Independent guide · Not Immigration New Zealand
Every New Zealand visa,
explained in plain English.
Immigration New Zealand publishes the rules. We explain what they actually mean — what each visa costs once the levies are added, who qualifies, how long it really takes, and what to do when an application goes wrong. Every page is dated and checked against official sources.
Read this first
We never charge you to apply for anything. Every New Zealand visa is applied for directly with Immigration New Zealand, and an NZeTA costs a fraction of what copycat sites charge for it.
- Apply only at immigration.govt.nz
- Check any adviser on the IAA register
- Every fee here shows its levy components
- Every page shows when it was last reviewed
Start here
What are you trying to do?
You do not need to know the name of the visa. Pick the situation that matches yours and we will get you to the right one.
Visiting
I want to visit New Zealand
Whether you need an NZeTA, a Visitor Visa, or nothing at all comes down to your passport. Start with what your nationality requires, then what it costs.
Visitor visas & NZeTAWorking
I want to work in New Zealand
Nearly every work visa now runs through the Accredited Employer Work Visa, which begins with an employer who is already accredited — not with you.
Work visasStaying
I want to live here permanently
The Skilled Migrant Category, the Green List and the sector pathways lead to residence in very different ways, and on very different timelines.
Residence & PRStudying
I want to study in New Zealand
You need an offer from an approved provider before Immigration New Zealand will look at you — and the Post Study Work Visa is what makes it worth it.
Student visasTravelling & working
I'm under 35 and want a working holiday
New Zealand runs Working Holiday Schemes with dozens of countries. The age limit, the cap and the length all depend on which passport you hold.
Working holiday273 guides
Everything, in order of when you will need it
Before you apply
Applying
If something goes wrong
After you arrive
What changed
New Zealand immigration keeps moving
Rules that were true last year are quietly wrong now. These pages track what actually changed and when it took effect.
How we work
We read the primary sources — Immigration New Zealand's published instructions, the Operational Manual, and government announcements — and write what they say in language a person can act on.
Where our numbers come from
Fees are taken from INZ's published fee schedule, and we show the application fee, the immigration levy and the International Visitor Levy separately — INZ's own pages usually combine them into one “from” figure. If we cannot verify a number, we say so rather than guess it.
New Zealand immigration statisticsWhat we will not do
We do not give immigration advice, and we are careful about the difference. Advice about your own circumstances is regulated in New Zealand and must come from a licensed adviser or a lawyer. We tell you what the rules are; they tell you what to do.
Our editorial policy