Applying for a Group Visitor Visa
Find out the process to apply for a Group Visitor Visa, the different roles and responsibilities, and sharing applications.
Note
Group Visitor Visa applications are now in our enhanced Immigration Online system.
You have until 7 October 2026 to complete and submit existing draft applications on the old form, or you can start a new application on the new form.
Group and Tour Escort visitor visa applications now in enhanced Immigration Online
If you are travelling to New Zealand in a group for a shared purpose, you can create a group application and add individual applications so they can be processed together. One person will need to submit and pay for the Group Visitor Visa application which must include a completed Visitor Visa application from each group member.
Check more information about Group Visitor Visa eligibility and requirements:
For more detailed instructions on how to apply, see the enhanced Immigration Online user guide:
Applying as a travel agency
The Group Visitor Visa application system allows group and individual application sharing, making it easier for travel or tour agents to help submit an online application for their customers.
If you are not licensed to give advice or exempt from licensing, you can only help with applications if it is part of your job and you are recording information given to you by the applicant.
If a
Check the difference between a tour escort and a tour guide:
Group roles and responsibilities
The Group Visitor Visa application process involves different roles, with different responsibilities and permissions.
The group creator, administrator, contact and leader can all be different people, or they can be the same person.
Group creator
The person who creates the group is automatically given group administrator permissions. The group creator can then choose to make other people group administrators who will have the same permissions as them.
Group administrators
The group application must be managed by 1 or more group administrators, including the group creator.
Group administrators can:
- view everyone in the group, including other group administrators, applicants, and anyone else who has sharing permissions
- view all visa applications in the group, including applicants' personal information
- create, edit or delete individual visa applications within the group
- delete the draft group
- share the group with someone they trust to complete the group application with them
- share individual applications with the applicants, so they can complete their own applications
- remove sharing permissions
- pay for and submit the group application
- receive and respond to group correspondence
- receive the group eVisa.
Group administrators must:
- provide us with a group contact who we will communicate with about the group's travel details
- ensure that the eVisa is downloaded and given to the group leader, if this is someone else.
Group contact
A group administrator must provide us with a group contact who will be our main point of contact for the group application. The group contact must be given group administrator permissions if they do not already have them, otherwise they will not be able to access the application.
We will communicate with the group contact about the group, including its purpose for travel, itinerary, and travel dates.
The group contact is responsible for ensuring all group members understand their visa conditions.
Group leader
One person in the group should be chosen as the group leader.
The group leader is responsible for keeping the group together and providing any information (for example, travel documents) if we need it when the group arrives in New Zealand.
If the group leader is not a group administrator, they will not have access to the eVisa in the portal. In this case, a group administrator can either make them a group administrator too, or give them a copy of the eVisa.
If your group leader is a tour escort, they must also apply separately for a Tour Escort Visitor Visa.
Applicants
We need an individual Visitor Visa application for each group member. These can be completed either by a group administrator, or by the applicants themselves once a group administrator has created and shared the application with them.
Each individual applicant must meet the requirements of their Visitor Visa.
Applicants will only receive communications about their own individual visa application.
Sharing individual applications
Each applicant must declare that they understand the group process and give permission to the group administrator to view and edit their application and to apply on their behalf.
See our Immigration Online terms of use for more information on group sharing.
Immigration Online terms of use
Accessing visa conditions
Only group administrators receive the group eVisa online. Applicants must contact their group administrator if they have any questions about their visa conditions.
Group application process
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1
Step 1: Create the Group Visitor Visa application
- Log in to Immigration Online (group creator).
- Select 'My groups'.
- Select 'Create a group'.
- Fill out the online application form.
- Upload documents relevant to the group, such as a cover letter or a travel itinerary.
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2
Step 2: Fill in the individual visa applications
- Log in to Immigration Online (group administrator).
- In the group application, create a new Visitor Visa application.
- Fill out the form yourself, or share it with the individual applicant to complete.
- Upload all the required documents.
- Do this for each applicant in the group.
Note
Some answers will be pre-populated with responses provided in the Group Visitor Visa application, as they apply to all members of the group.
Where this is the case, you will not be able to change individual responses to these questions. Any changes will need to be made by a group administrator in the Group Visitor Visa application.
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3
Step 3: Validate and submit the Group Visitor Visa application
- Mark each individual application as 'complete' when ready (group administrator).
- Request for the group application to be validated — this can take a few minutes.
- The group contact will receive an email advising whether validation has passed or failed.
- If validation fails, we will let you know what you need to do (for example, provide a missing document, or contact us about an individual application). Once you have resolved any issues, you can request validation again.
- If validation passes, you can pay for and submit the application. If you do not submit the application within 12 hours of validation, you will need to request validation again.
Note
All the fees and taxes for the applications included in the group will be added together and appear as one payment on the payment screen. The fees and taxes for each individual application will be shown on your invoice.
The group contact will be notified that the fee receipt letter is available for them to access in the portal.