The New Zealand Group Visitor Visa Explained
The Group Visitor Visa covers people travelling together for the same purpose under the same arrangements, normally for up to 1 month. It costs from NZD $271 per person, and it is the only New Zealand visa category where the immigration levy is charged per person rather than per application. A group leader lodges it.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail (as at August 2026) |
|---|---|
| Fee — standard | From NZD $271 per person = NZD $86 + NZD $85 levy + NZD $100 IVL |
| Fee — Approved Destination Status (China), offshore only | NZD $240 per person = NZD $55 + NZD $85 levy + NZD $100 IVL |
| Immigration levy | Charged per person — unique to this category |
| Length of stay | Normally up to 1 month |
| Who lodges it | A group leader, plus an individual visitor visa application for every member |
| Minimum group size | INZ states none |
| Processing time | Not published by INZ for this product |
| Leads to residence | No |
Fee components come from INZ's fee schedule (INZ 1028, May 2026), read 20 August 2026.
What it is for
A group travelling to New Zealand for the same purpose, under the same arrangements. In practice that means organised tours, delegations, performance and sports parties, school and cultural groups, and incentive travel.
It is an administrative convenience rather than a different kind of permission. Members are still visitors, subject to visitor conditions, and each member still has an individual visitor visa application behind the group one.
The levy quirk that makes it unusual
Across almost the entire New Zealand system, the immigration levy is charged once per application, regardless of how many people are included. A family of four on one visitor visa application pays one NZD $41 levy between them.
The Group Visitor Visa breaks that rule. Here the immigration levy is charged per person, and it is the only category where this happens.
| Standard Group Visitor Visa | ADS (China), offshore only | |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee, per person | NZD $86 (Bands A and C); NZD $63 (Band B) | NZD $55 (Band C only) |
| Immigration levy, per person | NZD $85 | NZD $85 |
| International Visitor Levy, per person | NZD $100 | NZD $100 |
| Total per person | NZD $271 | NZD $240 |
For a 20-person group that is NZD $5,420 at the standard rate, or NZD $4,800 under Approved Destination Status. The International Visitor Levy is charged per person everywhere in the system, so that part is not unusual — the NZD $85 immigration levy is.
Publishing this split matters, because INZ shows only a combined "from" figure and the components behave differently. Some travellers are exempt from the International Visitor Levy — citizens of 16 Pacific nations, Australians, and New Zealand and Australian resident visa holders — and for those members the per-person total drops accordingly. For more on how the system's charges stack up, see New Zealand visitor visa cost and visa fees, levies and fee bands.
Approved Destination Status
The lower NZD $240 rate applies to groups travelling under Approved Destination Status, an arrangement covering group leisure travel from China, and it is available offshore only.
ADS is a bilateral scheme rather than a New Zealand invention: Chinese authorities approve outbound group travel to particular destinations, and approved travel agents handle the arrangements at both ends. The New Zealand side of it appears in the fee schedule as a distinct, cheaper line — NZD $55 application fee rather than NZD $86.
China is New Zealand's largest single source of visitors by a wide margin, so this line covers a substantial share of all group applications.
Step 1: The group leader prepares the group application
One person acts as group leader and submits the group application. That person is the point of contact for INZ and carries responsibility for the group's paperwork.
Step 2: Every member also lodges an individual visitor visa application
This is the part that catches organisers out. The group application does not replace individual applications — it sits alongside them. A group leader submits the group application plus an individual visitor visa application for every member of the group.
So the administrative load scales with group size, and so does the cost, since both the immigration levy and the International Visitor Levy are per person here.
Step 3: Allow time, and check the current processing position
INZ does not publish a processing time for the Group Visitor Visa in a form we could verify, so we are not stating one. For reference, the general Visitor Visa runs at 80% within 2 weeks and the Business Visitor Visa at 80% within 1 week. Group applications involve more documents and more people, and there is no way to pay for faster handling of any New Zealand visa application.
Check INZ's processing-times page before committing to travel dates for a group.
The 24 August 2026 move to Enhanced Immigration Online
A dated change is in progress and it affects anyone with work in draft.
From 24 August 2026, new Group Visitor Visa applications move to enhanced Immigration Online. Applications that have already been started on the old form must be submitted by 8 October 2026.
If you are an operator or agent with partly-completed group applications sitting in the old system, that October deadline is the one to note. After it, the draft route closes and the application starts again in the new system. INZ's Immigration Online account guide covers the mechanics of the platform.
Excluded from the Pacific fee reduction
New Zealand reduced the visitor visa fee for Pacific applicants from 1 June 2026, for 12 months, for offshore applicants — a drop from NZD $216 to NZD $161.
Group Visitor Visas are excluded from that reduction, as is the Parent Boost Visitor Visa. A Pacific group therefore pays the ordinary Band B group rate rather than the reduced individual visitor rate. The reduction is scheduled to expire around 31 May 2027 unless extended.
The group leader's role
The group leader is not just an administrative convenience. They are INZ's point of contact for the application and they carry the coordination burden for the whole group.
In practice that means:
- Lodging the group application and keeping it consistent with the individual applications behind it.
- Collecting documentation from every member — passports, evidence of the shared purpose and arrangements, and whatever else the individual applications require.
- Handling requests for further information. If INZ asks for more, it asks the group leader, and a delay by one member holds up the group.
- Keeping the itinerary and arrangements aligned with what was declared, since the visa is premised on the group travelling for the same purpose under the same arrangements.
INZ also operates a separate Tour Escort Visitor Visa for people whose job is to accompany a tour group. That is a different product from the Group Visitor Visa and covers the escort rather than the travellers.
Length of stay and conditions
Normally up to 1 month. That is shorter than a general Visitor Visa, which can run to 9 months in an 18-month period, and it reflects what group travel typically is.
Standard visitor conditions apply to every member:
- No work for a New Zealand employer. Remote work for an employer or client based outside New Zealand has been permitted since 27 January 2025.
- Study capped at 3 months in any 12-month period, short courses only.
- Health and character requirements apply to each individual, not to the group as a unit.
- Members must genuinely intend a temporary visit.
Visitor visa conditions sets out how these work in practice.
What INZ does not publish about it
There is no stated minimum group size. We looked and did not find one, so this page does not give a number. Various third-party sites state minimums of 5, 10 or 15 people. Those figures are not from INZ, and a tour operator planning around one is planning around someone's guess.
If group size matters to your arrangements, ask INZ directly or check with a licensed immigration adviser before you commit to bookings.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a New Zealand Group Visitor Visa cost?
From NZD $271 per person: a NZD $86 application fee, a NZD $85 immigration levy and the NZD $100 International Visitor Levy. Groups travelling under Approved Destination Status from China, applying offshore, pay NZD $240 per person — a NZD $55 application fee plus the same two levies. Under Band B, the Pacific fee band, the application fee is NZD $63. Figures are current as at August 2026.
Is the immigration levy charged per person on a group visa?
Yes, and this is the only New Zealand visa category where that happens. Everywhere else the NZD $41 or NZD $85 immigration levy is charged once per application no matter how many people are included. On a Group Visitor Visa the NZD $85 levy applies to each member, so it scales directly with group size.
What is the minimum group size for a New Zealand Group Visitor Visa?
INZ does not state one. Several third-party sites publish minimums, but we could not find a figure on any INZ page, so we are not repeating one. Confirm directly with INZ if the answer affects your arrangements.
How long can a group stay in New Zealand on this visa?
Normally up to 1 month. That is shorter than the general Visitor Visa, which can run up to 9 months in an 18-month period. Standard visitor conditions apply throughout: no work for a New Zealand employer, and study limited to 3 months.
What is Approved Destination Status for New Zealand?
A bilateral arrangement covering approved group leisure travel from China, handled through approved travel agents at both ends. In New Zealand's fee schedule it appears as a separate, cheaper Group Visitor Visa line — NZD $55 application fee instead of NZD $86, giving a per-person total of NZD $240. It is available for offshore applications only.
Who applies for a Group Visitor Visa?
A group leader lodges the group application, and then an individual visitor visa application is lodged for every member of the group. The group application does not replace the individual ones. That means the paperwork and the per-person costs both scale with the size of the group.
What is changing for Group Visitor Visas on 24 August 2026?
New applications move to enhanced Immigration Online. Applications already started on the old form must be submitted by 8 October 2026, after which the old draft route closes. Operators and agents holding partly-completed group applications should note that deadline.
Can members of a group work or study in New Zealand?
Work for a New Zealand employer is not permitted — group members are visitors. Remote work for an employer or client based outside New Zealand has been permitted on visitor visas since 27 January 2025. Study is capped at 3 months in any 12-month period and covers short courses only.
