Do Australian Citizens Need a Passport to Go to New Zealand?

As the world reopens to the outside, people around the world are planning to travel overseas or pursue their international dreams, passports and visas are very important in the whole process which can influence their journey and even their personal freedom when they are abroad. For Australian people, if they want to travel to or visit New Zealand, what should be paid attention to in terms of passport and visa? In this passage, we are going to talk about the visa requirements for Australian citizens and residents traveling to New Zealand.

Do Australian Citizens Need a Passport to Go to New Zealand?

For Australian citizens, if they want to travel to New Zealand, do they need a passport? The answer to this question is yes. They do need a passport to visit in Newzealand. To be more detailed, there are three situations. First, if you are an Australian citizen, you do not need a visa or permit to visit New Zealand when traveling on an Australian passport. Second, if you are an Australian resident with a current Australian permanent residence visa or a current Australian resident return visa, you don’t need a visitor visa either. Third, if your Australian residence visa is provisional or temporary, then you need to obtain a visitor visa. 

Do Australian Residents Need Extra Documents to Travel to New Zealand?

Even though the Australian residents (non-citizens) don’t need a visa to New Zealand, does it mean they don’t need any documents? Actually, the answer is no. For permanent residents of Australia, they are required to obtain an NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority), which is mandatory. If you have an NZeTA, you don’t need to apply for a visa. This applies to individuals who travel on a passport from a visa waiver country, cruise ship passengers, or permanent residents of Australia. With a NZeTA, you can stay in New Zealand for up to 3 months (or 6 months for British citizens). However, if you meet the following situations, you do not need an NZeTA.

1. You are a New Zealand citizen travelling on a New Zealand passport, or a foreign passport that has a New Zealand citizen endorsement
2. You are an Australian citizen travelling on an Australian passport
3. You are a holder of a valid visa for New Zealand — including a Permanent Resident Visa
4. You are a member of or someone associated with, a scientific program or expedition under the Contracting Party to the Antarctic Treaty
5. You are a member of a visiting force, including one of its civilian employees, traveling in the ordinary course of your employment or duty.

How to Apply for A NzeTA or A visitor’s visa?

If you don’t meet the above-mentioned conditions, you need either an NZeTA or a visitor visa when traveling to New Zealand. So when do you need a visitor’s visa or NzeTA? Please refer to the following guide.

When you need a NzeTA

1. If you are traveling on a passport from a visa-waiver country(please refer to the visa-waiver country list(visa free countries)
2. If you are an Australian permanent resident (please pay attention, it is a non-citizen)

If you meet one of the two conditions, you can apply for a NZeTA. You can either apply for it on the website or use NZeTA mobile app which can be found in the App Store or Google Play. An NZeTA request costs NZD $17 on the app, or NZD $23 if completed online. It may take 72 hours for your NZeTA request to be processed.

How to apply for a NzeTA

When you apply for a NzeTA, you need to prepare :

• a valid passport that you will use to travel to New Zealand
• a credit card or debit card (Visa or Mastercard)
• an email address
• a photo

The steps to apply for a NzeTA:

1. Visit the official New ZeTA website
2. Set up a new account or log in with your old one.
3. Enter your full name, birth date, citizenship, passport details, and travel itinerary.
4. Complete the required health and character questionnaire included in all visa applications.
5. Use a credit or debit card to pay your visa processing fee.
6. The authorities will review the application once the NZeTA application has been submitted and the processing fee has been paid. 
7. Receive a notification of your New ZealandeTA status via email within a short time.
8. After approval, an approval email will be sent to you. 
9. Print a copy of your approval confirmation or carry a digital replica of it when necessary

When you need a visitor’s visa

If you meet the conditions listed below, you need to apply for a visitor’s visa.

• If you are not traveling on a passport from a visa-waiver country or territory
• If you want to stay in New Zealand for more than 3 months (or 6 months if you’re from the UK)
• If you are not of good character, for example, you have a criminal conviction
• If are not in good health your visit’s purpose to New Zealand is for medical consultation or treatment.

How to apply for a visitor’s visa

You can apply online for a visitor visa on the New Zealand Immigration website. When applying, You need to prove that you have a ticket out of New Zealand or you can afford to buy one. Moreover, you have to prove that you are in good health and of good character which means you don’t have any criminal convictions. Another important thing is to prove that you have enough money to live on while you’re in New Zealand or will be supported financially. If you want to apply online, you can follow the steps below:

• Set up a New Zealand Government RealMe account.
• Provide a colored photo and upload it
• Upload a digital copy of your passport that’s valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave New Zealand.
• Upload a document that proves you’re of good character and in good health
• Submit the application and pay the fee
• Receive a decision about your visa

Can Australian citizens travel to other countries without visas?

Actually, Australian passport holders can travel to various countries around the world, each with distinct visa requirements. There are a total of 187 visa-free travel destinations for Australia passport holders( More information can be found on this website visa-free-countries-list.

Conclusion 

If you are an Australian citizen, you do not need a visa or permit to visit New Zealand when traveling on an Australian passport. Australian permanent residents and travelers from visa-waiver countries need to apply for an NzeTA before traveling to New Zealand. Otherwise, you need to apply for a visitor’s visa. Moreover, 187 countries are visa-free travel destinations for Australian passport holders. Therefore, for Australian citizens and residents, an Australian passport is really important.