eVisas and Visa Labels in New Zealand
Every New Zealand visa is issued as an eVisa. Immigration New Zealand's own words: "You do not need a sticker in your passport for your visa to be valid." A physical label is optional, costs extra, requires you to post your passport to INZ, and changes nothing about what your visa lets you do.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail (as at August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Default format | eVisa — issued and recorded electronically |
| Is a sticker required? | No. INZ: "You do not need a sticker in your passport for your visa to be valid" |
| Is a label available? | Yes, optional, after your eVisa has been granted |
| Label cost | NZ$225 Band A · NZ$170 Band B · NZ$225 Band C |
| Where that fee is published | INZ 1028 Fees Guide (May 2026). INZ's web pages do not publish the amount |
| Fee waivers | Do not apply to this fee |
| Label processing | 80% within 3 weeks |
| Does a label change conditions? | No |
| What you must send | Your passport, by post, after the eVisa is granted |
What an eVisa is
INZ's definition is short: "An eVisa is a visa that is issued and recorded electronically. You do not need a visa label (sticker) in your passport."
Your visa exists as a record in INZ's systems, linked to your passport number. Airlines check it electronically at check-in. Border officers see it on arrival. There is nothing to collect, nothing to present, and nothing that can be lost by losing a piece of paper.
INZ states the position twice, in two places, in almost identical terms: "All visas are issued as an eVisa." And: "All visas are issued as an eVisa, but if you want a physical label (sticker) in your passport, you can apply for one after you have been given your visa."
The correction this page exists to make
A large amount of published guidance still implies that a New Zealand visa needs a sticker in the passport — that you must send your passport away, that the sticker is what makes the visa real, or that you cannot travel without one.
None of that is true. The sticker is optional, and the visa is valid without it.
This matters practically, not just pedantically. People post passports they did not need to post, pay NZ$225 they did not need to pay, and lose weeks of a travel window waiting for a document that changes nothing. If you have been told you need a label to travel to New Zealand, check that against INZ's own wording before acting on it.
See also eVisa versus visa label.
What a label actually is, and when someone might want one
A visa label is a physical sticker placed in your passport recording the visa. It is a copy of information that already exists electronically.
INZ does not publish reasons for wanting one, and neither will we invent any. What can be said neutrally is what it is not: it is not required for validity, it is not required for travel to New Zealand, and it does not change what your visa permits.
Adding a label does not change your visa conditions. Whatever your eVisa allows, the labelled version allows exactly the same.
Step 1: Get the visa first
A label is applied for after the eVisa has been granted. There is no combined route, and no option to request a label during the original application.
Step 2: Complete the application form for the label
INZ treats the label as its own application: complete the form, pay the fee, and then send your passport.
Step 3: Pay the fee
| Band | Who pays it | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Band A | You are in New Zealand when you apply | NZ$225 |
| Band B | Outside New Zealand, citizens of specified Pacific countries | NZ$170 |
| Band C | Outside New Zealand, rest of world | NZ$225 |
Two caveats worth stating with the numbers.
INZ's own web pages do not publish this amount. The only published source is the INZ 1028 Fees Guide, May 2026 edition, which prices it as a transfer of a visa label from one passport or certificate to another. INZ's public pages direct you to search the fee tool instead.
Fee waivers do not apply to it. The bilateral fee-waiver agreements that remove the fee for some nationalities on some application types explicitly exclude the fee for replacing or transferring a visa label in a new passport. See bilateral fee-waiver countries.
Step 4: Send your passport to INZ
The label is physical, so the passport has to be in INZ's hands for it to be applied. That means being without your passport for the duration.
Step 5: Wait for it to come back
INZ publishes 80% within 3 weeks for a visa sticker. That is the 80th-percentile figure, as published 20 August 2026 — INZ's processing pages carry no last-updated timestamp and are updated weekly, so confirm before planning around it.
Note what that figure covers: getting a label onto a passport. It is not a processing time for a visa, and it is not the processing time for transferring an existing visa to a new passport, which is a separate application. See transferring your visa to a new passport.
The passport renewal trap
This is the one thing on this page that can genuinely strand you, and it applies to eVisas exactly as it does to labels.
INZ's published rule: "If you have renewed your passport, you need to transfer your new visa into your new passport before you use it to travel. This applies for both physical visa labels and eVisas."
Many people assume that an electronic visa follows them automatically to a new passport. It does not. The visa is linked to the passport it was granted against, and moving it is an application with a fee. INZ publishes a heading for this — "Keep your visa in a valid passport" — and the full process is on transferring your visa to a new passport.
What we cannot tell you
When eVisa became the default. No dated announcement was located, and we will not estimate one. What is verified is the current position: all visas are issued as eVisas, and no sticker is needed for validity.
How this fits the rest of the process
The eVisa is what arrives at the end of the application. Everything before it is covered on what happens after you submit.
Two things to do once it lands. Read the conditions — they govern what you may do, and changing them later may need a variation of conditions. And remember that the visa lets you travel; entry permission, granted by an officer at the border, is what lets you in. See entry permission at the border.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a visa sticker in my passport for New Zealand?
No. INZ states plainly that you do not need a sticker in your passport for your visa to be valid. All visas are issued as an eVisa.
What is a New Zealand eVisa?
A visa that is issued and recorded electronically, linked to your passport number, with no physical document. INZ holds the record and airlines and border officers check it electronically.
How much does a New Zealand visa label cost?
NZ$225 in Band A, NZ$170 in Band B and NZ$225 in Band C, per the INZ 1028 Fees Guide (May 2026). INZ's own web pages do not publish this figure, so confirm it on the fee finder before paying.
How long does a visa sticker take?
INZ publishes 80% within 3 weeks, as published 20 August 2026. Its processing pages are updated weekly and carry no timestamp, so re-check before planning around it.
Does a visa label change my visa conditions?
No. A label records the visa you already hold. The conditions are unchanged.
Do I have to send my passport to Immigration New Zealand?
Only if you apply for a physical label, or if you are transferring a visa to a new passport. A normal eVisa application requires nothing to be posted.
Do I need to print my eVisa?
Nothing needs to be printed. The visa is held electronically against your passport. Carrying the grant notification does no harm, but it is not what makes the visa valid.
What happens to my eVisa when I renew my passport?
It has to be transferred to the new passport before you use it to travel. INZ states this applies to eVisas as well as physical labels, and it is a separate application with its own fee.
This page explains published rules. It is general information, not immigration advice, and it does not assess any individual's circumstances. Anyone who needs their own situation assessed should speak to a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer.
