While you used to have to obtain a traditional visa to travel to New Zealand, there is now an electronic travel authorisation system specifically designed to simplify this process and which we suggest you discover a little more in detail here. In this article we will explain how you can travel to New Zealand in the best conditions by obtaining your visa online in just a few clicks and in just a few days.
NZeTA visa for New Zealand: key points
- The NZeTA is an electronic travel authorisation for New Zealand, also known as an eTA.
- The NZeTA replaces the visa for travellers of certain nationalities travelling to New Zealand for tourism or business.
- The NZeTA application procedure is accessible directly online using a simple form
- The price of the NZeTA is $89.99 including a $37 government fee.
The eVisa or eTA for travelling to New Zealand as a tourist:
Until recently, organising a trip to New Zealand required organisation and patience, particularly in obtaining a tourist visa, a document that is essential for the right to stay in this country.
Fortunately, things have changed a lot recently and the procedures for travellers wishing to go to this country have been greatly simplified, particularly thanks to the introduction of an electronic travel authorisation system which allows travellers to obtain an e-visa or visa quickly online.
The eTA tourist visa application is, as we will explain below, both quick and easy. The application will only take a few minutes at most and you will not need to go to a New Zealand embassy or consulate in your country of residence, which was previously necessary to obtain a regular visa.
Of course, to take advantage of this new procedure, which is 100% online, you simply need to be a national of one of the member countries of the scheme, which of course includes the United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany. You will also need to have a valid passport to which your travel authorisation will be directly and electronically attached.
To obtain an e-visa for New Zealand, you will only need a few minutes and you will only need to go to the official website or a website like the one we recommend here and fill in a simple form. Don't forget to bring your passport number and a credit card with you. Indeed, the tourist visa, just like the classic visa, is a paying process and you will have to pay a processing fee to validate your application. Your application will then be processed as soon as possible.
Once your application has been registered, you will not have to do anything more and will simply have to wait to receive confirmation of your authorisation by email to the email address you provided in the application form.
What is the procedure for obtaining a visa or eTA for New Zealand?
Now we're going to go into a bit more detail about the different steps involved in applying for an eTA tourist visa to travel to New Zealand.
As explained above, the first step is to ensure that you are a national of one of the countries eligible for this online scheme and that you have a valid passport. Once these checks have been made, you will simply need to fill in an online application form. Depending on the provider you choose, this form can of course be written in English, which will greatly simplify the process. This is the case with the one we recommend on this site, which will give you all the help you need.
In this form, you will be asked to provide personal information such as your full name, address, date of birth, passport details and past travel plans and trips. Of course, you will also have to answer other questions relating to your health and safety.
However, it is very important that you do not make any mistakes when filling in this form and we therefore advise you to check each of your answers carefully before validating it. A simple spelling error or a typing error on this form can lead to delays in the processing of your application or even to the cancellation of your file or the refusal of your e-visa.
Once you have completed this application form, you will proceed to the next step, which is to pay the processing fee. These fees are essential for the final validation of your application and must be paid by credit card. This payment is made on a secure online server and is of course 100% safe.
Once you have paid these fees, which cover the costs of processing your application and transferring your file to the relevant authorities, you will not have to do anything else. Your application will be processed and you will receive a prompt reply by email. If your eTA is accepted, it will automatically be attached to your passport and you will not have to do anything further or print any documents.
In summary, if you are eligible for the New Zealand eTA visa waiver scheme, you can obtain a travel authorisation online and very quickly. All you need to do is follow these simple steps:
- First of all, go to the official website or our partner's website to access the online application form. Simply fill in the form and answer all the questions.
- Pay your application fee online using your credit card to validate your application.
- Check your email inbox until you receive your eTA confirmation. Note here that if you do not receive this email, you should check your spam or junk mail folder.
If your eTA is refused for any reason, you have the option of re-applying in 10 days or applying for a regular visa at the New Zealand Embassy or Consulate in the UK.
Are there any visa or eTA exemption cases for New Zealand?
If you are a British national, you will need an eTA or visa to be able to travel to New Zealand. However, there are exceptions and some travellers are exempt from this type of travel authorisation.
This includes Australian citizens who are not required to have a visa or eTA due to a travel agreement signed between Australia and that country. In reality, Australian residents will need to apply for an eTA but this will be free of charge as there will be no need to pay the associated application fee or tourist tax.
There are, of course, other exceptions to travel to New Zealand without a visa and eTA. For example, guests of the New Zealand government are exempt from this requirement as are foreign citizens travelling under the Antarctic Treaty. Similarly, crew and passengers of a non-cruise ship or members of a visiting force and associated crews are also exempt.
Do I need to provide any other documents and evidence when applying for a visa online?
Many travellers to New Zealand who wish to take advantage of the eTA scheme to simplify their procedures also wonder whether they will need to provide any other official documents or legal evidence as part of their application or to travel to New Zealand.
In reality, it will of course be necessary to also have a passport issued by one of the eTA eligible countries in order to be able to apply online. It is also possible that some additional documents will be requested when applying for the visa, depending on the visa requirements which are not fixed, but this is relatively rare.
It should also be noted that the e-tourist visa or eTA for New Zealand can only be attached to a certain type of passport. This passport must be biometric or electronic, which is fortunately the case for the vast majority of passports issued recently. It is also important to note that the passport number given when applying for an eVisa must match the passport presented when travelling. If you have more than one passport because you have several nationalities or if you notice that your passport is about to expire, you should therefore make sure that you renew it and write down precisely the number of the document to which your eTA will be attached.
