Announcement
Visa free travel from Australia to New Zealand for Chinese visitors
Published
03 November 2025
What you need to know about the changes to make it easier for Chinese visitors to visit New Zealand from Australia visa free.
From today, people with a Chinese passport do not need a visitor visa to visit New Zealand from Australia. Instead, they will be able to travel here with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA), and stay for up to 3 months, as long as they hold a valid eligible Australian visa.
This is a trial for 12 months.
Requirements for visa free travel
You must:
- be travelling to New Zealand from Australia
- have a passport from China
- have an eligible Australian visa (listed in the following section) that is valid when you check in to your flight to New Zealand (this does not include transiting through Australia)
- have a valid NZeTA.
To get an NZeTA you must:
- be in good health
- have a good character
- have a genuine reason for visiting New Zealand
- have enough money to pay your expenses
- have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.
Check if you need a visa or an NZeTA
Chinese and Pacific Island visitors travelling from Australia
Eligible Australian visas
You must have one of the following Australian visas.
You can check your Australian visa name and subclass number in your visa grant notification letter or online in Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO).
Check visa details and conditions — Australian Department of Home Affairs
Visitor visas
- Visitor — Subclass 600
- Work and holiday visa — Subclass 462
- Temporary work (short stay specialist) — Subclass 400
- eVisitor — Subclass 651
- Working holiday visa — Subclass 417
Study and training visas
- Student — Subclass 500
- Temporary Graduate visa — Subclass 485
- Training — Subclass 407
- Student guardian — Subclass 590
Work visas
- Skills in demand — Subclass 482
- Work and holiday — Subclass 462
- Temporary graduate visa — Subclass 485
- Temporary work (short stay specialist) — Subclass 400
- Skilled regional (provisional) — Subclass 491
- Business innovation and investment (provisional) — Subclass 188
- Skilled employer sponsored regional (provisional) — Subclass 494
- Training — Subclass 407
- Business (long stay) — Subclass 457
- Business owner (provisional) — Subclass 160
- Investor (provisional) — Subclass 162
- Senior executive (Provisional) — Subclass 161
- Skilled - recognised graduate — Subclass 476
- State/Territory sponsored business owner (provisional) — Subclass 163
- State/Territory sponsored investor (provisional) — Subclass 165
- State/Territory sponsored senior executive (provisional) — Subclass 164
Family and partner visas
- Partner (temporary) — Subclass 820
- Partner (provisional) — Subclass 309
- Sponsored parent — Subclass 870
- New Zealand citizen family relationship — Subclass 461
- Prospective marriage — Subclass 300
- Contributory parent (Temporary) — Subclass 173
- Dependent child — Subclass 445
- Contributory aged parent (Temporary) — Subclass 884
Retirement visas
- Retirement — Subclass 410
- Investor retirement — Subclass 405
Transit
Chinese nationals are now also able to transit through New Zealand with an NZeTA rather than a transit visa.
NZeTA
With an NZeTA you can:
- travel to New Zealand without applying for a visa
- stay in New Zealand for up to 3 months at a time
- travel to New Zealand multiple times while your NZeTA is valid (you must be travelling from Australia each time)
- transit through New Zealand for up to 24 hours.
You cannot work for a New Zealand employer if you have travelled here on an NZeTA and are visiting.
New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA)
How to apply
Request an NZeTA via the free NZeTA app or through the official INZ website at least 72 hours before you travel, and pay the fees and levies.
Helpful tips when applying
- Make sure your information is correct and matches the passport you are travelling on. Double-check your information before submitting the request.
- You only need to select ‘submit’ once. Avoid selecting 'submit' multiple times to prevent duplicate charges.
- Make sure to request your NZeTA at least 72 hours before you travel.
Fees, decision times and where to apply
Traveller declaration
You will need to complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) before you arrive in New Zealand. You can fill out the form online 24 hours before you depart.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration website
Fact sheets
This information is also available in PDF format in English and Simplified Chinese.