Indian passport holders need a New Zealand Visitor Visa, not an NZeTA, to visit by air. It costs NZD 441 in total (about INR 25,077) for one traveller, and 80% of applications are decided within two weeks. The one exception is arrival by sea: an Indian arriving as a cruise ship or cargo ship passenger must hold an NZeTA instead (Immigration New Zealand, accessed 2026-08-27; INR at 1 NZD = INR 56.863, ECB reference rate published 2026-08-26).
This guide is maintained by Zurich Kotak General Insurance, an IRDAI-registered general insurer in India and part of the Zurich Insurance Group.
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Last verified: 2026-08-27.
Do Indians need an NZeTA?
By air, no. By cruise ship or cargo ship, yes. That is the whole answer, and most pages give you only half of it.
Flying in, an Indian passport holder needs a Visitor Visa, for two reasons that are both published by Immigration New Zealand:
· India is not a visa waiver country. The visa waiver list runs to 60 countries and territories and India is not among them (Immigration New Zealand, accessed 2026-08-27).
· The NZeTA is open only to defined groups. Those are citizens of visa waiver countries, citizens of China or a Pacific Islands Forum country arriving from Australia on an eligible Australian visa, Australian citizens and permanent residents, people transiting who come from a visa waiver or transit waiver country, and passengers arriving on a cruise ship or cargo ship (Immigration New Zealand, accessed 2026-08-27).
That last group is the exception, and it is nationality-independent. If you are arriving in New Zealand as a cruise or cargo ship passenger you must have an NZeTA, whatever passport you hold. Three details make it work in practice:
1. Request the NZeTA before the ship departs for New Zealand. It is not something to sort out on board or at the port.
2. Answer that you are visiting, not transiting. A transit NZeTA is a different product and will not admit you.
3. The border grants a visitor visa on arrival, on the strength of the NZeTA. You do not apply for the Visitor Visa separately for that voyage.
So a cruise passenger who dutifully applies for a NZD 441 Visitor Visa has bought the wrong thing, and a flyer who buys an NZeTA has bought something that will not board them.
The only place to apply
Both the Visitor Visa and the NZeTA are applied for on Immigration New Zealand’s own site, immigration.govt.nz , or in the official INZ mobile app for the NZeTA.
The full address is https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/visas/visa/visitor-visa . INZ also publishes a Visitor Visa checklist specifically for applicants in India, worth working through before you start.
What a New Zealand tourist visa costs for Indians
NZD 441, about INR 25,077, for a single traveller. It is three charges bundled together, and only one of them is per person.
Charge | NZD | INR (approx.) | Charged |
Application fee, Band C | 300 | 17,059 | Once per application |
Immigration levy | 41 | 2,331 | Once per application |
International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy | 100 | 5,686 | Per person included |
Total, one traveller | 441 | 25,077 |
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That structure is where most pages go wrong. Because the application fee and the levy are charged once per application, a couple applying together pays NZD 541 (about INR 30,763), not NZD 882, and a family of four pays NZD 741 (about INR 42,136), not NZD 1,764. Immigration New Zealand’s own fee guide uses an Indian couple as its worked example, so this is the government’s arithmetic and not ours (INZ Fees Guide INZ 1028, May 2026 edition, accessed 2026-08-27).
Neither the fee nor the levies are refunded if the application is declined. Conversions use 1 NZD = INR 56.863, the ECB reference rate published 2026-08-26, and are indicative: the amount debited to an Indian card depends on your card network’s rate and markup.
For contrast, the other New Zealand travel documents cost far less, and are the ones people confuse with a visitor visa:
Document | NZD | INR (approx.) | Who it is for |
NZeTA via the INZ app, plus IVL | 17 + 100 | 967 + 5,686 | Sea arrivals, and travellers from waiver countries |
NZeTA via the INZ website, plus IVL | 23 + 100 | 1,308 + 5,686 | Same, at the higher web rate |
Transit NZeTA, app or website | 17 or 23 | 967 or 1,308 | No IVL payable |
Transit Visa | 235 | 13,363 | Indians transiting Auckland |
How long you can stay
Up to six months at a time on a multiple-entry visa, and never more than nine months in any 18-month period.
· Multiple entry. Stays of up to six months in each 12-month period, with unlimited visits while the visa is valid. To qualify you must have been outside New Zealand for at least nine months in the 18 months before you apply.
· Single entry. Stays of up to nine months in an 18-month period, issued where you want more than six months or where INZ decides you do not need multiple entry. Leaving New Zealand expires it, which catches out travellers planning a side trip to Australia.
· The overall cap is nine months in any 18-month period, whichever visa you hold.
Processing is quick by international standards: 80% of Visitor Visa applications are decided within two weeks.
What the Visitor Visa lets you do
Holiday, visit family and friends, and study for up to three months. It does not let you work.
Remote work for a business based overseas is allowed, a distinction New Zealand states explicitly and many countries do not. A partner and dependent children can be included in one application. On health evidence, a chest X-ray is not normally needed for stays under six months and a medical certificate not normally for stays under 12 months, and any evidence must be less than three months old when INZ receives it.
Planning a trip to New Zealand? Get covered before you fly. New Zealand is a long-haul, outdoors-heavy trip, and international travel insurance from Zurich Kotak covers medical emergencies, baggage and trip disruption up to plan limits.
How to apply, step by step
Pick the right document first, then apply online.
1. Work out which document you need first. Flying in means a Visitor Visa. Arriving by cruise or cargo ship means an NZeTA requested before the ship sails.
2. Create an account on immigration.govt.nz and start the Visitor Visa application online.
3. Work through the India-specific checklist INZ publishes, so that nothing is missing when you submit.
4. Include your partner and dependent children in the same application if they are travelling with you, which is what makes the fee arithmetic work in your favour.
5. Pay the application fee, the immigration levy and the IVL together at submission. None of it is refunded on a decline.
6. Allow two weeks, which covers 80% of applications, and longer in peak season.
7. Complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration before you fly. The visa alone is not enough.
Our guide to checking a visa status with a passport number explains what visa tracking tools actually accept as input.
The New Zealand Traveller Declaration, which everyone forgets
Every traveller entering New Zealand must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration, including babies, including New Zealand passport holders, and including anyone who already holds a visa or an NZeTA (New Zealand Traveller Declaration, accessed 2026-08-27).
It is free, done online or in the NZTD app, and one is needed per traveller. Flying in, the earliest you can submit is 24 hours before the trip starts, and it must be submitted before you reach passport control. The declaration is linked to your passport and checked at the eGate or by a border officer.
A visitor visa holder who skips it is not compliant at the border. It costs nothing and takes minutes, so do it the day before you fly.
Transiting through New Zealand
An Indian passport holder transiting New Zealand needs a Transit Visa at NZD 235 (about INR 13,363), because India is not on the transit visa waiver list either. It allows up to 24 hours, and 80% of applications are decided within four days.
Two things travellers get wrong here. First, Auckland International is the only New Zealand airport with a transit area, so a connection through Christchurch or Wellington is not a transit at all in INZ’s terms and needs a visa that permits entry. Second, you do not need a transit visa if you are travelling to or from Australia holding a current Australian visa, or if you already hold a valid New Zealand visa.
Where this sits in your trip planning
Two pages carry the rest of the decision.
· If you are weighing New Zealand against destinations that need no advance visa, our list of visa-free countries for Indians is the comparison page.
· Once the visa is decided, international travel insurance covers the trip itself, up to plan limits.
Common mistakes on a New Zealand application
Six errors account for most wasted fees here.
· Buying an NZeTA for a flight. It will not board you, and the money is not recoverable.
· Buying a Visitor Visa for a cruise. Sea arrivals need an NZeTA, requested before the ship departs.
· Answering transiting instead of visiting on an NZeTA for a cruise. A transit NZeTA is the wrong product.
· Multiplying NZD 441 by the number of travellers. Only the IVL is per person.
· Leaving New Zealand on a single-entry visa. Departure expires it, so a side trip to Australia ends the visa.
· Skipping the Traveller Declaration. It is free, mandatory and independent of the visa.
Frequently asked questions
Do Indians need an NZeTA for New Zealand? Not for air travel. India is not a visa waiver country and Indians are not in any of the groups the NZeTA is open to, so an Indian flying to New Zealand needs a Visitor Visa. There is one exception: an Indian arriving as a cruise ship or cargo ship passenger must have an NZeTA, requested before the ship departs, and must answer that they are visiting rather than transiting. The border then grants a visitor visa on arrival.
How much does a New Zealand tourist visa cost for Indians? NZD 441 for one traveller, about INR 25,077 at 1 NZD = INR 56.863 on 2026-08-26. That is a Band C application fee of NZD 300, an immigration levy of NZD 41 and an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy of NZD 100. The fee and the levy are charged once per application and only the IVL is per person, so a couple pays NZD 541 and a family of four pays NZD 741. Nothing is refunded if the application is declined.
How long does a New Zealand visitor visa take? Immigration New Zealand decides 80% of Visitor Visa applications within two weeks. A Transit Visa is faster, with 80% decided within four days, and an NZeTA should be requested at least 72 hours before travel.
How long can I stay in New Zealand on a visitor visa? Up to six months in each 12-month period on a multiple-entry visa, or up to nine months in an 18-month period on a single-entry visa, with an overall cap of nine months in any 18-month period. A single-entry visa expires when you leave New Zealand, so a side trip to Australia ends it.
Do I need a New Zealand Traveller Declaration as well as a visa? Yes. Every traveller entering New Zealand must complete one, including children and including anyone who already holds a visa or an NZeTA. It is free, done online or in the NZTD app, and for air travel it can be submitted from 24 hours before the trip starts and must be done before you reach passport control.
