NEW ZEALAND APPLICATION METHOD

New Zealand Visitor Visa: How to Apply Online

Immigration New Zealand (INZ) now requires Visitor Visa applications to be made online. This page explains the channel, the RealMe account, the upload rules, the fees and levy, and how to track your application.

The short answer

Under the current Immigration New Zealand rules, a Visitor Visa application must be made online. INZ states that from 1 October 2026 it stopped accepting paper applications for the Visitor Visa and a selected group of other visitor and transit visas, and that these applications must be submitted through its enhanced Immigration Online system. Paper forms are accepted for these visas only where exceptional circumstances apply, and INZ asks you to contact it to discuss your situation if you think you need one.

In practice you open the official INZ portal at apply.immigration.govt.nz (or use the “Apply online” button on the INZ Visitor Visa page), sign in with a RealMe login or create one, complete the smart application form, upload your documents and photo, and pay the fee by card. You then track the application from your Immigration Online dashboard.

Check INZ for the current channel

Channels and forms can change. Treat the INZ pages linked here as the authority, and check the INZ Visitor Visa page for the current channel before you start. IndoWorld does not control INZ decisions, requirements or processing times.

What changed on 1 October 2026

INZ announced the change in its news centre in an item titled “Changes to use of paper applications for some visitor and transit visas”. The points that matter for applicants:

From 1 October 2026, INZ stopped accepting paper applications for the Visitor Visa, the Business Visitor Visa, the Group Visitor Visa, the Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, the Transit Visa and a number of other listed visitor visas. These must go through enhanced Immigration Online.
Paper applications submitted before 1 October 2026 continue to be processed as normal, and applicants who already lodged one do not need to do anything.
A separate list of visas, including several partner-of and child-of visitor categories, is not part of this change. INZ says it will continue to accept applications from all current channels for those until it advises otherwise, and may remove paper applications later.
INZ’s own list of visas that must be applied for online includes the Visitor Visa.

Instructions that describe posting a paper form or lodging a paper application for a Visitor Visa are out of date for ordinary applicants. Read the full announcement on the INZ news centre and the INZ list of visas you must apply for only online or only on paper.

Creating an account and logging in

INZ states that for most visas you need a RealMe account before you can reach the online application, and that you will be directed to set one up when you apply. RealMe is the New Zealand Government’s login service. INZ describes the setup this way:

From the Visitor Visa page, select the apply option, then choose to log in or create an account.
Select “Create your RealMe login” and provide an email address, a username, a password and three security questions, then complete the human check.
Accept the terms of use and the account security disclaimer. You are returned to Immigration Online, where you enter a display name (which can differ from your RealMe username) and your email address.
INZ sends two emails: one from RealMe confirming registration and one from Immigration Online with a verification link. Use the verification link to activate the account. Check your spam folder if neither arrives.
Choose “View my account” and then the Visitor Visa to start the form.

INZ recommends against using a Gmail address for this account because the verification email may not reach you before it expires. If you forget your RealMe username or password, use the “Forgot” options on the login page, and wait 15 minutes after a reset before trying again.

Once you are in, your dashboard shows your applications and issued visas and gives you a unique sharing ID. INZ says you can use the sharing ID to share an application with a friend, a family member or an adviser who is helping you. See INZ’s guides to creating a RealMe account and enhanced Immigration Online.

Uploading documents and your passport

The smart form asks only the questions that apply to your answers, and you complete your identity details first. INZ’s upload rules are specific, and mistakes here are a common cause of delay:

File types. All documents must be PDFs and all images must be JPEG or JPG files.
Passport. You do not need to post your passport for an ordinary online application. Upload a high-quality PDF scan of the information page, under 10MB, that includes the machine-readable zone (the lines of characters at the bottom). Scan the same pages for any partner or children included in the application. INZ may also ask for other pages that show visas and entry or exit stamps.
No watermarks. INZ says PDFs with a watermark, which some free image-to-PDF tools add, will not be accepted.
Identity details. Enter them exactly as they appear on your passport. INZ warns that mistakes delay the application and may lead to a decline or refusal of entry.
Photo. Your photo must meet INZ’s photo standards, and the system rejects photos that do not.
Translations. Documents not in English need English translations that meet INZ’s requirements, with copies of the originals.
Medical and police certificates. You do not provide a medical certificate upfront. After you submit, INZ assesses whether health evidence is needed and asks for it if so. Police certificates are required only in specified situations, and INZ states they must be less than 6 months old when you apply.

The Visitor Visa page lists the evidence INZ looks for: proof of enough money to live on (or an acceptable sponsor), proof you can leave New Zealand at the end of your stay, proof of your plans to show you are a genuine visitor, and relationship evidence if you include family. The amounts and what counts depend on your situation, so use our financial requirements guide and documents guide together with the INZ page. If a sponsor supports you, INZ asks for the Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry and the sponsor’s sharing ID.

Fees and the International Visitor Levy

You pay when you submit the application, by card through the online system. INZ states that the fee is not refunded even if the application is declined, and that the amount depends on your country of citizenship and where you are when you apply. The INZ Visitor Visa page currently shows fees “from NZD $441”; use INZ’s Fees, decision times and where to apply tool to see the figure that applies to you, including whether a fee waiver exists for your nationality.

Most Visitor Visa applicants also pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL), which INZ states is NZD $100. It is paid when you apply, it is not refunded even if the application is declined, and it does not apply to everyone. INZ lists those who do not pay, for example people travelling on an Australian or New Zealand passport, and holders of a Business Visitor Visa. Whether it applies to you depends on your passport, your reason for travel and the visa you apply for, so confirm it in the INZ tool and in the INZ levy page.

INZ also states that an immigration levy may apply to some applications, and that it is charged per application, or per person for Group Visitor Visa applications.

Identity, biometrics and your physical passport

INZ states that the Immigration Act 2009 requires it to collect biometric information when you apply for a visa, and that it collects facial images and fingerprints to establish and verify identity. If you refuse to provide it, INZ says it can reject your application. INZ also says it will take reasonable steps to tell you when it intends to collect biometric information and why. Follow the instructions in your application and in any INZ email about what is required in your case, and read INZ’s page on biometric information.

Most people never send their physical passport. INZ says it will email you, and show a message on the final page of your application, if it needs to see your original. If you are applying from outside New Zealand, INZ states you send it to your nearest Visa Application Centre or INZ office and that INZ must receive it within 20 working days of the request. A Visa Application Centre may charge a handling fee, and may not return the passport until INZ has decided the application. Failing to send it in time can delay or lead to the decline of the application. See INZ on providing your passport for an online application.

Tracking your application

INZ states that you check status by logging in to the account you used to apply, and that you do not need to do anything else after submitting unless INZ contacts you. It contacts you by phone, email or through your online account if it needs more information. When INZ requests more, you read its letter in your account and upload evidence with the “respond” option. A decision is sent by email, and if approved you receive an eVisa that you can view under “My Visas”.

INZ advises that a Visitor Visa applicant should not book non-refundable travel until the visa is approved, and says it is busiest between September and March. For timing guidance see our processing time guide. See also INZ’s page on checking your application status.

What to prepare before you open the form

Prepare	Why INZ asks for it
A RealMe login and an email address you can reach quickly	Needed to reach the online application and receive verification and INZ messages
A PDF scan of your passport information page, with the machine-readable zone visible	INZ reads identity details from it and compares them with what you enter
A compliant photo (JPEG)	Used to establish and verify identity
Proof of funds, or sponsor documents and the sponsor’s sharing ID	To show you can support your stay or have an acceptable sponsor
Proof of your plans and evidence you will leave at the end of your stay	To show you are a genuine visitor
Relationship and identity documents for any partner or dependent children included	Family members are assessed on their own identity, health and character
English translations of non-English documents	INZ requires translations that meet its standards
A card for the application fee and, if it applies to you, the levy	Fees are paid online when you submit

Common mistakes

Following an old guide that describes a paper form or lodging at a centre, instead of the current INZ online instructions.
Starting on a site that is not the INZ portal. The official channel is on the immigration.govt.nz and apply.immigration.govt.nz addresses.
Uploading a watermarked, blurred or cropped passport scan, or a photo that does not meet INZ standards.
Entering names or dates that differ from the passport, which INZ warns can delay or end the application.
Using an email address that does not receive the verification link in time.
Applying for the wrong visa type. INZ offers a tool to find and compare visas, and some people can travel on an NZeTA instead of a visa.
Treating a processing figure or fee quoted elsewhere as fixed. INZ shows the fee and timeframe that apply to your nationality and location.

What IndoWorld does, and what it does not

We review whether your documents and travel plan are consistent before you open the form, explain what INZ is asking for, and help you prepare a clear, accurate document set. We do not decide applications, and we do not control INZ requirements, fees or processing times.

INZ’s application form asks whether you had help and requires licensed advisers to give their licence number. INZ also states that anyone giving immigration advice who is neither licensed nor exempt commits an offence. Before you pay anyone to advise on a New Zealand application, check the INZ page on getting immigration advice.

Questions applicants ask

Do I need a RealMe account to apply?

INZ states that for most visas you need a RealMe account before you can access the online application, and that you are directed to set one up when you apply. Its guide lists the Working Holiday Visas and Skilled Migrant Category expressions of interest as exceptions, not the Visitor Visa.

Can I still apply for a Visitor Visa on paper?

INZ states that from 1 October 2026 it accepts paper applications for the Visitor Visa only where exceptional circumstances apply, and that you should contact it first. Paper applications lodged before that date continue to be processed.

Do I have to post my passport?

Usually not. You upload a scan. INZ will tell you by email and on the final application page if it needs to see the original.

Is the International Visitor Levy part of the visa fee?

No. INZ treats it as a separate NZD $100 charge that most visitors pay at the time of applying, with listed exceptions. Neither the fee nor the levy is refunded if the application is declined.

Where can I see how long my application will take?

INZ shows decision timeframes through its fee and timeframe tool and on the Visitor Visa page, and they vary by nationality and season. Use the INZ tool for your own figures.

Official sources

See also our official visa sources list.

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