3 July 2019 at 9:00 am
New travel rules for New Zealand from 1 October 2019
From 1 October 2019, New Zealand is introducing a new travel requirement that may affect international students coming to New Zealand.
The NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority) needs to be granted before traveling to New Zealand. It can take up to 72 hours for an approval to come through, so anyone coming to New Zealand should apply with plenty of time. Requests can be made via the official app or Immigration New Zealand’s website. There is a small fee.
Who needs an NZeTA?
- People visiting or in transit from a visa waiver country — that is, a country whose passport holders do not need to get a visa before they arrive in New Zealand.
- People travelling on a passport from a transit visa waiver country, and who will be in transit through Auckland International Airport’s transit lounge on the way to another country.
- Permanent residents of Australia.
What does this mean for international students?
People who are planning to come to New Zealand to complete a short course, such as an English language course, will need to apply for an NZeTA if they are coming from a visa waiver country.
International students who need a visa to study will not need to get a NZeTA.
