E2.1 People to whom a visa waiver applies

See also Immigration Act 2009, ss 4, 69

See also Immigration (Visa, Entry Permission, and Related Matters) Regulations 2010, Part 4A, and Schedule 2

A visa waiver means a waiver of the requirement to hold a visa permitting travel to New Zealand in relation to any class of persons. From 1 October 2019, a person travelling to New Zealand visa waiver is required to hold an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) unless exempt (see E12 Electronic Travel Authority). A visa waiver applies to, but is not limited to, the following people:

1. citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia; and
2. people who hold:
   1. a current permanent residence visa issued by the Government of Australia; or
   2. a current resident return visa issued by the Government of Australia; and
3. people granted a visa waiver by special direction; and
4. members of a visiting force (including members of the civilian component of the visiting force) but only if:
   1. each person is travelling to New Zealand in the ordinary course of the person’s duty or employment; and
   2. each person is seeking a temporary entry class visa at an immigration control area; and
   3. the craft transporting the visiting force is a commercial craft; and
5. members of, or any person associated with, a scientific programme or expedition under the auspices of a Contracting Party to the Antarctic Treaty (within the meaning of the Antarctica Act 1960) or any person to whom section 5 of that Act applies, but only if:
   1. the person concerned is seeking a temporary entry class visa; and
   2. the application is made at an immigration control area; and
6. Cruise ship passengers (from 1 October 2019 onwards); and
7. Cruise ship crew travelling in the ordinary course of business of the ship (from 1 October 2019 onwards); and
8. Positioning cruise ship crew (from 1 October 2019 onwards); and
9. Aircraft crew of an aircraft on a flight between any other country and New Zealand in the course of a scheduled international service (from 1 October 2019 onwards); and
10. Positioning aircraft crew (from 1 October 2019 onwards); and
11. British citizens, and other British passport holders who produce evidence of the right to reside permanently in the United Kingdom, but only if the person concerned is seeking a visitor visa current for not more than six months and the purposes of the visit do not include medical consultation or treatment; and
12. people travelling on a United Nations (UN) laissez-passer who are seeking a visitor visa current for not more than three months; and
13. any other class of persons specified in the Immigration (Visa, Entry Permission, and Related Matters) Regulations 2010; and
14. citizens of the following countries, but only if the person concerned is seeking a visitor visa current for not more than three months and the purposes of the visit is not for medical consultation or treatment:

    Andorra Argentina Austria Bahrain Belgium Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Canada Chile Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia1 Finland France Germany Greece 2 Hong Kong 3

    Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Japan Korea (South) Kuwait Latvia1 Liechtenstein Lithuania1 Luxembourg Macau 4 Malaysia Malta Mauritius Mexico Monaco Netherlands Norway

    Oman Poland Portugal5 Qatar Romania San Marino Saudi Arabia Seychelles Singapore Slovak Republic Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan6 United Arab Emirates United States of America7 Uruguay Vatican City

¹ Visa waiver does not apply to people travelling on alien's (non-citizen's) passports issued by these countries.

² Greek passport holders whose passports were issued on and after 1 January 2006. (Greek passports issued before 1 January 2006 are not acceptable for travel after 1 January 2007, see A2.10.50)

³ Residents of Hong Kong travelling on Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or British National (Overseas) passports.

⁴ Residents of Macau travelling on Macau Special Administrative Region passports.

⁵ Portuguese passport holders must also have the right to live permanently in Portugal.

⁶ Permanent residents of Taiwan travelling on Taiwan passports. A personal identity number printed within the visible section of the biographical page of the Taiwan passport demonstrates that the holder is a permanent resident of Taiwan (see A2.10.40).

⁷ including nationals of the USA.

 Effective 01/07/2019