The Pacific Visitor Visa Fee Reduction
From 1 June 2026 the total cost of an offshore Pacific fee band Visitor Visa fell from NZ$216 to NZ$161. The reduction runs for 12 months and is currently set to expire around 31 May 2027. It applies to offshore applicants only, and it excludes Parent Boost and Group Visitor Visas.
Quick Facts
| Effective | 1 June 2026 — in force |
| New total | NZ$161, down from NZ$216 |
| Saving | NZ$55 per applicant |
| Duration | 12 months, currently set to expire around 31 May 2027 |
| Who it applies to | Offshore applicants in the Band B Pacific fee band |
| Excluded | Parent Boost Visitor Visa and Group Visitor Visas |
| IVL | Band B Pacific citizens are already exempt from the NZ$100 IVL |
| Compare | A standard Band C Visitor Visa costs NZ$441 |
| Dual citizens | Pay the fee that matches the passport used in the application |
| Fee changes generally | None. There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026 |
What changed
New Zealand prices visa applications in three bands:
| Band | Who pays it |
|---|---|
| Band A | Applicants who are in New Zealand when they apply |
| Band B | Applicants outside New Zealand who are citizens of specified Pacific countries |
| Band C | Applicants outside New Zealand, rest of world |
From 1 June 2026, the Band B Visitor Visa total dropped from NZ$216 to NZ$161. That is a NZ$55 saving per person, and for a family of four it is NZ$220.
The reduction is time-limited. It was introduced for 12 months and is currently set to expire around 31 May 2027. Whether it is extended is a decision that has not been made, and this page will be updated when it is.
Who is in Band B
Band B covers applicants outside New Zealand who are citizens of specified Pacific countries. The band includes:
Australia · American Samoa · Fiji · Kiribati · Marshall Islands · Federated States of Micronesia · Nauru · Palau · Papua New Guinea · Pitcairn Islands · Samoa · Solomon Islands · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu, and citizens of the Cook Islands and Niue who are not travelling on a New Zealand passport.
Two notes on the edges of that list. For citizens of French Polynesia, Guam, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island the applicable band differs for some application types, and Immigration New Zealand directs applicants to its fee finder rather than publishing a flat answer. And dual citizens pay the band that matches the passport used in the application — which is worth knowing before you decide which passport to apply on.
Australian citizens are in Band B but rarely need a visitor visa at all: under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement they need no visa and no NZeTA to enter New Zealand.
Full detail is at New Zealand visa fee bands.
What it now costs, compared
| Applicant | Visitor Visa total |
|---|---|
| Band B, offshore Pacific, from 1 June 2026 | NZ$161 |
| Band B, offshore Pacific, before 1 June 2026 | NZ$216 |
| Band C, offshore rest of world | NZ$441 — NZ$300 fee + NZ$41 immigration levy + NZ$100 IVL |
The gap between NZ$161 and NZ$441 is large, and two separate things create it. One is the fee band itself. The other is the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL): Australians and 16 Pacific nations are exempt from the NZ$100 IVL entirely, so it never enters the Band B total. See the International Visitor Levy, explained and New Zealand visitor visa cost.
What is excluded
Two products do not get the reduction:
- The Parent Boost Visitor Visa, which remains from NZ$3,100 on the standard band — see the Parent Boost Visitor Visa.
- Group Visitor Visas — see the Group Visitor Visa, explained.
And one condition is easy to miss: the applicant must be offshore. Someone in Band B who applies from inside New Zealand pays the Band A fee, not the reduced Band B fee. The reduction is attached to offshore applications.
Working out which band applies to you
Two questions decide it, in this order:
1. Where are you when you apply? Inside New Zealand is Band A, regardless of nationality. Outside New Zealand takes you to question 2.
2. Which passport are you applying on? A Band B Pacific passport puts you in Band B. Anything else is Band C.
That order catches people out, because most readers assume nationality decides everything. It does not: location is checked first. A Fijian citizen visiting family in Auckland who applies for a further visitor visa while still in the country is a Band A applicant, and the Pacific reduction does not reach them.
A worked example, for a family of four Band B applicants applying from outside New Zealand:
| Before 1 June 2026 | From 1 June 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Per person | NZ$216 | NZ$161 |
| Family of four | NZ$864 | NZ$644 |
| Saving | — | NZ$220 |
The same family under Band C would pay NZ$1,764, because each person carries a NZ$300 fee, a NZ$41 immigration levy and a NZ$100 IVL.
Why publishing the split matters
Immigration New Zealand publishes a single "from" price on most visa pages. The Fees Guide publishes the components, and the components behave differently from one another.
- The application fee covers assessing the application. It is not refunded if the application is declined.
- The immigration levy funds the wider immigration system.
- The IVL is a tourism and conservation levy, and it has its own exemption list that has nothing to do with fee bands.
That is why two people applying for the same visa on the same day can pay very different totals, and why a headline figure quoted without its components is close to useless for budgeting. See New Zealand visa fees for the full schedule.
What has not changed
- There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026. Immigration New Zealand's fee page still describes its rates as current "as of 1 October 2024". This reduction is a targeted, temporary cut, not part of a wider repricing. See New Zealand visa fee changes history.
- The IVL is still NZ$100 for everyone who has to pay it. It has been NZ$100 since 1 October 2024, when it rose from NZ$35. Any page still quoting NZ$35 is years out of date.
- The visitor visa rules themselves are unchanged. Stay length, funds requirements and conditions are the same — see the New Zealand Visitor Visa, explained.
- Pacific multi-entry visitor visas of up to 24 months, introduced in mid-2025, are unaffected — see single vs multiple entry visitor visas.
- Bilateral fee waivers are separate. A small group of countries pay nothing at all under bilateral agreements, and that has nothing to do with the Pacific band — see bilateral fee waiver countries.
- There is no paid fast-track. Priority processing does not exist in the New Zealand system at any price, and any site offering it is not selling a government service.
What to do differently now
- Check which band applies to you before you pay. It depends on citizenship and on where you are when you apply.
- Dual citizens: the band follows the passport used in the application.
- If you are in Band B and inside New Zealand, applying onshore puts you in Band A and outside the reduction.
- Note the expiry. The reduction is currently set to end around 31 May 2027.
- Fees are payable at submission and are not refunded if an application is declined. See New Zealand visa fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a New Zealand visitor visa for Pacific citizens?
NZ$161 from 1 June 2026 for Band B applicants applying from outside New Zealand, down from NZ$216. A standard Band C offshore application is NZ$441.
When does the Pacific visitor visa fee reduction end?
It was introduced for 12 months from 1 June 2026 and is currently set to expire around 31 May 2027. Any extension would be a new decision.
Which countries are in the Pacific fee band?
Band B covers offshore applicants who are citizens of Australia, American Samoa, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, plus Cook Islands and Niue citizens not travelling on a New Zealand passport.
Does the reduction apply to Parent Boost?
No. Parent Boost Visitor Visas and Group Visitor Visas are both excluded from the reduction.
Do Pacific citizens pay the IVL?
Australians and 16 Pacific nations are exempt from the NZ$100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. That exemption is separate from, and predates, the fee reduction.
I hold two passports. Which fee do I pay?
The fee that applies to the passport used in the application. Immigration New Zealand assigns the band to the application, not to the person.
Have New Zealand visa fees gone up in 2026?
No. There has been no general fee or levy increase in 2025 or 2026. The Pacific reduction is the notable movement in the other direction.
This page is general information, not immigration advice. New Zealand regulates immigration advice under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, and we do not assess anyone's individual circumstances. For advice about your own case, use a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer, and check the licence on the Immigration Advisers Authority register.
