How to Pay New Zealand Visa Fees and Levies
A New Zealand visa charge is normally three things, not one: an application fee, an immigration levy, and — where it applies — the International Visitor Levy of NZ$100. The application fee varies by fee band. All of it is paid at submission, and a processed application is not refunded even if it is declined.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail (as at August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Components | Application fee + immigration levy + IVL where it applies |
| IVL amount | NZ$100, charged per person in the application |
| Immigration levy | Charged per application — except group visitor visas, where it is per person |
| Fee bands | Band A onshore · Band B Pacific · Band C rest of world |
| When you pay | At submission |
| If declined | No refund. INZ charges for assessing, not for granting |
| IVL refund | Never, in any circumstances |
| Last general increase | INZ's fees page still reads "as of 1 October 2024" — no general rise in 2025 or 2026 |
| Authoritative source | Fees Guide INZ 1028, May 2026 edition |
The three charges, and why the distinction matters
INZ's own visa pages show a single "from NZ$X". That figure is a total, and it hides the thing you most need to know: the components behave differently, and some travellers are exempt from one and not another.
| Component | What it pays for | Charged per | Varies by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fee | The cost of deciding the application | Application | Fee band |
| Immigration levy | Settlement programmes, immigration research, system infrastructure, migrant attraction, and the Immigration Advisers Authority | Application (per person for group visitor visas) | Visa type |
| International Visitor Levy (IVL) | Conservation, tourism infrastructure and tourism initiatives | Person | Fixed at NZ$100 |
Worked example: a Visitor Visa from outside New Zealand is published as "from NZ$441". That is NZ$300 application fee + NZ$41 immigration levy + NZ$100 IVL. Three charges, three different rules, one number on the page.
Publishing that split is one of the few things this site does that INZ does not. See visa fees, levies and fee bands explained and New Zealand visa fees.
The three fee bands
The application fee depends on where you are and who you are when you apply.
| Band | Who pays it |
|---|---|
| Band A | Applicants who are in New Zealand when they apply (GST inclusive) |
| Band B | Applicants outside New Zealand who are citizens of specified Pacific countries |
| Band C | Applicants outside New Zealand — rest of world |
Band B covers citizens of Australia, American Samoa, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Pitcairn Islands, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, plus citizens of the Cook Islands and Niue not travelling on a New Zealand passport.
Two edge cases INZ names directly:
- For citizens of French Polynesia, Guam, New Caledonia and Norfolk Island, the band differs for some application types — INZ directs you to its fee finder.
- Dual citizens pay the fee applicable to the passport used in the application.
Because of all this, a single headline price is frequently wrong for a given reader. Every fee on this site carries its band for that reason. See New Zealand visa fee bands.
Step 1: Identify the fee band that applies to you
Are you in New Zealand or outside it when you apply? If outside, are you a citizen of a Band B Pacific country? That answers most of it. If you hold more than one passport, the answer follows the passport you use in the application.
Step 2: Check whether the IVL applies
The International Visitor Levy is NZ$100 per person included in the application. It is paid at the time you request an NZeTA or apply for a visa, and if you apply online it is bundled into the total.
Who generally pays it: most people on visitor visas and NZeTAs, working holiday visas, student visas, Work Exchange schemes, Student and Trainee Work visas, and Specific Purpose Work visas.
Who is exempt:
- Australian and New Zealand passport holders
- Passport holders from many Pacific Island nations — INZ 1028 states citizens of the Band B Pacific countries are exempt, including Australian permanent residents
- Transit passengers at Auckland International Airport
- New Zealand resident visa holders
- Australian Resident Visa holders
- Business Visitor Visa holders
- APEC Business Travel Card holders
More on the International Visitor Levy.
Step 3: Check whether a fee waiver or levy exemption applies
Two separate mechanisms, often confused.
Fee waivers apply to refugees, refugee claimants and protected people; citizens of countries with bilateral fee-waiver agreements; and victims of family violence. New Zealand has bilateral agreements with a number of countries — Finland and Iceland's cover any type of visa, endorsement or variation of travel conditions, onshore and offshore; others are narrower. See bilateral fee-waiver countries.
Waivers do not apply to the IVL, nor to the fee for replacing or transferring a visa label in a new passport.
Immigration levy exemptions are a separate list. You are exempt from the immigration levy if you are:
- a citizen of Samoa applying for a resident visa
- a claimant for refugee or protection status applying for a visa
- applying for a resident visa as a refugee or protected person, or on the basis of a relationship with one
- applying under the Refugee Family Support Category
- applying under the Special Category for Victims of Family Violence
- applying under the Special Category for Victims of People Trafficking
- applying under the Skilled Migrant Category Job Search
- applying for a Migrant Exploitation Protection work visa, or as the partner or dependent child of someone who holds or is applying for one
Step 4: Work out who is included in the application
You pay one application fee and one immigration levy for everyone included in an application, except group visitor and transit visas. Everyone included pays their own IVL unless exempt.
You may include a partner and dependent children when applying for a residence class visa, a variation of travel conditions on a resident visa, a visitor visa, a limited visa to visit New Zealand, or a transit visa. For every other application type, partners and children apply separately and pay their own fee and levy.
The dependent-child age tests differ by application type, which trips people up constantly:
| Application type | Dependent children may be included if |
|---|---|
| Residence class | 17 or under and single · 18–20, single, no children of their own · 21–24, single, no children, substantially reliant on you financially |
| Visitor / transit / limited | 19 or younger, unmarried and dependent |
See who can be included in one visa application.
Step 5: Pay at submission
The fee is paid when you submit, not when the visa is granted. Nothing is assessed before payment.
We do not publish accepted payment methods. Card types, currencies and payment channels were not established from a primary source, and getting that wrong wastes a reader's afternoon. Immigration Online shows you what it accepts at the point of payment. If you pay in a currency other than New Zealand dollars, INZ notes the amount payable may vary slightly with exchange rates.
What you are paying for
This is the sentence that saves the most disappointment: INZ charges for assessing the application, not for granting the visa.
A declined application has been assessed. The fee is not returned, and neither is the IVL — which is never refunded in any circumstances. Refunds exist in a narrow set of situations, mostly where a fee was paid that did not need to be paid or where an application was not accepted and was returned. See visa fee refunds.
Fees have not risen generally in 2025 or 2026
Worth stating because it runs against expectations. INZ's fees page still reads "Current fee and levy rates, as of 1 October 2024", and the May 2026 edition of the INZ 1028 Fees Guide carries no general increase.
The controlling document is Fees Guide INZ 1028, currently the May 2026 edition. One caution: an INZ news-centre page titled "Fees and levies" dated November 2024 also exists and is stale — INZ 1028 supersedes it.
Because fee changes have historically been announced with an effective date, and applications lodged before that date are charged at the old rate, the timing of your submission can matter around a change. See New Zealand visa fee changes history.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is a New Zealand visa?
It depends on the visa and your fee band. A Visitor Visa is published from NZ$441 — NZ$300 application fee, NZ$41 immigration levy and NZ$100 IVL. An Accredited Employer Work Visa is from NZ$1,540, and a Skilled Migrant Category resident visa from NZ$6,450.
What is the immigration levy in New Zealand?
A charge added to the application fee that funds settlement programmes, immigration research, system infrastructure, migrant attraction activity and the Immigration Advisers Authority. It is charged per application rather than per person, except on group visitor visas.
Is the International Visitor Levy per person or per application?
Per person included in the application. It is NZ$100 and it is never refunded, including where the application is declined.
What are the New Zealand visa fee bands?
Band A applies to people in New Zealand when they apply, Band B to people outside New Zealand who are citizens of specified Pacific countries, and Band C to everyone else outside New Zealand.
Do I pay the fee before or after approval?
Before. The fee is paid at submission, and a processed application is not refunded even if it is declined.
What payment methods does Immigration New Zealand accept?
INZ does not publish this in a form we could verify, so we do not list card types or channels. Immigration Online shows the accepted methods at the point of payment.
Do children pay a separate visa fee?
Where they can be included in your application, you pay one application fee and one immigration levy for everyone included — but each person pays their own IVL unless exempt. Where they cannot be included, they apply and pay separately.
Have New Zealand visa fees increased recently?
Not generally. INZ's fees page still reads "as of 1 October 2024", and the May 2026 edition of INZ 1028 carries no general increase.
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.
