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Crew of planes, cruise ships and cargo ships

Crew of passenger airlines and cruise ships must have a Crew ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) before they leave for New Zealand. Crew of cargo ships must have a Crew ETA from 1 April 2025.

Who needs a Crew ETA

All working and positioning crew members, regardless of nationality, need a Crew ETA unless they:

Positioning crew can use their Crew ETA to fly to New Zealand to meet a plane or ship.

How we define crew

Your staff need a Crew ETA if they are employed by:

Crew of other vessels or private craft

Different rules apply to the crews of:

Crew of cargo ships, fishing vessels, private yachts and planes

Crew ETA for cargo ship crew arriving in New Zealand on or after 1 April 2025

Cargo ship crew members must have a Crew ETA if they are travelling to New Zealand on or after 1 April 2025.

This includes crew who are:

They must hold a Crew ETA before they start their travel to New Zealand.

Crew ETAs must be requested by the cargo carrier (or their representative) via Immigration New Zealand's online Batch ETA System. Carriers can request an ETA for the crew from 3 February 2025.

Cargo ship crew who are granted an NZeTA before 1 April 2025 will only be able to travelling to New Zealand by air to join their ship as 'positioning' crew from 1 April 2025.

Cargo carriers should contact with their New Zealand based shipping agents for information on how to register to access the Batch ETA system.

Note

If you are a cargo vessel owner, you may have received information from an industry association in New Zealand on how to request NZeTAs for crew. If this work is outsourced to ship or crew management agencies, you will need to nominate a representative so they can access the Batch ETA system.

New requirement for cargo ship crew and passengers

How long crew can stay in NZ if they have a Crew ETA

From the date they arrive:

Visiting New Zealand as a tourist or for other reasons

Your crew cannot use their Crew ETA to come to New Zealand for a holiday. They will need an NZeTA or a visa, depending on what country they are from.

Information about NZeTA
Explore visa options for visiting

Crew ETA cost, length and processing time

A Crew ETA costs NZD$17.00 which is paid by the employer.

It is valid for up to 5 years. It is no longer valid if a crew member's employment ends before 5 years are up.

Most Crew ETA requests are processed within 72 hours.

How to request a Crew ETA

A crew member's employer or the employer’s nominated representative requests Crew ETAs using our Batch ETA system.

We accept requests to use the Batch ETA system from:

Note

If you are a crew member and need to get a Crew ETA, ask your employer or their representative to request 1 for you.