New Zealand: visa and entry rules
What you need to get in, how long you may stay, and what an overstay costs
New Zealand's borders: every crossing point
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New Zealand is a group of islands and has no land borders.
All entry is by air or by sea. The main airports are Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Ferries run between the North and South Islands on the Wellington to Picton route; this is a domestic crossing with no border formalities.
Cruise ships are handled by Auckland and Lyttelton.
Biosecurity control on entry is among the strictest in the world. The import of food, seeds, honey and any organic material is tightly restricted, hiking boots are inspected for traces of soil, and fines for failing to declare are issued on the spot.
Bringing a car into New Zealand
You cannot drive here overland — there are no land borders.
Cars are brought in by sea, which is a separate procedure with quarantine control: the vehicle is washed and inspected for biological contamination.
Traffic drives on the left.
A licence in English is valid for up to 12 months; in any other language you need an International Driving Permit or a certified translation.
Campervans are the most popular way of travelling here, and separate parking rules apply to them.
Travelling to New Zealand with a pet
The rules are almost as strict as Australia's, and direct import from a country that is not on the approved list is impossible.
The only route is through an intermediate country, with a long period of residence there.
Quarantine on arrival is compulsory, at your own expense.
The permit is arranged in advance, and preparation takes six months or more.
A number of dog breeds are banned from import altogether.
Overstaying your visa in New Zealand
The visa is cancelled, and your status becomes unlawful.
An entry ban is applied, usually of several years.
Deportation is paid for by the offender.
The amount of the fine in New Zealand will be quoted to you at the border on departure. There is no way to find it out in advance — keep a cash reserve for the day you leave.
You have to count both the length of the visa and the cumulative limit of 9 months in any 18 — the second one gets noticed later.
What else to check before you go
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Entry rules change faster than anything else on this site, and they change without notice. We cross-check every page against several sources and state the date it was verified, but that does not replace the main step: before you travel, check an official source — the country’s consulate, its immigration service or its e-visa portal. Especially if more than a couple of months have passed since our check.