Short-term Entertainment Act Visitor Visa

Visa details

This visa is for performers and support crew members travelling to New Zealand for a live entertainment act. To apply, the act must be promoted by an approved promoter.

Length of stay

3 months

Cost
From
NZD $211
Processing time
90% within
44.5 weekdays
With this visa you can
  • Take part in a short-term live entertainment act being promoted by a promoter on Immigration New Zealand’s Approved Promoters List.
  • Include your partner, and dependent children aged 19 and under, in your visa application.
Things to note
  • If you are from a visa waiver country and you meet all the criteria for this visa, you do not need to apply for a visa before you travel to New Zealand but you must hold an NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority).

Visa waiver countries and territories

Information about NZeTA

Visa Waiver Visitor Visa

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

Identity

You must provide proof of your identity

  • 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.

Health

You must be in good health

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.

Character

You must be of good character

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.

Genuine intentions

You must genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa

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

Short-term live entertainment act

You must be a performer or crew for a short-term entertainment act

You must provide a letter from an approved promoter that includes:

  • your name
  • the name of the performance
  • your role in the performance
  • the dates or duration of the performance(s), or the length of time you’ll need to be in New Zealand with the act.

INZ Approved Promoters List

Funds or sponsorship

You must have enough money to live on while you are in New Zealand or have an acceptable sponsor

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

Onward travel

You must have a ticket to leave New Zealand or enough funds to purchase one, or be sponsored for the cost of your onward travel.

When you arrive in New Zealand you may be asked to show that you intend to leave the country — for example, a return ticket or proof you have enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand. This is in addition to the funds you have to live on.

If you are sponsored and you do not have a return ticket your sponsor can provide recent bank statements to show they have enough money to buy you a ticket out of New Zealand.

Health care

You must agree to pay your own health care costs

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.

Relationship with family

If you include your partner and children in your application, you must have a genuine relationship with them

To bring family:

  • you must provide evidence of your relationship with them, like marriage and birth certificates
  • you must provide proof of their identity
  • they must be of good character
  • they must be in good health.

Partnership
Dependent children

Tips

A family can include yourself, your partner, and dependent children 19 and under.

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

You should provide copies of identity cards for family members 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 paper arrival card or a digital traveller declaration. If you are completing a paper arrival card you will be given this on the way to New Zealand.

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

During the length of your visa, you must have a travel ticket or funds available to buy a ticket to a country you can enter. The funds can be in the form of any of the following:

  • sufficient funds held in New Zealand to purchase a travel ticket 
  • an acceptable form of financial undertaking by your guarantor
  • current sponsorship by an acceptable sponsor.

Acceptable sponsors

Notes

Unless your visa label or letter states “Return/onward travel not required” you must have a ticket to leave New Zealand whenever you travel here.

Funds or sponsorship

You must have enough money to support yourself while you are in New Zealand or have a sponsor.

What sponsors must do – responsibilities and obligations

Notes

You may be asked for evidence you have enough funds to support yourself when you check in or arrive in New Zealand.

Work

You can you take part in the entertainment event you’ve come to New Zealand for, but you can’t do any other work.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

Notes

Visa expiry dates are printed on a visa label or included in a visa letter.