Crew joining a Ship or Plane Visitor Visa

Apply for this visa if you are a crew member who will travel to New Zealand to join a vessel or aircraft leaving for another country.

Length of stay
Up to

28 days

Cost
From
NZD $211
Processing time
80% within
5 weeks
With this visa you can
  • Come to New Zealand to join a vessel or aircraft leaving for another country.
  • Bring your partner, and dependent children 19 and under with you – you’ll need to include them in your visa application.
Things to note
  • If you won't be a working crew member when you travel to New Zealand, you must apply for a Visitor Visa before you travel - unless you’re from a visa waiver country.
    Visa waiver countries
  • If you have a Crew ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) and you will be in New Zealand for less than 7 days (airline crew) or less than 28 days (cruise ship crew) you do not need to apply for this visa.
    Crew of planes and cruise ships

What you need to apply

Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.

View All Evidence
  • 1 acceptable photo if you apply online, or 2 photos if you use a paper application form.
  • your passport or certificate of identity.

Acceptable photos

If you apply online, you must upload a copy of your passport when you apply. We will let you know if you need to send your passport after you have applied.

Providing your passport for online applications

If you submit a paper application, provide your original passport or a certified copy.  We can usually process your application faster if you provide your original passport.

Tips

If you are a citizen of China and you submit a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.

Supplementary form for Chinese citizens (INZ 1027) PDF 338KB

If you are submitting a paper application form, you must provide a supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students.

Supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students (INZ 1220) PDF 240KB

Also provide your:

  • Hukou (household registration book)
  • Chinese identity card.

Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

We may ask you to have a chest x-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your good health.

If you are staying less than:

  • 6 months you do not normally need a chest x-ray. 
  • 12 months you do not normally need a medical certificate. 

Who needs an x-ray or medical examination

When we process your application we let you know if we need you to have a chest x-ray or medical examination.

Acceptable standard of health criteria for visa approvals

Please only provide medical certificates if requested

Tips

You must provide a chest x-ray completed in the last 3 months, even if you've provided one to us previously, if:

  • you have spent 6 consecutive months in China since the last x-ray certificate was issued, and
  • you are now coming to NZ for more than 6 months.

If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand we may not be able to grant you a visa.

Good character for temporary visas

You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.

You also must provide police certificates if we ask for them.

If you are 16 years old or younger you do not need to provide police certificates.

Providing police certificates

How to get a police certificate

If you have already sent us Police Certificates with a previous visa application and they are less than 24 months old, you do not need to send them again.

Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. They must be from any country you are a citizen of, or have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we consider all the information:

  • you provide to support your application
  • we have about your personal circumstances, and
  • you provided in any previous applications.

Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ

You must provide evidence  of your engagement as a crew member in New Zealand, eg written confirmation from your employer.

You must have at least NZD $1,000 per month, or NZD $400 per month if you’ve already paid for your accommodation.

Evidence can include:

  • proof of accommodation pre-payment, like hotel pre-paid vouchers or receipts
  • bank statements
  • credit card statements
  • bank drafts
  • travellers’ cheques
  • a 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry' completed by an acceptable sponsor.
If you are sponsored:

Your sponsor must provide evidence they can look after you in New Zealand. Evidence can include:

  • recent bank statements
  • pay slips
  • employment agreement
  • accommodation ownership or payment of rent.

Criteria and process to become a sponsor

What sponsors must do while you are in New Zealand

Tips

If you are pregnant, there are additional requirements.

Paying for maternity care

Evidence can include:

You must declare in your visa application that you will pay the costs of any health care or medical assistance you receive in New Zealand.

Tips

We recommend that you have full medical insurance for the length of your visit.

To meet the requirements, they must:

  • be your partner, or dependent child aged 19 or under
  • provide proof of their identity
  • be of good character
  • be in good health 
  • be a bona fide applicant.

Partnership

Dependent children

Tips

You can include your family in your visitor visa application, or they can apply for their own visas.

You should provide copies of identity cards for family members included in your application.

You should provide copies of family members Hukou (household registration book) included in your application.

Process and costs

The information below will help you understand the process, timeframes and costs involved in applying for this visa, so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.

Notes

We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

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How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

Notes

We cannot display any receiving centre or payment method information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

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Conditions

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.

Entry permission

You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing a digital New Zealand traveller declaration (NZTD), or an NZTD paper declaration.

New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.

Arriving in New Zealand

Notes

You can be refused entry permission if:

  • you do not meet our character requirements
  • your circumstances have changed since you were granted a visa
  • you refuse to let us take your photo or to provide us with your fingerprints or an iris scan, if asked for them
  • you are unable to provide evidence of any onward travel or funds required by the conditions of your visa.

If you are refused entry to New Zealand

Before you travel to New Zealand

Travel

If travelling in and out of New Zealand, a valid multiple entry travel condition is needed to return to New Zealand.

Changing the conditions of a visitor visa

Notes

If applying from inside New Zealand, we will normally give multiple entry travel conditions when we grant a visa.

If there are no multiple entry travel conditions and you leave New Zealand the visa will expire.

The travel conditions will be listed on the visa label or in a visa letter.

Onward travel

You must have made arrangements to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.

You must have onward travel evidence to prove to us you will, or can, leave New Zealand.

Evidence can be any one of these:

  • your travel ticket
  • a bank or credit card statement showing you have enough money to pay for onward travel
  • confirmation from a travel agency that you have booked and paid for travel, or another form of
  • proof you have arranged to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.
Notes

You may be asked for written confirmation that you’ll be leaving with your vessel or aircraft when you check in or arrive in New Zealand.

Join crew

You can only be in New Zealand to join the crew of the vessel or aircraft at the port named in your visa.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.