UK ETA for New Zealand Citizens

Do New Zealand Citizens Need a UK ETA?

For most New Zealanders the process is simple. You carry a New Zealand passport, you are going to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland for a holiday, a visit to relatives, a conference or a short course, and you hold no UK visa or settled status. You apply online or in the UK ETA app, wait for the confirmation email, and carry evidence of it before you fly. Airlines check for the ETA at check-in.

Many New Zealanders make the UK part of a longer trip that also takes in Europe or Ireland. The ETA question is the same on each leg of that trip, so settle it before you book the flights rather than at the airport.

Quick guide: does your situation need an ETA?

What Is a UK ETA?

Think of the ETA as an electronic clearance to board. It is decided from an online form, the answer is emailed to you, and it is held against the passport number you entered. Nothing goes into your passport, so the email is the document to keep on your phone.

It is not a visa and it is not a guarantee of entry. What it does is let you travel and then ask a Border Force officer for Visitor permission on arrival.

UK ETA vs NZeTA: Why Kiwis Need to Check the Difference

Many New Zealand travellers recognise the term NZeTA from New Zealand’s own immigration system. The two products have similar names, but they do different jobs in different countries, and one cannot stand in for the other.

• The UK ETA is the United Kingdom’s travel-authorisation system. It applies to travel to the UK under UK rules.
• The NZeTA is a separate New Zealand immigration product. It is not a UK document.
• An NZeTA does not authorise travel to the UK. Holding one tells the UK nothing about your right to enter.
• A UK ETA does not replace New Zealand entry requirements. Your obligations for travel to and from New Zealand remain separate.

This guide does not give New Zealand immigration advice. For anything about New Zealand entry, consult the New Zealand authorities or a qualified New Zealand adviser.

Does New Zealand Permanent Residence Make You Eligible for a UK ETA?

• A New Zealand citizen using a New Zealand passport falls under the New Zealand entry on the National List and generally needs an ETA for an eligible short trip.
• A New Zealand permanent resident using another country’s passport is treated under the rules for that passport. Depending on the country, that may mean a visa, an ETA or neither.
• A permanent resident who later becomes a New Zealand citizen and travels on a New Zealand passport is covered by the New Zealand entry from that point on.

What If I Live in New Zealand but I’m Not a New Zealand Citizen?

The following New Zealand statuses do not, on their own, decide UK ETA eligibility:

• permanent residence;
• a resident visa;
• a work visa;
• a student visa;
• a partner or other family-based status.

The passport used on the journey is what counts. Someone living in Auckland or Wellington on another country’s passport is assessed under that passport’s rules. Our eligibility checker on the homepage shows how most passports are treated, but confirm the detail in current guidance before you apply. This guide does not give New Zealand immigration advice.

New Zealand Citizens Who Are Also British

Current GOV.UK guidance says that if you are a dual citizen with British or Irish citizenship, you cannot get an ETA. A New Zealand passport on its own does not show British citizenship to an airline or a border officer.

A valid British passport is the clearest proof. If you hold British citizenship but no British passport, check which documents current guidance accepts before you travel. Gathering them can take time, so start early.

Do not apply for an ETA on your New Zealand passport to get round missing British documents. That is not how the system is designed to work, and it can cause problems at check-in and at the border.

New Zealand Citizens Who Are Also Irish

Irish citizens do not need an ETA and cannot obtain one. That includes dual New Zealand and Irish citizens, many of whom have an Irish passport through a parent or grandparent.

Travel to the UK on your Irish passport. It is the clearest way to show your status and keeps you outside the ETA system. If you are entitled to an Irish passport but do not hold one, apply well ahead of travel.

Does New Zealand’s Commonwealth Membership Exempt Citizens?

Shared history and a common monarch can make Commonwealth membership feel like a travel advantage. In the UK ETA system it is not. Membership creates no automatic route into the UK, and a New Zealand passport holder is treated under the National List entry for New Zealand, unless an exemption applies to that person individually.

What If I Have British Parents, Grandparents or UK Ancestry?

Family ancestry does not automatically determine ETA status. Many New Zealanders have British forebears, and this guide does not decide your nationality from your family history or give nationality-law advice.

• Some New Zealanders may hold British citizenship already, or may qualify for it through a route that depends on their own circumstances.
• The ETA is for eligible short travel as a Visitor. It does not confer British citizenship.
• British citizens do not use an ETA. If that is your status, travel with your British passport.
• If you plan to work or live in the UK for longer, you may need a different route, and the ETA will not provide it.

A British grandparent does not automatically make someone British. If you think you may have a claim, check the official guidance on British citizenship and take advice before you plan travel around the answer. For longer-term routes, see the UK Visa Guide.

When a New Zealand Passport Holder Does Not Need an ETA

Current UK guidance lists the groups that do not need an ETA. These are the ones most likely to apply to travellers from New Zealand:

• British and Irish citizens, including dual citizens.
• Holders of a UK visa.
• People with permission to live, work or study in the UK, including settled and pre-settled status and the right of abode, and people with permission to live, work or study in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.
• Airside transit passengers who do not pass through UK border control. Check with your airline if you are not sure.
• People who live in Ireland and are travelling into the UK from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. The exemption is about living in Ireland. A New Zealand tourist visiting Ireland does not qualify.
• British overseas territories citizen and British National (Overseas) passport holders, under their own rules.
• People exempt from immigration control, and people waiting for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application.

How Long Is a UK ETA Valid for a New Zealand Passport?

The approval runs for two years from grant, or to the expiry date of the named passport if that comes first. Within that window, repeat journeys are allowed, though each entry is still judged by the Visitor rules. Because the approval belongs to one passport, a replacement document starts afresh.

What If I Renew or Replace My New Zealand Passport?

Because the ETA is linked to a specified passport, a change of passport generally means a new ETA:

• Renewal. A renewed passport has a new number, so apply for an ETA on it before you travel.
• Expiry. The ETA ends with the passport named in the application, even if two years have not passed.
• Lost or stolen passport. The replacement is a new document, and the old ETA does not carry over to it.
• Damaged passport. A replacement generally needs its own ETA.
• Name change. A change that results in a new passport needs a new ETA. If details in an existing application were wrong or have changed, current guidance says to apply again.

How Long Can New Zealanders Stay in the UK with an ETA?

An ETA lets an eligible traveller seek Visitor permission. Where the Visitor rules are satisfied, a stay is generally up to six months. An ETA does not grant six months automatically. It is permission to travel, and the officer at the border decides whether to admit you and for how long.

Be ready to say how long you plan to stay and what you will do. Multi-country trips with several UK stops should still match the purpose you give at the border.

What Can New Zealand Citizens Do in the UK with an ETA?

• Tourism. Holidays and sightseeing, including the long-haul trip many Kiwis save for. See UK ETA for Tourism.
• Visiting family and friends. Social visits to relatives and friends. See UK ETA for Visiting Family and Friends.
• Qualifying business activity. Meetings, conferences and similar activities. See UK ETA for Business Visits.
• Short-term study. Short courses that fit the Visitor rules. See UK ETA for Short-Term Study.
• Permitted paid engagements. Defined engagements where every condition is met. See UK ETA for Permitted Paid Engagements.
• The Creative Worker concession. A separate route with its own conditions and limits. The ETA is the travel authorisation, not general permission to work. See UK ETA for the Creative Worker Visa Concession.
• Qualifying transit. An ETA is needed where a connection takes you through UK border control. See the transit section below.

Keep these categories apart. A holiday that turns into paid work moves into a different category, and the officer looks at what you actually intend to do in the UK.

What an ETA Does Not Allow

The ETA is a Visitor document, so it stops short of the following. Each of these needs a different permission, and each is listed in the rules:

• ordinary paid or unpaid work for a UK organisation, beyond the narrow exceptions noted above;
• settling, or living in Britain on a long-term footing;
• repeated arrivals that add up to living in the UK;
• long-term study, public funds, or marrying or forming a civil partnership where Marriage Visitor permission applies;
• staying beyond the period your permission allows.

Can New Zealand Citizens Work in the UK with an ETA?

Visitor business activity, permitted paid engagements and the Creative Worker concession each have their own conditions, and none of them is ordinary employment. A meeting, conference or site visit for your New Zealand employer can fall within the Visitor framework. Working for a UK employer, or serving UK clients from within Britain as though you were based there, does not.

New Zealanders who intend to take a job, move to Britain or undertake long-term work may need another immigration route. Depending on individual eligibility, other routes can exist. This page does not cover them in detail and is not a guide to any youth mobility scheme. For the wider picture, see the UK Visa Guide, and for the limited exceptions see the business visits guide, permitted paid engagements guide and Creative Worker concession guide.

UK ETA vs UK Visa for New Zealand Citizens

Where the purpose is employment, a longer course, settling, bringing family, or a marriage or civil partnership, the ETA route is the wrong tool. Start with our UK Visa Guide and check the requirements for the route that fits you.

UK ETA Requirements for New Zealand Citizens

Before you start, have these to hand:

• a New Zealand passport that is valid for the whole trip;
• an inbox you check regularly, since the decision lands there;
• a passport data-page image and a recent face photo;
• truthful answers about your background, because a refusal or cancellation can follow from criminality, earlier breaches or false information;
• a payment card or mobile wallet.

Our UK ETA Requirements page explains how to prepare. For the service and processing options on this website, see UK ETA Fees & Processing Options. This guide shows no amounts itself.

How to Apply for a UK ETA from New Zealand

1. 1

   Check you are on the list

   Confirm you are travelling on a New Zealand passport and that no exemption applies, including the dual-citizenship points above.

2. 2

   Have your passport in hand

   Note the expiry date and keep the passport you will fly with beside you while you fill in the form.

3. 3

   Type details exactly as printed

   Copy names, date of birth and passport number from the data page. Mismatches are the usual reason for delay.

4. 4

   Upload the photos

   A clear passport data page and a face photograph that meets the digital photo rules.

5. 5

   Check every answer

   Changes after submission usually mean a fresh application.

6. 6

   Pick a service option

   Choose the UKETA.sg option that fits your dates. It covers our handling time, not the Home Office decision.

7. 7

   Submit and pay

   Save the reference number we send back.

8. 8

   Watch for the email

   Check spam too. Do not board until the ETA confirmation has arrived.

9. 9

   Fly on the same passport

   The passport you present at check-in and at the border must be the one named in the application.

How Long Does a UK ETA Decision Take?

GOV.UK says most decisions arrive by email within a day, and that it can take up to three working days. Nothing guarantees speed, and no one can promise a decision before a particular flight. Leaving three working days in hand is a reasonable minimum for a long-haul booking from New Zealand.

If the email has not arrived after three working days, look in spam first, then follow the government’s guidance for next steps.

The UK authorities control the decision time. A faster service option on this website shortens our handling time only, and it does not make approval certain. Our guide to UK ETA processing times covers this in more depth.

Business Travel from New Zealand to the UK

New Zealand firms in agriculture, food and beverage, film and screen, technology, education and professional services send staff to Britain regularly. Because the journey is long, many business travellers combine several meetings into one trip, and each activity needs a purpose that fits the Visitor rules.

What a business visit can include

• meetings and discussions with UK contacts, and negotiating or signing contracts for your overseas employer;
• attending conferences, seminars, trade fairs and investor events;
• qualifying site visits and inspections of the kind the Visitor rules allow;
• other permitted business activities listed in the Visitor rules.

What a business visit cannot be

A business visit is not a way to work for a UK company, take up a UK post or serve UK clients as though you were based in Britain. An ETA does not allow ordinary employment. If a New Zealand employer is posting you to the UK for longer, look at the routes in our UK Visa Guide. For the line between a visit and work, read UK ETA for Business Visits.

Can New Zealand Citizens Study in the UK with an ETA?

Short-term study can fit within the Visitor framework, generally for up to six months. That can suit a short language or subject course, a summer programme or a brief academic placement. Our UK ETA for Short-Term Study guide explains what counts.

Longer study, a degree, or any programme outside the Visitor rules may need a Student visa or other permission, and an ETA will not be enough. Begin with the UK Visa Guide for those plans.

Can New Zealanders Make Multiple UK Trips with One ETA?

Yes. While an ETA remains valid and you travel on the same passport, it can support multiple journeys. Many New Zealanders with family in Britain use that flexibility.

The Visitor rules do not allow you to live in the UK through frequent or successive visits. We do not know of a fixed annual number of days that applies, and we do not invent one here. The rules look at the overall pattern of your visits. Long stays separated by short gaps can raise questions at the border, so be ready to explain your travel history.

Do New Zealand Children and Babies Need a UK ETA?

Children on New Zealand passports need an approval in their own name. A parent or guardian can submit it: through the app when the child is with you, or online with photos of the child’s passport and face if they are not. Photographing a baby takes patience, so start early. The child’s approval ends when that child’s passport does.

Family Travel from New Zealand

New Zealand families often travel to the UK for long visits that span school holidays. Each traveller needs an individual ETA, so a family of four on New Zealand passports makes four applications and receives four decisions.

• Decisions can arrive at different times, so one approval does not mean the whole family has been approved.
• Check that each person’s details match their own passport, including spelling and date of birth.
• If family members carry different passports, for example one parent on a New Zealand passport and another on a different nationality, the rules for each passport apply to that person.

On this website you can enter details for more than one traveller in a single session. The UK authorities still decide each application separately, and no group approval is promised.

UK Airport Transit for New Zealand Citizens

Many New Zealanders fly through London or another UK airport on the way to Europe, Africa or North America. Whether you need an ETA for that connection depends on whether you pass through UK border control.

Airside transit

In an airside transit you do not pass through UK border control before you leave on your connecting journey. Current ETA rules exempt qualifying airside transit passengers, so no ETA is needed for that connection.

Landside transit

In a landside transit you pass through UK border control, then leave the UK within a short time, usually up to 24 hours, and pass back through control to leave. An ETA may be needed for that. Government guidance tells travellers to check whether they need an ETA for a layover.

Confirm with your airline

Your tickets, your airline’s arrangements, the terminals and the airport all affect the answer. Confirm the arrangements before you book, and check again close to travel, because they can change.

New Zealand, the UK and Onward to Europe

London is a common stop for New Zealanders heading to Europe. These examples show where the ETA question arises. None promises a particular result at a particular airport.

• Auckland to London to a European city. On a single through ticket with an airside connection, you may never pass UK border control. If you must clear border control, an ETA is needed.
• Christchurch to London to a European city. Christchurch routes often connect through another city first, so check the full itinerary as well as the UK stop.
• Wellington to London and then onward. The departure city does not change the answer. Whether you cross UK border control does.

Factors that change the answer

• Through tickets versus separate tickets. A single through ticket is generally simpler than two unconnected bookings, which often mean collecting and re-checking bags.
• Baggage. If you must collect bags and check them in again, you will usually have entered the UK.
• Terminal changes. Moving between terminals can mean leaving the secure area, which can change the answer.
• Overnight connections. A night in a London hotel means you have left the airport. An ETA is needed for that visit.

Do not rely on a friend’s experience at the same airport on another day. Finding out at a New Zealand check-in desk that an ETA was needed leaves very little room to fix the problem before a long flight.

Travelling from New Zealand to the UK and Ireland

Many New Zealanders include Ireland in a trip to the British Isles. The Republic of Ireland is not part of the UK and sets its own entry requirements, which you should check separately. Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom.

There are no routine immigration checks on the land border between the Republic and Northern Ireland, but the UK’s rules still apply. Entering the UK, including Northern Ireland, still requires an ETA where one is needed. Entering through Ireland does not remove the requirement.

A visitor who flies into Dublin, tours the Republic and then continues to Belfast should expect to need an ETA for the Northern Ireland part. The exemption for people who live in Ireland covers those who live there and enter the UK from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. It does not cover New Zealand tourists who are simply visiting Ireland. If any part of your itinerary is in the UK, apply before you leave New Zealand.

Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man

Since 23 April 2026 the ETA also covers travel to the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and one approval is recognised across all four destinations. Travel inside the Common Travel Area works differently, so a New Zealander arriving on an island straight from New Zealand should check the destination’s own guidance close to departure.

What Happens When New Zealand Citizens Arrive in the UK?

On arrival you go to border control. The ETA shows you were permitted to travel, but it does not decide whether you are admitted. A Border Force officer decides that, or an eGate does where you are eligible.

• Use the same New Zealand passport that you named in your ETA application.
• Border Force may ask about the purpose of your trip. Answer clearly and truthfully, and consistently with what you said when you applied.
• Visitor requirements apply on every arrival. Depending on your circumstances, supporting information such as your accommodation and onward or return travel can help. There is no single mandatory document list, and we do not invent one.

eGates and Contactless eGates for New Zealand Passport Holders

New Zealand is one of the nationalities eligible for the standard UK eGates. Current GOV.UK guidance sets out the conditions, which include:

• a biometric passport, with the biometric symbol on the cover;
• a valid digital immigration status or a record of a digital exemption;
• a minimum age of 8, with travellers aged 8 to 17 accompanied by an adult;
• a minimum height of 120 cm.

These conditions can change, so do not rely on older figures. Using a gate is never guaranteed. If a gate cannot complete the check, or your trip needs an officer, you will be sent to a Border Force desk. Travellers who need the Border Force stamp required under the Creative Worker concession must not use an eGate.

Contactless eGates are a separate process

The UK’s newer contactless eGate process is not the same as the normal eGate process. Official guidance says that initially it is limited to British citizens, and that other eGate-eligible nationalities will be able to use it in future. New Zealand is not named in that guidance. New Zealanders should therefore continue to use the normal eGate process where their requirements are met, and should not assume that contactless gates are open to them now.

Common UK ETA Mistakes for New Zealand Citizens

1. Thinking the NZeTA covers Britain. It does not. Only a UK ETA covers UK travel.
2. Relying on past trips. Visits made without an ETA before the requirement took effect tell you nothing about today.
3. Expecting residence in New Zealand to help. Only the travel passport counts.
4. Expecting Commonwealth ties to open doors. They do not.
5. Booking on one passport and flying on another. The ETA belongs to one passport.
6. Flying on a renewed passport with an old ETA. A new passport usually needs a new ETA.
7. Sharing one ETA across the family. Every person needs an individual approval.
8. Guessing about transit. Ask the airline whether the stop crosses UK border control.
9. Treating an ETA as a work permit. It is not one.
10. Mixing up Ireland and Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland is in the UK, and arriving via Dublin does not remove the requirement.
11. Assuming an approval means entry. The officer at the border still decides.

Before You Fly from New Zealand to the UK

• ✓Have the ETA email saved on your phone and printed as a backup.
• ✓Match the passport in your bag to the one on the application, down to the number.
• ✓Line up the booking name with the passport spelling.
• ✓Confirm each child has their own approval before the family leaves home.
• ✓Ask the airline whether any stop puts you through UK border control.
• ✓Be able to explain the purpose of the visit in a sentence.
• ✓Re-apply if a new passport or a name change came after you applied.
• ✓Carry onward and return bookings, and where you are staying.

UK ETA FAQs for New Zealand Citizens

Still have a question? See our general UK ETA FAQs or contact us.

Sources and Rule Dates

This guide was last reviewed in October 2026 against current UK government guidance and the Immigration Rules, including the entry for New Zealand in the ETA National List. The rules can change, so check the current position before you travel. This page is general information and not legal advice.

The main sources we checked are:

• Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK
• Apply for an ETA
• When you do not need an ETA
• What you can and cannot do with an ETA
• Immigration Rules Appendix ETA National List
• Immigration Rules Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation
• Check when you can get an ETA
• Layovers and transiting
• At border control (eGates)
• Contactless travel using eGates