In general, if you wish to visit, work, study or reside in New Zealand you will need to obtain a visa before you depart, depending on your purpose for visiting New Zealand.
The New Zealand Immigration Service (NZIS) is the government agency responsible for establishing immigration policies. The NZIS website provides comprehensive information on visas that you may need to obtain, depending on the reason for your visit to New Zealand.
There is also an NZIS office with this High Commission. The working hours are 9:00am-12:30pm, Monday to Friday, phone (+27 12) 342 8656.
We process visitor’s, work, and student visas for residents of Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gambia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zaire, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Residents of Ethiopia, Nigeria, Somalia and Sudan, should send their completed forms to:
Immigration New Zealand
Mezzanine Floor
New Zealand House
80 Haymarket
London SW1Y 4TE
United Kingdom
Telephone: NZ(+64) 9 914 4100
7am to 7pm – Monday to Friday (NZ time)
Facsimile: UK (+44) 20 7973 0370
Visitor’s Visa Requirements
If you are a passport holder of any of the following countries you may enter New Zealand as a visitor without a visa for a stay of up to three months provided you:
- hold a valid return or outward ticket to a country where you have the right of entry;
- can show you have sufficient money to support yourself during your stay (NZ$1000 per month);
- hold a passport valid for three months beyond the date you are leaving New Zealand;
Nationals of countries not listed here must apply for a visitor visa, even for short visits:
Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain*, Greece, Hong Kong**, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Kiribati, Kuwait, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States of America, Uruguay, Vatican City
*British citizens, and other British passport holders who produce evidence of the right to reside permanently in the U.K. can enter New Zealand for a six month visit without a visa.
**Residents of Hong Kong traveling on H.K. Special Administrative Region or British National (Overseas) Passports.
South African citizens – and above mentioned nationals – residing in South Africa wishing to stay for longer than three months, must complete a visitor visa application form and send it to the New Zealand High Commission in Pretoria.
Visa application forms are available through the New Zealand Immigration Service website or from the New Zealand High Commission in Pretoria. Further information is available on this website under Applying for a Visitor’s Visa.
On arrival in New Zealand, all visitors must meet visit permit policy requirements and need to present a return ticket or an outward ticket to a country to which they have the right of entry. No vaccinations are necessary. Visitors are required to take with them a minimum of NZ$ 1000 per month to finance their intended stay. This can be in form of cash, traveller cheques or
Visacard/Mastercard useable in conjunction with their bank account. Further tourist information can be obtained from:
New Zealand Tourism Board
Holiday House
158-160 Hendrik Verwoerd Drive
PO Box 2140
Randburg 2125
Johannesburg
Telephone: (011) 289 8055/8186
Facsimile: (011) 289 8023
E-mail: nztb@holidayholdings.co.za
Visitors may stay a total of 9 months in any 18 month period (but will need a visa for any period over 3 months). If visitors have stayed in New Zealand for a total of 9 months in the last 18 months, they are required to remain out of New Zealand for 9 months before returning as visitors. However, visitors may qualify for a further 3 months if they have financially supported themselves, not worked or studied or been sponsored throughout their stay. Visitors can then stay a total of 12 months in any 24 month period.