New Zealand Visa for Indians 2026: Visitor Visa Requirements, Fees, Processing Time and How to Apply

New Zealand Visa for Indians - 2026 Quick Answer

Yes. Indian passport holders need a Visitor Visa to visit New Zealand. India is not on the visa-waiver list, so the NZeTA is not an option for a visit.

Key figures from Immigration New Zealand (INZ), as of October 2026:

• Application: online only, through an INZ online account
• Cost: NZD 441 for one applicant, including the NZD 100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL), or NZD 541 for a couple on one application
• Decision time: INZ currently completes 80% of applications within 2 weeks
• Stay: up to 6 months in each 12-month period on a multiple-entry visa, or up to 9 months in 18 months on a single-entry visa
• Funds: at least NZD 1,000 per month per person, or NZD 400 per month if accommodation is already paid
• Passport: valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave New Zealand

Approved visas arrive as an eVisa. INZ gets a high number of applications over summer, especially before Christmas, and advises against non-refundable bookings until the visa is approved. Figures change, so we recommend checking INZ's website before you pay.

Visitor Visa Types - Tourist, Family and Business Visits

Which visa fits depends on the purpose of the trip.

Visitor Visa for tourism and family visits

The general Visitor Visa covers holidays, visits to friends or relatives and study of up to 3 months in any 12-month period. Holders cannot work for a New Zealand employer, but remote work for a business overseas is allowed.

INZ decides which version to issue, based on its assessment of the application:

• Multiple-entry: up to 6 months in each 12-month period. To be eligible, you need to have been out of New Zealand for at least 9 months in the 18 months before applying.
• Single-entry: one entry and up to 9 months in an 18-month period. It expires once you leave New Zealand.

A partner and dependent children aged 19 or younger can be included in one application.

Business Visitor Visa

Short business trips have their own visa, and business visitors do not pay the IVL. Permitted activities and the length of stay are set out on INZ's Business Visitor Visa page. Fees and decision times are listed below.

Visas for parents and grandparents

• Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa: for parents and grandparents of New Zealand citizens or residents. It can be granted as multiple entry, allowing several visits to a child or grandchild over a three-year period. INZ may require medical certificates for this category.
• Parent Boost Visitor Visa: a five-year multiple-entry visa for parents, open since 29 September 2025.

Medical Treatment Visitor Visa

A trip for medical consultation or treatment needs this separate visa rather than the general one.

How to Apply Online Step by Step

INZ's paper form INZ 1017 (October 2026) cannot be used for most visitor visas, including the Visitor Visa, Business Visitor Visa and Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa. These are applied for online, following INZ's steps:

• Step 1. Gather and scan your documents, with English translations where needed.
• Step 2. Log in to your INZ online account, or set one up.
• Step 3. Complete the application form and upload the documents.
• Step 4. Pay by Visa, Mastercard or UnionPay card when you submit.
• Step 5. Wait for the decision. INZ will ask if it needs more information, and the status shows in your account.
• Step 6. If approved, you receive an eVisa with your visa conditions recorded in it.

Before the flight, every traveller entering New Zealand, visa holders and children included, completes the free New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD). Air travellers can submit it no earlier than 24 hours before the trip starts.

The New Zealand High Commission in New Delhi is not where you apply. Its MFAT page has no visa section, and visas are handled by INZ online.

INZ's visitor guide says an adviser or agent within New Zealand can submit an online application for you, though that wording covers only advisers based in New Zealand. Visarun does not lodge applications with INZ. We help prepare and check the documents, and you submit the application yourself.

Documents Checklist for Indian Applicants

As of October 2026, INZ's Visitor Visa document list includes:

• A passport copy, valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand
• 1 acceptable photo
• Proof of enough money for the stay
• Proof of your plans in New Zealand that shows you are a genuine visitor
• Proof that you can leave New Zealand at the end of the stay
• The Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry and your sponsor's sharing ID, if you are sponsored
• Police certificates, a chest X-ray or medical evidence, if required
• English translations of documents not in English

Funds and sponsorship

INZ asks for at least NZD 1,000 per month, or NZD 400 per month if accommodation is already paid, for each person in the application. Bank or credit card statements, prepaid accommodation receipts, bank drafts and traveller's cheques are accepted.

A sponsor can replace your own funds. The sponsor, a person or an organisation, completes form INZ 1025 and agrees to cover your maintenance, your accommodation and the cost of airfares out of New Zealand.

Onward ticket and translations

Each trip needs a ticket out of New Zealand, confirmed or open-dated, or proof of money to buy one. Airline or travel agency confirmation of paid onward travel also works.

Translations cannot be made by you, your family or the immigration adviser helping you. INZ says an application may be declined if they are missing.

Health and police certificates

• Chest X-ray: only for stays over 6 months. India is not on INZ's list of countries with a low incidence of TB, so Indians staying longer typically need a Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096).
• Medical certificate: normally not needed for stays under 12 months. Longer stays add a General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007).
• Age of results: X-ray and medical evidence need to be less than 3 months old when INZ receives them.
• Police certificates: only if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer, past visits included.

INZ may still ask for these during processing. It also recommends full medical insurance, since visitor visa holders are generally not eligible for publicly funded health services.

Fees, IVL Levy and Biometrics

INZ fees for online applications are in New Zealand dollars. On 22 October 2026, its "Fees, decision times and where to apply" tool showed these costs for Indian citizens applying from India:

• Visitor Visa: NZD 441, or NZD 541 for a couple on one application
• Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa: NZD 441
• Parent Boost Visitor Visa: NZD 3,100
• Business Visitor Visa: NZD 341, no IVL
• Medical Treatment Visitor Visa: NZD 341
• Transit Visa: NZD 235, no IVL

How the NZD 441 breaks down

INZ's Fees Guide (May 2026) uses an Indian couple applying from India as an example. Their NZD 541 is the NZD 300 application fee and the NZD 41 immigration levy, paid once per application, plus an IVL of NZD 100 for each person. A solo applicant pays NZD 441.

The IVL rose from NZD 35 to NZD 100 on 1 October 2024. INZ does not refund the application cost if it declines the application, and the IVL is not refunded either.

Visa Application Centre fees

The INZ tool shows no Visa Application Centre (VAC) fee for the online Visitor Visa. A VAC service fee of INR 2,085 appears only for categories still lodged on paper at a VFS Global centre in India. Optional VFS services could not be verified. Law-firm summaries of an INZ notice also report higher VAC fees in India from 1 January 2026.

Biometrics

We found no INZ instruction for Indian visitor visa applicants to book a biometrics appointment. Online, INZ asks for 1 acceptable photo. At the border, officers can take a photo, fingerprints or an iris scan, and INZ can refuse entry permission to anyone who does not allow it.

Processing Time and Decision

INZ publishes the time within which 80% of applications are currently completed. For Indian citizens applying from India, its tool showed these figures on 22 October 2026:

• Visitor Visa: 2 weeks
• Business Visitor Visa: 1.5 weeks
• Medical Treatment Visitor Visa: 4.5 weeks
• Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa: 3 months
• Parent Boost Visitor Visa: INZ expects most within 4 months
• Transit Visa: 4 days

These are not promises. The other 20% of applications take longer, and summer is busier.

The decision belongs to INZ alone. Visarun helps prepare and check the application, but no agency can guarantee approval or timing.

Extending a stay in New Zealand

Visitors already in New Zealand who need more time for a genuine reason can apply for a new Visitor Visa before the current one expires. An approved extension is single-entry, and INZ normally grants an interim visa if the current visa expires while you wait.

Common Refusal Reasons

We found no INZ refusal statistics for Indian applicants, but INZ does publish the criteria every visitor is assessed against. These are the points where an application can fall short:

• Bona fides. INZ checks that you genuinely intend a temporary visit, looking at family ties in India and New Zealand, work or financial commitments at home, and anything suggesting you may not want to return.
• Immigration history. INZ considers whether you have previously overstayed or breached visa conditions.
• Character. Anyone removed, deported or excluded from any country may not meet the character requirements and needs to declare it.
• Funds. Less than the required monthly amount and no sponsor to cover the gap.
• No way out. No onward ticket and no proof of money to buy one.
• Translations. Documents not in English sent without them.
• Thin evidence. INZ is not obliged to ask for more, so gaps in the file can count against you.

There is no reconsideration from outside New Zealand. INZ's fee tool offers it only to applicants who are in New Zealand, so from India you can apply again with stronger evidence. Fees from the declined application are not refunded.

Transit Through New Zealand

India is not on New Zealand's transit visa-waiver list, so Indians changing planes in Auckland generally need a Transit Visa before they fly. As of 22 October 2026, INZ lists it at NZD 235, with no IVL and 80% decided within 4 days. We could not confirm its validity period on official pages, so we recommend checking the conditions of the visa you receive.

Transit rules

• Only Auckland International Airport counts. Other New Zealand airports have no transit area.
• You stay in the transit area or on the plane, for less than 24 hours.
• There is no accommodation in the transit area. Leaving the airport, even for a hotel, requires a Visitor Visa.
• Transit passengers cannot collect their bags in Auckland, so it is worth asking your airline to transfer them.

Exceptions for Indian travellers

• Valid New Zealand visa: you need neither a Transit Visa nor an NZeTA.
• Flying to or from Australia: travellers of any nationality use an NZeTA instead of a Transit Visa. Flying on to Australia also requires a current Australian visa.
• Australian permanent residents: an NZeTA instead of a Transit Visa.

For eligible Indian travellers, a transit NZeTA costs NZD 17 through the NZeTA app, and the IVL is not charged to Auckland transit passengers (INZ tool, 22 October 2026). We also recommend checking the entry rules of the country you are flying on to.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

What has changed for Indian visitors since early 2025, as of October 2026.

27 January 2025: remote work allowed

For applications received from this date, visitors can work remotely for an overseas employer or client. Working for a New Zealand employer, providing goods or services to people or businesses in New Zealand, or working at a New Zealand workplace is still not allowed.

29 September 2025: Parent Boost Visitor Visa

Parents of New Zealand citizens and residents can apply for a five-year multiple-entry visitor visa, listed at NZD 3,100 for Indian citizens.

1 January 2026: higher VAC service fees

According to law-firm summaries of an INZ notice, VFS Global service fees for New Zealand visas rose in India and other countries. INZ's own application fees were not part of the change.

Late September 2026: online-only applications

Most visitor visas have been online only since late September 2026. Law-firm summaries of INZ's announcement date the move to INZ's enhanced Immigration Online system to 24 September 2026, while some Indian media reported 1 October. INZ's form INZ 1017 (October 2026) confirms that the Visitor Visa is applied for online.

20 October 2026: NZ-India Free Trade Agreement

The agreement entered into force on 20 October 2026. According to MFAT, its mobility outcomes concern work: three-year Temporary Employment Entry visas, capped at 5,000 at any one time, and a working holiday scheme for India with up to 1,000 places per year. MFAT lists no changes to visitor visas, and the working holiday scheme has no announced launch date yet.

INZ's published figures show no visitor visa fee change in 2025 or 2026 so far.

FAQ

Can Indians visit New Zealand with an NZeTA?

No. India is not on the visa-waiver list, so Indians apply for a Visitor Visa. An NZeTA matters to Indians only for certain Auckland transits, such as flights to or from Australia.

How much is the New Zealand visitor visa fee for Indians in 2026?

NZD 441 for one applicant as of 22 October 2026, including the NZD 100 IVL, or NZD 541 for a couple on one application. INZ charges in New Zealand dollars, with no official rupee price.

How long does a New Zealand visitor visa take for Indians?

INZ currently completes 80% of Visitor Visa applications from India within 2 weeks (INZ tool, 22 October 2026). Summer and Christmas are busier, so we recommend applying early.

How much bank balance do I need for a New Zealand tourist visa?

At least NZD 1,000 per month per person, or NZD 400 per month with accommodation paid. A sponsor using form INZ 1025 can cover this instead.

Do I need a chest X-ray for a New Zealand visitor visa?

Only for stays over 6 months, because India is not on INZ's low-TB-incidence list. Stays over 12 months also call for a General Medical Certificate.

Can I work remotely on a New Zealand visitor visa?

Yes, for an overseas employer or client, for applications received from 27 January 2025. Working for a New Zealand employer is not allowed.

Do Indians need a transit visa for Auckland?

Generally yes. As of October 2026 the Transit Visa costs NZD 235, with no IVL. Holders of a valid New Zealand visa need nothing extra, while travellers to or from Australia and Australian permanent residents use an NZeTA at NZD 17 through the app.

Can I extend my visitor visa while in New Zealand?

Yes, by applying for a new Visitor Visa before the current one expires, if you need more time for a genuine reason. An extension is single-entry, within the maximum of 9 months in 18 months.

Does the India-New Zealand trade agreement change tourist visa rules?

No. The agreement, in force since 20 October 2026, brings new work visas and a planned working holiday scheme. MFAT lists no changes to visitor visas.