New Zealand visa guideThe New Zealand Visitor Visa is what an Indian passport holder needs for a holiday, a family visit or a wedding in New Zealand; India is not a visa-waiver country, so the NZeTA does not apply. A multiple-entry visa allows up to 6 months in each 12-month period, a single-entry visa one stay of up to 9 months, and nobody may stay more than 9 months in 18.
Since 1 October 2026 the application must be made online with Immigration New Zealand. It costs from NZD 441, and INZ decides 80% of applications within 2 weeks, though September to March is its busiest season. A VFS visit in India is needed only if INZ asks for your passport.
Do Indians need a visa for New Zealand, and which one?
Yes. India is not a visa-waiver country for New Zealand, so the NZeTA that many other travellers use does not apply to you. For tourism, a family visit or a wedding, Indian passport holders need the Visitor Visa from Immigration New Zealand (INZ). It allows study of up to 3 months but no work, apart from remote work for an employer or client outside New Zealand.
INZ decides whether you get a multiple-entry or a single-entry visa, and that decides how long you can stay:
- Multiple-entry: visit as many times as you like while the visa is valid, staying up to a total of 6 months in each 12-month period. You must have been out of New Zealand for at least 9 months of the 18 months before you apply.
- Single-entry: one entry, staying up to 9 months in an 18-month period. If you leave New Zealand, the visa expires.
Nobody can stay more than 9 months in any 18-month period on visitor visas. The visa is issued as an eVisa: there is no sticker in the passport, and you carry a printed copy of the eVisa letter when you travel.
New Zealand visitor visa at a glance
- VisaNZeTA not available to Indian passports
- Visitor Visa
- CostVisa fee plus the International Visitor Levy
- From NZD 441
- ProcessingBusiest from September to March
- 80% within 2 weeks
- How you applyEnhanced Immigration Online
- Online only, from 1 October 2026
- Longest stayMultiple-entry: 6 months in each 12
- 9 months in any 18 months
- VFS centres openOnly if INZ asks for your passport
- Chandigarh, New Delhi, Mumbai
Immigration New Zealand and VFS Global New Zealand India, checked 14 Oct 2026
Where do applicants from Punjab apply?
Online, from wherever you are. INZ moved new visitor applications into its enhanced Immigration Online system from 24 September 2026, and from 1 October 2026 it stopped accepting paper applications for the Visitor Visa and most other visitor categories. You create an account, fill in the form, upload documents and pay online.
VFS Global is INZ's partner in India, but for most online applicants it plays no part. Some applicants are asked to hand in their passport for authentication; if that applies to you, the advice is on the last page of your submitted application PDF, and INZ will otherwise contact you if it needs anything. If you do need VFS, the New Zealand centres open as of 14 October 2026 are Chandigarh, New Delhi and Mumbai, each Monday to Friday. VFS lists Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Hyderabad and Kolkata as temporarily closed.
Two practical notes. The New Zealand High Commission does not answer visa enquiries or status questions, so contact INZ directly. And there is no consular jurisdiction: an applicant from Bathinda and one from Delhi file the same online form, decided by INZ. For how VFS dates are moving, see our New Zealand appointment availability page.
Which documents depend on your situation?
INZ's list for every applicant is short: a copy of your passport, one acceptable photo, proof of funds, proof of your plans in New Zealand, proof you can leave at the end, and English translations of anything not in English. Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave New Zealand. INZ also publishes a separate Visitor Visa checklist for Indian applicants staying less than 6 months.
Salaried
- What to add
- Employer's leave letter with role, salary and approved dates; recent payslips; ITRs or Form 16 for the last 2 to 3 years; salary account statements
Business owner or self-employed
- What to add
- Business registration and GST certificate, ITRs, business and personal bank statements
Parent or relative visiting family
- What to add
- Your own funds, or your host's Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry (INZ 1025) with their sharing ID and evidence such as bank statements, payslips and their employment agreement
Travelling with spouse and children
- What to add
- Marriage and birth certificates, their identity documents and photos; dependent children must be 19 or younger, with the Additional Dependants form (INZ 1205) where required
Student
- What to add
- Proof of enrolment and approved leave; a parent's financial papers if they pay
Family members applying separately
- What to add
- A letter listing each person's full name, date of birth, passport number and application number, uploaded with your application
The money rule is published. If you pay for yourself, INZ asks for at least NZD 1,000 for each month of the stay, or NZD 400 a month if your accommodation is already paid for. The statements must show the account is in your name, which bank it is with and the currency. You also need a ticket out of New Zealand, or money to buy one, on top of the living funds.
Health and character. For stays under 6 months you do not normally need a chest X-ray, and under 12 months no medical certificate, but INZ can still ask for one based on your health answers. Police certificates are required up front only from applicants aged 17 or over whose total time in New Zealand will reach 24 months, though INZ can ask anyone for one.
How much is the New Zealand visa fee for Indians?
INZ lists the Visitor Visa from NZD 441. That is the NZD 341 application fee plus the NZD 100 International Visitor Levy (IVL), and when a partner and children are included on one application, only the main applicant pays the visa fee while the levy applies to each person. You pay online when you submit, and nothing is refunded if the visa is declined. A VFS charge arises only if you are asked to hand in your passport. Our filing fee is shown at the top of this page.
How long does it take, and when should you apply?
INZ's published standard is 80% of Visitor Visa applications decided within 2 weeks. The rest take longer, usually because a document is missing, a medical or police certificate is needed, or it is peak season.
Peak season matters for Punjab families planning a December wedding or New Year with relatives. INZ says processing is busiest between September and March, and it received around 284,000 visitor visa applications between September and March last summer. Its advice for anyone arriving around Christmas is to apply as soon as possible.
- Apply early and complete. INZ warns that missing information slows the assessment and that some incomplete applications are declined.
- Watch document age. A chest X-ray or medical must be less than 3 months old when INZ receives it, and police certificates less than 6 months old when you apply.
- Do not book non-refundable travel until the visa is approved, as INZ itself recommends.
Why do New Zealand visas get refused for Indian applicants?
To get a Visitor Visa you must be in good health and of good character, have genuine reasons for coming, have enough money or an acceptable sponsor, and show you can leave at the end. When INZ judges genuine intentions, it considers everything you provide, what it knows about your circumstances and anything you have told it before. Most Indian declines come from doubts on the last three points.
Intentions INZ does not find genuine
A long stay, a thin reason and close family settled in New Zealand make an officer ask whether you will leave. Show the job, business, land or family that brings you back, and keep the trip length in line with its purpose.
Funds that miss the published test
INZ publishes NZD 1,000 a month, or NZD 400 if accommodation is prepaid, plus the ticket home. Statements must be in your name and show the bank and currency. A sponsor's money counts only through a proper sponsorship form and evidence.
An incomplete application
INZ says incomplete applications can be declined, not just delayed. Upload the passport bio page clearly, an acceptable photo, translations, proof of plans and proof of onward travel before you submit.
Identity details that do not match the passport
INZ warns that mistakes in your identity details delay the application and can lead to a decline or refusal of entry. Enter names, dates and passport numbers exactly as printed.
Health or character issues left unexplained
INZ may ask for a chest X-ray, a medical or police certificates, and a criminal conviction can stop a visa. Answer the health and character questions honestly and respond quickly to any request.
If your visa is declined, read the decision carefully before applying again, and answer each concern with new evidence. Our guide to a New Zealand visitor visa declined from India covers what to change.
Tips for a stronger file
- Show the monthly maths. For a 3-week holiday, show NZD 1,000 for the month plus the return fare in your own account, or prepaid hotel vouchers to use the NZD 400 rate.
- Name your host properly. If you stay with relatives, upload their invitation and status proof; if they pay, use the INZ sponsorship form, not a plain letter.
- Purpose letter. One page: why you are going, the dates, where you will stay, who pays, and what you return to in India.
- Matching dates. The form, leave letter, invitation and itinerary should agree.
- Travel history. Upload old passport pages with visas you used properly.
- Insurance. You or your sponsor must pay for any health care in New Zealand, and INZ recommends full medical insurance for your stay.
- Passport life. At least 3 months beyond your departure date; airlines may refuse check-in otherwise.
Can parents get a longer visa to visit children in New Zealand?
Yes, if the children or grandchildren are New Zealand citizens or residents. The Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa lets you stay up to 6 months at a time, with a maximum of 18 months in 3 years, and travel in and out while it is valid. It costs from NZD 441, and INZ's standard is 80% decided within 3 months.
It asks for more than the ordinary visa. Your child or grandchild (or their parent, if they are under 18) must sponsor you, you must be outside New Zealand when you apply, you must agree to pay for your own health care, and you cannot hold one if you were granted a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa in the past 36 months. INZ itself points out that the general Visitor Visa has similar conditions and fewer requirements, so for one trip of a few months the ordinary visa is usually simpler.
What happens when you land in New Zealand?
Everyone completes the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD), which you can submit from 24 hours before your flight departs. Carry the printed eVisa letter, your return ticket or proof you can buy one, and proof of funds for the stay. INZ can refuse entry if you are not a genuine visitor, do not meet character requirements, have had a change in circumstances since the visa was issued, refuse photos, fingerprints or an iris scan, or cannot show onward travel or the money for it.
If you get a new passport after the eVisa is issued, tell INZ so it can update your record; otherwise you will be delayed at travel. For business trips, see the New Zealand business visa guide, and for every route, the New Zealand country page.
Official sources
- Visitor Visa, Immigration New Zealand
- Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, Immigration New Zealand
- Changes to use of paper applications for some visitor and transit visas, Immigration New Zealand
- Summer starts before take-off: apply early for your Visitor Visa, Immigration New Zealand
- Using eVisas and visa labels, Immigration New Zealand
- VFS Global New Zealand India: visa application centres
- VFS Global New Zealand India: passport handling for online applications
