NZeTA vs Visitor Visa: Which One Do You Need?
Your passport decides this, not you. Citizens of the 60 visa-waiver countries request an NZeTA — NZ$17 on the app or NZ$23 on the website, plus the NZ$100 IVL. Everyone else applies for a Visitor Visa, from NZ$441. You cannot choose the cheaper one. If you are not on the waiver list, the NZeTA is not available to you.
Quick Facts
| NZeTA | Visitor Visa | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Citizens of the 60 visa-waiver countries and territories; Australian permanent residents; cruise and cargo ship passengers of any nationality; Auckland transit passengers | Everyone else who wants to visit New Zealand |
| Total cost | NZ$117 (app) or NZ$123 (website) | From NZ$441 |
| Component split | NZ$17 or NZ$23 + NZ$100 IVL | NZ$300 fee + NZ$41 immigration levy + NZ$100 IVL |
| Validity | 2 years, multiple entry | Single or multiple entry, granted for a set period |
| Stay per visit | 3 months — 6 months for UK passport holders | Up to 9 months in an 18-month period (single entry) |
| Rolling cap | Max 6 months in any 12-month period | Multiple-entry: 6 months per 12 months |
| Processing | Allow 72 hours; INZ's wait-time page gives 24 hours average | 1 week average, 80% within 2 weeks |
| Work rights | None for a New Zealand employer | None for a New Zealand employer |
| Leads to residence | No | No |
All figures as at August 2026. New Zealand's fee schedule has not had a general increase in 2025 or 2026.
The rule that decides it
New Zealand splits visitors into two groups by nationality.
Group one — visa-waiver. Sixty countries and territories are on the list. Their citizens do not need a visitor visa in advance. They still need an NZeTA before they board, and they still pay the IVL. On arrival they are granted a Visa Waiver Visitor Visa.
Group two — everyone else. Citizens of every other country apply for a Visitor Visa before travelling. An NZeTA is not an option, and requesting one will not help.
The complete waiver list is on our page for visa-waiver countries and territories. Some entries carry qualifiers that narrow them, and those qualifiers matter:
| Territory | The qualifier |
|---|---|
| Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania | Citizens only — not merely passport holders |
| Greece | Passports issued on or after 1 January 2006 |
| Hong Kong | HKSAR passport, or a British National (Overseas) passport |
| Macau | Macau SAR passports |
| Portugal | The passport must confer the right of permanent residence in Portugal |
| Taiwan | Permanent residents holding a Taiwan passport with an ID number on the bio page |
| United Kingdom | Citizens, and British passport holders with permanent UK residency rights |
The stay length is where most content is wrong
Visa-waiver visitors may stay less than 3 months. The United Kingdom is the only exception, at 6 months. This is the single most frequently mis-stated fact about New Zealand's visa waiver, and it is mis-stated in both directions — sites that give everyone six months, and sites that give the UK three.
On top of that, an NZeTA holder may not exceed 6 months in any rolling 12-month period, regardless of how the individual visits are structured. Three separate three-month trips in one year do not work.
The Visitor Visa is more generous on paper. A single-entry Visitor Visa may allow up to 9 months in an 18-month period, with the 18-month window calculated backwards from your planned departure date — but the visa expires if you leave. A multiple-entry Visitor Visa allows 6 months per 12-month period, and to qualify for one you must have been outside New Zealand for at least 9 months in the 18 months before you apply. See single vs multiple entry visitor visa.
What each one actually costs, split into components
Immigration New Zealand publishes a single combined "from NZ$X" figure. The components behave differently and some travellers are exempt from one and not the other, so here they are separately.
NZeTA
| Item | Website | App |
|---|---|---|
| Traveller NZeTA | NZ$23 | NZ$17 |
| IVL | NZ$100 | NZ$100 |
| Total | NZ$123 | NZ$117 |
The app is the cheaper channel and can request an NZeTA for up to 10 people at once. A transit NZeTA costs the same NZ$17 or NZ$23 but carries no IVL.
Visitor Visa (Band C, applying from outside New Zealand)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | NZ$300 |
| Immigration levy | NZ$41 |
| IVL | NZ$100 |
| Total | NZ$441 |
Band B, which covers citizens of specified Pacific countries applying offshore, pays NZ$120 rather than NZ$300 for the application fee. A separate temporary reduction applies to some Pacific visitor visa applicants from 1 June 2026 for twelve months.
The immigration levy is charged per application, not per person, so a family on one Visitor Visa application pays one NZ$41 levy. The IVL is charged per person. That asymmetry is why a family of four pays NZ$741 rather than four times NZ$441.
Who is exempt from the IVL
The IVL is NZ$100 and is never refunded, even if the request or application is declined. It is not charged to:
- Australian and New Zealand passport holders
- Citizens of 16 Pacific nations — American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Pitcairn Islands
- Transit passengers at Auckland International Airport
- New Zealand resident visa holders and Australian Resident Visa holders
- Business Visitor Visa holders and APEC Business Travel Card holders
More on the levy in the International Visitor Levy explained.
The Australian question, which almost everyone collapses
| Australian citizen on an Australian passport | Australian permanent resident on another passport | |
|---|---|---|
| Visa needed in advance | No | No |
| NZeTA needed | No | Yes |
| IVL | Exempt | Exempt |
| Granted on arrival | Australian Resident Visa | Australian Resident Visa |
| Cost | Free at the border | Cost of the NZeTA only |
Australian citizens need nothing. Australian permanent residents do need an NZeTA. Most third-party content merges these two and gets people turned away at check-in.
The Australian Resident Visa granted on arrival is a resident visa — it allows you to live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely. It also expires each time you leave New Zealand and is granted again on return. Character requirements still apply, with no exemption. Anyone with convictions, a prior deportation or security concerns should apply for a visa before travelling rather than relying on grant at the border. See Australian citizens and the NZeTA.
There is no e-passport requirement
A widely republished claim says New Zealand requires a biometric or e-passport for visa-waiver entry. There is no such requirement. It was checked against four Immigration New Zealand pages including the binding instruction in the Operational Manual. Your passport must simply be valid for at least three months beyond your intended departure date.
If a website tells you that you need a chipped passport for an NZeTA, that site is wrong, and it is worth asking what else it has got wrong. See our page on the biometric passport myth.
The tests that are identical on both
Neither route is a soft option. Both require:
- Funds — NZ$1,000 per person per month of stay, or NZ$400 per person per month if your accommodation is already paid for. A sponsor may demonstrate financial capacity instead.
- Onward travel — a ticket out, or evidence you can buy one.
- Good health and good character.
- Genuine intentions — INZ must be satisfied you intend a temporary stay for a lawful purpose.
Neither allows you to work for a New Zealand employer. Both allow remote work for an overseas employer for applications made on or after 27 January 2025, with no limit on the amount of that work. New Zealand has no digital nomad visa; the remote-work allowance is a condition of the visitor visa, not a separate product. INZ's published tax threshold for that work is 92 days in a 12-month period, extending to 183 days for tax-treaty countries. See remote work on a visitor visa.
Study on either is limited to 3 months in any 12-month period, and it must be a short course. You cannot do "three months of" a degree.
Where the answer flips
If you are on the waiver list but need to stay longer than three months. The NZeTA cannot help you. A Visitor Visa can be applied for by a waiver national who needs more than the waiver allows, and it is the correct product for a long family visit.
If you are travelling for medical treatment. People coming for medical treatment cannot use an NZeTA. The Medical Treatment Visitor Visa is the product, and it exists precisely because the waiver excludes medical stays.
If you need a financial sponsor. People who need financial sponsorship are outside the NZeTA. A Visitor Visa is the route.
If you are arriving by cruise ship or cargo ship. All cruise and cargo passengers must hold an NZeTA regardless of nationality, including nationalities that would otherwise need a visa. Request it before the ship departs for New Zealand, and answer "visiting" rather than "transit". Cruise passengers pay the IVL.
If you are crew. Airline, cruise ship and cargo ship crew cannot use a traveller NZeTA. They need a Crew ETA — also published as a Crew NZeTA — obtained through their employer, at NZ$17 with no IVL and valid 5 years for airline crew. See Crew NZeTA explained.
If you are only changing planes in Auckland. That is a third product again. A transit NZeTA has no IVL; a Transit Visa costs NZ$235. Read visitor visa vs transit visa.
If your NZeTA is declined. A declined NZeTA request does not bar you from applying for a Visitor Visa instead, but it is an expensive detour: NZ$441 against NZ$117, with the IVL non-refundable on both. See NZeTA declined or refused.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a visa for New Zealand?
If you hold a passport from one of the 60 visa-waiver countries or territories, no — but you do need an NZeTA before you travel. If you hold a passport from anywhere else, yes, you need a Visitor Visa. Australian citizens travelling on an Australian passport need neither.
How much does an NZeTA cost?
NZ$17 through the official mobile app or NZ$23 through the Immigration New Zealand website, plus the NZ$100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. That is NZ$117 or NZ$123 in total for a normal tourist. A transit NZeTA carries no IVL, so it is NZ$17 or NZ$23 only.
How long can I stay in New Zealand with an NZeTA?
Less than 3 months per visit, or up to 6 months if you hold a United Kingdom passport. Across any rolling 12-month period the maximum is 6 months, no matter how the visits are arranged.
Can I work in New Zealand with an NZeTA?
Not for a New Zealand employer. You may work remotely for an employer or clients based outside New Zealand, with no limit on the amount, for entries made under a visitor visa or NZeTA applied for on or after 27 January 2025. Working for a New Zealand business is a breach of conditions and a ground for deportation liability.
Do Australian citizens and permanent residents need an NZeTA?
Australian citizens travelling on an Australian passport do not. Australian permanent residents who hold another country's passport do need one. Both are exempt from the IVL, and both are granted an Australian Resident Visa on arrival.
What is the difference between a tourist and a transit NZeTA?
The price of the NZeTA itself is the same — NZ$17 on the app, NZ$23 on the website. A traveller NZeTA carries the NZ$100 IVL; a transit NZeTA does not. A transit NZeTA only covers passing through Auckland International Airport within 24 hours, and does not let you enter New Zealand.
What if my NZeTA application is declined?
You can apply for a Visitor Visa instead. The NZeTA fee and the IVL are not refunded. Everyone must meet New Zealand's good character requirements, and a decline usually points to something in the character, identity or genuine-intentions assessment rather than a form error.
Before you act on this page
This page is general information about published New Zealand immigration rules. It is not immigration advice and does not assess any individual's circumstances. Under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, only a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer may advise on your case. You can check a licence at https://app.mbieregisters.govt.nz/iaa/ui/start/searchForAnOccupationalRegistration.
Request an NZeTA only through the official channels. INZ's own guidance is that official links end in .immigration.govt.nz. Resellers charge many times the real price for the same product — see NZeTA scam websites and resellers.
