What you must know about the New Zealand ETA and visa waiver countries

You may be wondering what the connection between the New Zealand ETA and the New Zealand visa waiver countries is. As a matter of fact, the link is pretty obvious. Only the citizens of New Zealand visa waiver countries are eligible for a New Zealand ETA. The Electronic Travel Authorization was introduced in New Zealand in July 2019, and it becomes compulsory as of October 2019. All visa-exempt nationalities, except for Australian citizens, must obtain an ETA before departure. If you want to find out more about the New Zealand ETA, please read the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions below.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How do I find out if I am from a New Zealand visa waiver country and in need of a New Zealand ETA?

That could not be simpler. You have two choices at hand. One, you could read the visa policy of New Zealand, which includes a list of visa waiver countries. And two, iVisa has something called a Visa Checker Tool. Access it, choose your nationality in the drag-down menu on the left, and pick New Zealand in the menu on the right. The information you need will be displayed in just an instant. If you do qualify for a New Zealand ETA, you will be redirected to the application page. If not, you will be given information about the nearest diplomatic mission of New Zealand so that you can apply for a consular visa.

If I am eligible for a New Zealand ETA, what do I need to apply?

As it happens, the New Zealand ETA is not a very demanding document to obtain. It is certainly easier to acquire than a standard visa. However, you still need to meet a few requirements, but the good news is that you may already have everything you need, which is as follows:

• Passport – one thing that you need to check before starting the online application process is its expiry date. The passport must be valid and remain as such for another 6 months from the date of arrival in New Zealand. It must also have at least one blank page available for the stamp.
• Travel dates – what you must disclose are the dates for your arrival and departure
• E-mail address – when you apply online for a New Zealand ETA, you receive a confirmation with a reference number via e-mail. You will be asked to provide it once you arrive in New Zealand. You can either print it out or keep it on your device
• Means of online payment – you will be happy to learn that iVisa is flexible when it comes to this. You can pay using a credit or a debit card, but we also accept PayPal, Alipay, and WeChat

How long does it take for my online application to be processed? And what are the costs?

We like to treat these two things together because they are connected. In fact, the processing speed of your application is the one that determines the cost of your New Zealand ETA. So, the faster you want the processing to move, the more you are going to be charged. Keep in mind that the cost of a New Zealand ETA remains the same, but the service fee grows higher with each processing speed. With that being said, here are your processing time options and costs:

• Standard processing – you receive your New Zealand ETA within 2 days, and you are charged USD $89.99
• Rush processing – your application is processed within 6 hours, but the cost is a bit higher. You must pay USD $135.99
• Super Rush processing – you must wait just 2 hours for your application to be processed. As you can imagine, this is the most expensive option. You are charged USD $190.99. For further information about the New Zealand ETA and the New Zealand visa waiver countries, please do not hesitate to contact iVisa’s customer support service. You can reach it via phone or online chat 24/7, and it is entirely free of charge.