medical consultation or treatment:Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): Operational Manual E2.1 · checked

    Show the list: 59 countries and territories
    • Andorra
    • Argentina
    • Austria
    • Bahrain
    • Belgium
    • Brazil
    • Brunei
    • Bulgaria
    • Canada
    • Chile
    • Croatia
    • Cyprus
    • Czechia
    • Denmark
    • Estonia
    • Finland
    • France
    • Germany
    • Greece
    • Hong Kong
    • Hungary
    • Iceland
    • Ireland
    • Israel
    • Italy
    • Japan
    • Kuwait
    • Latvia
    • Liechtenstein
    • Lithuania
    • Luxembourg
    • Macao
    • Malaysia
    • Malta
    • Mauritius
    • Mexico
    • Monaco
    • Netherlands
    • Norway
    • Oman
    • Poland
    • Portugal
    • Qatar
    • Romania
    • San Marino
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Seychelles
    • Singapore
    • Slovakia
    • Slovenia
    • South Korea
    • Spain
    • Sweden
    • Switzerland
    • Taiwan
    • United Arab Emirates
    • United States
    • Uruguay
    • Vatican City

  • Citizens of 12 Pacific Islands Forum countries and the People's Republic of China are visa waiver for visits of up to three months only when travelling from Australia and holding an eligible Australian visa.

    the person is travelling from Australia; and the person holds one of the eligible Australian visa types as set out at E2.1.1 below. Federated States of Micronesia Fiji Kiribati Nauru Palau Papua New Guinea People's Republic of China Republic of Marshall Islands Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga Tuvalu VanuatuImmigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): Operational Manual E2.1 · checked

Who doesn't need an NZeTA

Official website and app

How much an NZeTA costs

  • An NZeTA costs NZD 23 on the official INZ website or NZD 17 in the mobile app, and is issued within 72 hours.

    Immigration New Zealand · checked

  • INZ's fee and levy table for rates from 1 October 2024 lists a traveller or transit NZeTA at NZD 23 via the INZ website and NZD 17 via the mobile app, in all fee bands, with no immigration levy.

    Immigration New Zealand · checked

  • Most international visitors requesting a visa or NZeTA also pay a non-refundable International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZD 100.

    Immigration New Zealand · checked

  • Visitors exempt from the IVL include New Zealand and Australian citizens and permanent residents, diplomats and people from many Pacific Island countries.

    New Zealand Government (Beehive.govt.nz), Ministers for Tourism and Hospitality and for Conservation · checked · read from an archived copy of 11 Sep 2024

NZeTA fee history

Each amount with the act or notice that set it, newest first.

  1. International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy: INZ said the charge of NZD 35 per eligible person would increase to NZD 100 from 1 October 2024, after Government announcements on 9 August 2024 and 3 September 2024. Set by: Government announcement of 3 September 2024 (Beehive release "IVL increase to ensure visitors contribute more to New Zealand"); INZ notice "Increase to visa charges comes into effect from 1 October" (6 September 2024). Immigration New Zealand · checked · read from an archived copy of 30 Sep 2024
  2. From 31 July 2022 a traveller or transit NZeTA rose from NZD 12 to NZD 23 on the INZ website and from NZD 9 to NZD 17 in the mobile app; the 1 October 2024 table keeps NZD 23 and NZD 17. Set by: Immigration New Zealand, "Table of changes to fee and levy rates" (new price from 31 July 2022), announced in the INZ notice "Immigration fee and levy changes". Immigration New Zealand · checked
  3. As of International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy: INZ announced on 6 March 2019 that the IVL would be introduced alongside the ETA at NZD 35, lasting as long as the ETA is valid. Set by: Government decision confirmed on 25 February 2019, announced in the INZ notice "Government confirms Electronic Travel Authority details" (6 March 2019). Immigration New Zealand · checked · read from an archived copy of 26 Jan 2020
  4. As of INZ announced on 6 March 2019 that an ETA would cost NZD 9 for mobile app requests and NZD 12 for web browser requests, with requests from July 2019. Set by: Government decision confirmed on 25 February 2019, announced in the INZ notice "Government confirms Electronic Travel Authority details" (6 March 2019). Immigration New Zealand · checked · read from an archived copy of 26 Jan 2020

How long an NZeTA lasts and how long you can stay

How to apply for an NZeTA

Apply only on the official site: nzeta.immigration.govt.nz. Other websites are not the government's.

  • INZ says to use the official NZeTA website or mobile app to request an NZeTA.

    Immigration New Zealand · checked

  • Request the NZeTA in the NZeTA app or on the online form; the online form needs a separate request for each person, while the app can request NZeTAs for up to 10 people at once and is cheaper.

    Immigration New Zealand · checked

  • You need your passport (the one you will travel on, valid at least 3 months after you leave New Zealand) and an acceptable photo or a device that can take one.

    Immigration New Zealand · checked

Official warnings about other sites

Only what governments, regulators and courts have published, quoted word for word. We don't label any website ourselves.

  • Immigration New Zealand says some third-party NZeTA sites exist but not all are legitimate; it encourages travellers to use the official government website or app so they are not overcharged or promised shorter timeframes, says third-party sites cannot prioritise or fast-track applications, and says it cannot help with NZeTAs bought through them.

    Some third-party sites exist for the New Zealand NZeTA, however not all sites are legitimate. We encourage all travellers to use the official government website or mobile app when requesting their NZeTA. This is to ensure they are not overcharged or promised shorter timeframes for the NZeTA to be issued. Travellers do not need to use a third-party site to obtain one, and these third-party sites do not have the ability to prioritise or fast track applications. Any travellers who are concerned about the validity of their NZeTA should go back to the site they purchased their NZeTA through. We are unable to assist in those circumstances, as the transaction is between the traveller and the site they used.Published Immigration New Zealand · checked

How long an NZeTA takes

  • Allow 72 hours: INZ says its checks can take up to 3 days, longer if it needs to investigate further.

    Immigration New Zealand · checked

Transit

  • An NZeTA also allows transit through Auckland International Airport for up to 24 hours.

    Immigration New Zealand · checked

Recent changes

  1. INZ announced on 6 March 2019 that travellers could request an ETA from July 2019 and that it would be mandatory for travel from 1 October 2019. Immigration New Zealand · checked · read from an archived copy of 26 Jan 2020

NZeTA for US citizens

ETA, 3 months NZeTA before travel; not for medical treatment.

Immigration New Zealand · checked

Everything for this trip: New Zealand visa for US citizens.

NZeTA for UK citizens

ETA, 6 months NZeTA before travel; not for medical treatment.

Immigration New Zealand · checked

Everything for this trip: New Zealand visa for British citizens.

NZeTA for Canadians

ETA, 3 months NZeTA before travel; not for medical treatment.

Immigration New Zealand · checked

Everything for this trip: New Zealand visa for Canadian citizens.

FAQ

What is the official NZeTA website?

Official application site: nzeta.immigration.govt.nz. Official status check: nzeta.immigration.govt.nz. Official information site: immigration.govt.nz. Official app: NZeTA app.

How much does an NZeTA cost?

An NZeTA costs NZD 23 on the official INZ website or NZD 17 in the mobile app, and is issued within 72 hours. INZ's fee and levy table for rates from 1 October 2024 lists a traveller or transit NZeTA at NZD 23 via the INZ website and NZD 17 via the mobile app, in all fee bands, with no immigration levy.

Do US citizens need an NZeTA?

US citizens: ETA, 3 months (NZeTA before travel; not for medical treatment), according to Immigration New Zealand, checked 31 Oct 2026. The US is on INZ's list of visa waiver countries for visits of up to three months. See NZeTA for US citizens.

Do UK citizens need an NZeTA?

UK citizens: ETA, 6 months (NZeTA before travel; not for medical treatment), according to Immigration New Zealand, checked 31 Oct 2026. British citizens, and other British passport holders with the right to reside permanently in the United Kingdom, are visa waiver for visits of up to six months that are not for medical treatment. See NZeTA for UK citizens.

How long does an NZeTA take?

Allow 72 hours: INZ says its checks can take up to 3 days, longer if it needs to investigate further.

How long is an NZeTA valid?

Traveller and transit ETAs are valid for 2 years from the date of issue (crew ETAs 5 years). Visits of up to 3 months at a time (6 months for the United Kingdom), and no more than 6 months in any 12-month period.

Sources

Official sources only. Each was checked on the date shown.

  1. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): who needs oneimmigration.govt.nz · checked
  2. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): official website, fee and warnings about other sitesimmigration.govt.nz · checked
  3. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): official website, validity and stay, how to apply, processing time and transitimmigration.govt.nz · checked
  4. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): Operational Manual E2.1 (effective 03/11/2025): who needs one, entry rules and by nationalityimmigration.govt.nz · checked
  5. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): Operational Manual E12.15 (effective 03/02/2025): validity and stayimmigration.govt.nz · checked
  6. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): Operational Manual E12.1 (effective 03/02/2025): who doesn't need oneimmigration.govt.nz · checked
  7. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): feeimmigration.govt.nz · checked
  8. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): feeimmigration.govt.nz · checked
  9. New Zealand Government (Beehive.govt.nz), Ministers for Tourism and Hospitality and for Conservation: feebeehive.govt.nz · checked · read from an archived copy of 11 Sep 2024
  10. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): fee historyimmigration.govt.nz · checked · read from an archived copy of 30 Sep 2024
  11. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): fee historyimmigration.govt.nz · checked
  12. Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): fee history and recent changesimmigration.govt.nz · checked · read from an archived copy of 26 Jan 2020

More: New Zealand entry rules by nationality · all visa guides.

About this page

By the Visa Almanac editorial team. Every rule, fee and date on this page comes from the official sources listed above, each read on the day shown; where they are silent, we say so. Editorial policy · Change log

Updated
5 Nov 2026
Last checked
Official sources
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Visa Almanac is an independent reference, not a government website. We don't issue visas or sell visa services.

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