Visa policy of New Zealand

Other categories

Additionally, the visa waiver applies to the following categories:^[48]

• people granted a visa waiver by special direction.
• members of a visiting force (including members of the civilian component of the visiting force) as defined in the Visiting Forces Act 2004 at the request or with consent of the Government of New Zealand and in the ordinary course of the person's duty or employment.
• for periods of 28 days, crew or passengers on any ship carrying passengers (including cruise ship passengers) or cargo or both (in the ordinary course of business of the craft) between any foreign port and New Zealand.
• for periods of 28 days, crew on any foreign ship authorised by the Minister of Transport to carry coastal cargo.
• for periods of 7 days, beginning with the day on which the aircraft arrived in New Zealand, aircraft crew on any commercial aircraft flying between any other country and New Zealand.
• members of, or any person associated with, any scientific programme or expedition under the auspices of a Contracting Party to the Antarctic Treaty within the meaning of the Antarctica Act 1960.
• any other class of persons specified in the Immigration (Visa, Entry Permission, and Related Matters) Regulations 2010.

Electronic Travel Authority plans

In June 2018 the Government of New Zealand proposed to introduce an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) for international visitors coming from visa waiver countries.^[49] The Government also proposed a collection of entry tax from foreign tourists on arrival.^[50]

Before 1881

In the early years New Zealand was seen by Europeans as the most remote country on earth. For most Europeans New Zealand was an unappealing prospect, a strange and lonely land reached after 100 days on dangerous seas; its coasts were thought treacherous, its inhabitants bloodthirsty. Only exceptional reasons led people to set off for such a distant corner of the globe. Many of New Zealand's early immigrants first spent time in Australia, and most of them were only temporary visitors in search of items to trade.

Among the earliest visitors were sealers, attracted by the promise of high-quality oil, and fur for hats (often sold in China in return for tea). As early as 1792, whalers came to the northern end of the country, also as temporary visitors. Also missionaries arrived in New Zealand. By 1839 the total non-Māori population was about 2,000.

Until 1839 there were only about 2,000 immigrants in New Zealand; by 1852 there were about 28,000. The decisive moment for this remarkable change was 1840. In that year, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. This established British authority in European eyes, and gave British immigrants legal rights as citizens. Most of the people who moved to New Zealand Company settlements were British.

From 1853 to 1870 the non-Māori population of New Zealand rose from just under 30,000 to over 250,000. As with the inflow of the 1840s, there were three main groups – assisted families coming directly from Britain; individuals from across the Tasman Sea looking for a better life; and military settlers.^[61]

1881–1914

Restrictions on immigration were first imposed in 1881. Until then, anyone who arrived in New Zealand had been able to remain in the country.

The Chinese Immigrants Act 1881 was the first to restrict the entry of a specific group of people. The number of Chinese who could arrive on one ship was limited to one for every 10 tons of the vessel's weight. A poll tax of £10 was also imposed on each Chinese person entering the country. Unlike the Chinese, most Indians were British subjects and free to enter New Zealand until the very end of the 19th century. From 1896, despite objections from the British government, New Zealand tried to pass more comprehensive legislation restricting the immigration not just of the Chinese but also of Indians and other Asians.

The 1899 act prohibited the entry of immigrants who were not of British or Irish parentage and who could not fill in an application form 'in any European language' – which in practice meant English. These rules were in place for the next 20 years. The fear of economic competition was one reason why the entry of Chinese, Indians and other 'race aliens' was restricted.

1914–1945

Under the War Regulations of 1916, during the First World War, no person over the age of 15 could land in New Zealand without a passport or other document establishing his or her nationality or identity.

Under the Undesirable Immigrants Exclusion Act 1919, Germans and Austro-Hungarians were prohibited from entering without a licence issued by the attorney general. The act also gave power to the attorney general to prohibit the entry of any person not resident in New Zealand – including British subjects – who was disaffected or disloyal, or of such a character that his presence would be injurious to the peace, order and good government' of New Zealand.

The Immigration Restriction Amendment Act 1920 was passed primarily to restrict possible Asian immigration, but Asians were not its only targets. It was also used to curb the entry of other non-British people, particularly southern Europeans such as Dalmatians and Italians.

The 1931 Immigration Restriction Amendment Act, passed during the Depression period of the 1930s, prevented aliens (as non-British immigrants were still known) from Europe entering New Zealand. The only exceptions were if they had guaranteed employment, a considerable amount of capital, or knowledge and skills.

After 1945

Visa policy of New Zealand from 1978 to the present

  New Zealand

  Visa free access

From 1961 only Australians had unrestricted entry to New Zealand. This was a long-standing right, established in 1840 when New Zealand became a British colony like Australia. Reciprocal travel arrangements, beginning in the 1920s, formalised this free movement from one country to the other. In 1973, the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement allowed Australian and New Zealand citizens to enter each other's countries to visit, live, work, or remain indefinitely without having to apply for a permit.

Under the 1961 Immigration Amendment Act, British and Irish immigrants, along with other non-New Zealand citizens (except Australians, who could enter freely) were required to have a permit before entering New Zealand. In practice, the permit was only a formality for Britons and Irish; they were issued with permits on arrival. Nevertheless, for the first time, the 1961 act put British and non-British people on the same footing when they sought to enter New Zealand. After the immigration policy review of 1974, British migrants, like all others, were required to obtain a permit before they left their homelands. The British and Irish were now on the same footing as the nationals of other countries.

Between the 1940s and the 1970s, New Zealand concluded visa-free agreements with countries of Western Europe.

Visa-free access for citizens of Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Indonesia, Thailand, Zimbabwe, Samoa, South Africa and Tonga has been cancelled because of illegal immigration.

As of 2017, under the Immigration Act 2009^[3] and the Immigration (Visa, Entry Permission, and Related Matters) Regulations 2010^[4] passport holders of the 60 jurisdictions may travel to New Zealand without obtaining a visa for up to 90 days.^[5]