Transferring Your New Zealand Visa to a New Passport
If you renew your passport, your New Zealand visa must be transferred into the new one before you use it to travel. Immigration New Zealand states this applies to eVisas as well as physical labels — electronic does not mean automatic. The fee is NZ$225 in Band A, and fee waivers do not apply to it.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail (as at August 2026) |
|---|---|
| When you need it | You have renewed or replaced your passport and still hold a New Zealand visa |
| Does it apply to eVisas? | Yes. INZ says so explicitly — eVisas as well as physical labels |
| Deadline | Before you use the new passport to travel |
| Fee | 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 INZ's web pages do not publish the amount |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 |
| Processing time | Not published for a transfer |
| INZ's published heading | "Keep your visa in a valid passport" |
The counter-intuitive part
Almost everyone assumes that an electronic visa follows the person. It does not. It follows the passport.
INZ's published rule leaves no room in it: "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."
That last sentence is the one that catches people. An eVisa is a record held electronically against a specific passport number. Change the passport and the link no longer holds — not because the visa was cancelled, but because the identifier it was attached to has been replaced.
The consequence is practical: an airline checking your visa electronically against the passport you present may not find it. That is a check-in problem, and check-in problems are not solvable at the airport.
Who this applies to
Anyone who holds a valid New Zealand visa and has obtained a new passport. That includes:
- Routine passport renewals — the most common case by a wide margin
- Passports replaced after loss or theft
- A new passport after a change of name
- A different passport, where you hold more than one nationality and intend to travel on the other document
It applies whether you are inside or outside New Zealand, and whether your visa is temporary or residence class.
Step 1: Check whether you actually still hold a visa
If your New Zealand visa has already expired, there is nothing to transfer. This process moves a live visa to a new document; it does not revive an expired one.
If you travel to New Zealand on a visa waiver rather than a visa, this does not apply either — an NZeTA is requested against a passport, and a new passport means a new request. See the NZeTA explained.
Step 2: Apply for the transfer
The transfer is its own application to INZ, made after you have the new passport. It is not something that happens automatically when you enter new passport details somewhere, and it is not part of a visa application.
INZ publishes a heading covering the topic — "Keep your visa in a valid passport" — within its material on managing your visa and passport once you hold one.
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 |
Three caveats belong with these figures.
INZ's own web pages do not publish the amount. The INZ 1028 Fees Guide, May 2026 edition, is the only published source — it prices the charge as a transfer of a visa stamp or label from one passport or certificate to another. INZ's public pages direct you to its fee tool instead. That is why we cite the guide rather than presenting the number as INZ's headline price.
Fee waivers do not apply. New Zealand's bilateral fee-waiver agreements — which remove fees for citizens of certain countries on certain application types — explicitly exclude the fee for replacing or transferring a visa label in a new passport. If you are Finnish, Icelandic, Japanese or American and have never paid a New Zealand visa fee, this is the one you will pay. See bilateral fee-waiver countries.
Confirm the current amount before paying. Because INZ does not publish it on the relevant page, this figure is more likely than most to drift out of date. See New Zealand visa fees.
Step 4: Allow time — INZ does not publish one
INZ publishes no processing time for a visa transfer, and we are not going to supply one.
You will find a 3-week figure quoted in this context. That figure — 80% within 3 weeks — is INZ's published time for getting a visa sticker into a passport, which is a different application. Applying it to a transfer would be a guess dressed up as a fact.
Plan on the basis that it takes as long as it takes, and start it when the new passport arrives rather than when the trip is booked.
Step 5: Travel on the correct document
Once the transfer is done, travel on the passport the visa is now linked to. Carrying the old passport as well does no harm — and where the old one holds a physical label, some travellers keep it for that reason — but it is the current link that airlines and border systems check.
Where the eVisa confusion comes from
New Zealand moved to eVisas as the universal default, and the messaging around that is genuinely reassuring: no sticker needed, nothing to collect, nothing to lose.
All of which is true, and none of which addresses passport renewal. The two facts sit awkwardly together:
| INZ says | Which means |
|---|---|
| All visas are issued as an eVisa, and no sticker is needed for validity | You never need to post your passport to get a visa |
| A renewed passport requires the visa to be transferred, for eVisas as well as labels | You do need to act when the passport changes |
Both are correct. The first is about how visas are issued; the second is about what happens when the document they are attached to is replaced. See eVisas and visa labels.
A visa is still not a guarantee of entry
Worth restating here, because passport renewal is often part of preparing to travel. A visa — in whichever passport — permits you to travel to New Zealand. Entry permission, granted by an immigration officer on arrival, is what permits you to enter. They are legally distinct. See entry permission at the border.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to transfer my New Zealand visa to a new passport?
Yes, if you have renewed your passport and still hold a valid New Zealand visa. INZ requires the transfer before you use the new passport to travel, and this applies to eVisas as well as physical labels.
Does an eVisa transfer automatically to a new passport?
No. This is the most common misunderstanding in this area. An eVisa is recorded against a specific passport, and a new passport requires a transfer application.
How much does it cost to transfer a New Zealand visa to a new passport?
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 amount, so confirm it on INZ's fee tool before paying.
Can I get a fee waiver for a visa transfer?
No. Fee waivers explicitly do not apply to the fee for replacing or transferring a visa label in a new passport, even for nationalities that hold bilateral fee-waiver agreements with New Zealand.
How long does a New Zealand visa transfer take?
INZ does not publish a processing time for transfers, so we do not state one. The 3-week figure circulating in this context is INZ's time for getting a visa sticker into a passport, which is a different application.
Can I travel on my old passport instead?
The requirement is that the visa is in a valid passport and that you transfer it before using the new passport to travel. If your old passport is no longer valid, it is not a travel document.
What if my passport was lost or stolen?
The same requirement applies to a replacement passport as to a renewal — the visa is linked to the passport it was granted against, and a replacement document requires a transfer.
Do I need to transfer a visa that has already expired?
No. There is nothing to transfer. A transfer moves a live visa to a new document; it does not extend or revive one.
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.
