Cruise and Cargo Ship Passengers: New Zealand Visa Rules
Every cruise and cargo ship passenger arriving in New Zealand needs an NZeTA, whatever their nationality, requested before the ship departs for New Zealand. Passengers are classified as visitors, not transit passengers, and pay the NZD $100 International Visitor Levy. On arrival they are deemed to hold a 28-day visitor visa.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail (as at August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Who needs an NZeTA | All cruise and cargo ship passengers, regardless of nationality |
| When to request it | Before the ship departs for New Zealand |
| Cost | NZD $17 via the INZ app or NZD $23 via the website, plus NZD $100 IVL |
| Purpose to declare | "Visiting" — not "transit" |
| What you get on arrival | A deemed 28-day visitor visa, from the time the ship reaches an NZ port |
| When it ends | When the ship is cleared to leave its last New Zealand port of entry for that voyage |
| Crew | Need a Crew ETA arranged by their employer, not an ordinary NZeTA |
| Cargo ships | Passengers and crew added to these arrangements on 1 April 2025 |
| Processing | Allow 72 hours for an NZeTA |
The rule that surprises most people
Nationality does not exempt you. The usual New Zealand pattern is that citizens of 60 visa waiver countries need an NZeTA and everyone else needs a visa — but arriving by sea works differently.
All cruise ship and cargo ship passengers must hold an NZeTA, regardless of nationality. That includes nationalities that would otherwise need a full visitor visa to arrive by air. It also includes nationalities that would otherwise need nothing at all beyond an NZeTA, so in practice the sea rule is simpler than the air rule: everyone requests an NZeTA.
The exceptions are the people who never need an NZeTA in any circumstance — New Zealand citizens, and Australian citizens travelling on an Australian passport.
You are a visitor, not a transit passenger
This is the part that goes wrong most often, and it goes wrong at the point of request.
When you request an NZeTA you are asked what you are travelling for. Cruise and cargo ship passengers must answer "visiting". Not "transit".
The reasoning is legal rather than intuitive. New Zealand's transit rules apply only to passengers passing through the Auckland International Airport transit area for less than 24 hours. Ships dock at ports, passengers come ashore, and none of that is transit in the immigration sense — even on an itinerary where New Zealand is one stop among many and the ship sails on. See transiting through New Zealand for what transit actually covers.
Getting this wrong has two consequences. A transit NZeTA does not authorise entry to New Zealand, so it will not do the job. And a transit NZeTA carries no International Visitor Levy, so you would be under-paying — the levy is charged on the visitor version.
The deemed 28-day visa
New Zealand handles ship arrivals through a deeming mechanism rather than by issuing individual visas at the wharf.
| Traveller | What they are deemed to hold on arrival |
|---|---|
| Cruise ship passengers holding an ETA | A visitor visa |
| Cruise ship crew holding an ETA | A work visa |
| Cargo-carrying ship passengers | A visitor visa |
| Cargo-carrying ship crew | A work visa |
| Foreign ship crew authorised under section 198(2) of the Maritime Transport Act 1994 to carry coastal cargo | A work visa |
The deemed visa runs for 28 days from the time the ship arrives at a New Zealand port.
It ends earlier than that in the ordinary case: the deemed visa expires when the ship is cleared to leave its last New Zealand port of entry for that voyage. So for a typical two-week cruise calling at Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Akaroa and Dunedin, the visa covers the whole New Zealand portion and ends when the ship clears outward from the final port.
The 28-day figure is a ceiling, not an entitlement to stay 28 days. If you plan to leave the ship and remain in New Zealand — to fly home separately, to extend a holiday, or to join a later sailing — the deemed visa is not the right basis for that, and you would be looking at a Visitor Visa or an entry-capable NZeTA in your own right.
Cruise passengers pay the International Visitor Levy
Air transit passengers at Auckland are exempt from the International Visitor Levy. Cruise passengers are not.
| Cruise passenger NZeTA | Air transit NZeTA | |
|---|---|---|
| NZeTA request fee | NZD $17 (app) / $23 (website) | NZD $17 / $23 |
| International Visitor Levy | NZD $100 | NZD $0 |
| Total per person | NZD $117 / $123 | NZD $17 / $23 |
The levy is charged per person, not per request, and it is never refunded — not even if the request is declined or the cruise is cancelled. It funds conservation and tourism infrastructure, and the policy sits with MBIE rather than INZ.
Some passengers are exempt from the levy regardless of how they arrive: Australian and New Zealand passport holders, citizens of 16 Pacific nations, New Zealand and Australian resident visa holders, Business Visitor Visa holders and APEC Business Travel Card holders. If you are in one of those groups, the levy should not be charged.
Watch for stale figures. A levy of NZD $35 is still published on a great many travel sites, including some large commercial visa resellers. It has been NZD $100 since 1 October 2024.
Cargo ship passengers and crew — added 1 April 2025
Freighter travel — booking a cabin on a working cargo ship — is a small but real market, and until recently the rules for it were unclear.
Cargo ship passengers and crew were added to these waived arrangements on 1 April 2025. They now sit alongside cruise ship passengers and crew: passengers deemed to hold a visitor visa, crew deemed to hold a work visa, both on the 28-day basis described above.
If you are researching a freighter voyage using material written before April 2025, assume it is out of date on this point.
Crew need a Crew ETA, not an NZeTA
This distinction is stated incorrectly across most of the web, so it is worth being blunt about.
Crew of commercial airlines, cruise ships and cargo ships cannot use an ordinary NZeTA. INZ lists crew among the people who cannot get one. Crew need a Crew ETA, which is arranged through their employer rather than requested by the individual.
| Traveller NZeTA | Crew ETA | |
|---|---|---|
| Who requests it | The traveller | The employer |
| Cost | NZD $17 app / $23 website + $100 IVL | NZD $17, no IVL |
| Validity | 2 years | 5 years for airline crew |
| Who it covers | Passengers | Airline, cruise ship and cargo ship crew |
Crew of fishing vessels, private yachts and private planes are treated differently again — they need an NZeTA or a visa rather than a Crew ETA. The Crew ETA is explained in full here.
If you are joining a ship in New Zealand rather than arriving on one, that is a different situation again: INZ operates a "Crew joining a Ship or Plane Visitor Visa" for exactly that case.
Step 1: Request the NZeTA before the ship departs for New Zealand
Not before you board the ship in general — before the leg that brings the ship to New Zealand. INZ says to allow 72 hours, and requests that trigger further checks take longer. Cruise lines routinely ask for NZeTA details weeks before sailing, and that is a reasonable deadline to work to.
Step 2: Answer "visiting", and pay the levy
Declare the purpose as visiting. The NZD $100 International Visitor Levy is bundled into the total when you request online, unless you are in an exempt group.
Step 3: Use the official channel
The NZeTA is requested through INZ's own mobile app or its own website. The app costs NZD $17, the website NZD $23, and the app can handle up to 10 people in one request — useful for a family or a group booking.
A large number of commercial sites resell the NZeTA at two to three times the official price, and some are designed to look official. One reseller has been recorded charging around US$88 for a document costing NZD $23. See NZeTA scam websites and resellers and how to spot a fake New Zealand immigration website.
Step 4: Complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration
Travellers arriving in New Zealand complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD). This is separate from the NZeTA and covers biosecurity and customs matters. Cruise lines usually brief passengers on it before arrival.
What the deemed visa does not let you do
- It is not a work visa for passengers. Cruise passengers are deemed to hold a visitor visa, and visitor conditions apply — no work for a New Zealand employer. Remote work for an employer based outside New Zealand has been permitted on visitor visas since 27 January 2025; see remote work on a visitor visa.
- It is not open-ended. It ends when the ship clears its last New Zealand port for that voyage, even if fewer than 28 days have passed.
- It does not cover a separate later trip. A new arrival needs the NZeTA again — though the NZeTA itself lasts two years and allows multiple entries, so a second cruise inside that window generally does not need a fresh request.
- It does not remove character requirements. These apply to every traveller, and an NZeTA can be declined on character grounds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a visa for New Zealand on a cruise ship?
You need an NZeTA, whatever your nationality, requested before the ship departs for New Zealand. It costs NZD $17 through INZ's mobile app or NZD $23 through the website, plus the NZD $100 International Visitor Levy unless you are exempt. On arrival you are deemed to hold a 28-day visitor visa. New Zealand citizens and Australian citizens on an Australian passport do not need one.
Should I choose "transit" or "visiting" when requesting an NZeTA for a cruise?
Visiting. Cruise and cargo ship passengers are classified as visitors, not transit passengers, even where New Zealand is a single stop on a longer itinerary. Transit applies only to passengers passing through the Auckland International Airport transit area for under 24 hours. A transit NZeTA does not authorise entry to New Zealand and carries no International Visitor Levy, so declaring transit would be both wrong and an under-payment.
How long can I stay in New Zealand on a cruise ship arrival?
You are deemed to hold a visitor visa for 28 days from the time the ship arrives at a New Zealand port — but it expires when the ship is cleared to leave its last New Zealand port of entry for that voyage, which for most itineraries comes first. Staying on in New Zealand after the ship sails is a separate matter and needs its own visa or entry-capable NZeTA.
Do cruise passengers pay the International Visitor Levy?
Yes. Cruise passengers pay the NZD $100 levy with their NZeTA. Air transit passengers at Auckland are exempt, but that exemption does not extend to arrivals by sea. Australians and New Zealanders, citizens of 16 Pacific nations, resident visa holders, Business Visitor Visa holders and APEC card holders are exempt however they arrive.
Do cruise ship crew need an NZeTA?
No — crew need a Crew ETA, which is a different product arranged by the employer rather than requested by the individual. INZ explicitly lists airline, cruise ship and cargo ship crew among the people who cannot get an ordinary NZeTA. The Crew ETA costs NZD $17 with no levy. Crew arriving with one are deemed to hold a 28-day work visa.
What are the rules for cargo ship passengers?
The same as for cruise passengers, since 1 April 2025, when cargo ship passengers and crew were added to these arrangements. Passengers need an NZeTA and are deemed to hold a 28-day visitor visa on arrival; crew need a Crew ETA and are deemed to hold a work visa. Guidance written before April 2025 will not reflect this.
Can I leave the cruise and stay in New Zealand?
The deemed visa granted on a ship arrival is tied to the voyage and ends when the ship clears its last New Zealand port. Staying on requires a visa in your own right — a Visitor Visa, or an NZeTA with the levy paid if your passport is on the 60-country visa waiver list. What applies to you depends on your nationality and circumstances, so check INZ directly or speak to a licensed immigration adviser.
