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How New Zealand entry works — and where we fit in
New Zealand runs two systems side by side: a light-touch travel authority for short visits, and a full visa framework for everything else. This page explains both, pathway by pathway, and sets out exactly what our service does and doesn't do.
The two systems
A travel authority for visits, a visa for everything else
Which one applies to you is decided by two things only: the passport you travel on, and what you plan to do once you land.
NZeTA
New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority
Visas
Visitor, work, student, partner, residence and transit
Pathway by pathway
What each option actually involves
Government fees are set by Immigration New Zealand and change from time to time; the figures below are the ones published at the time of writing, and we confirm the current amount before you pay.
NZeTA
The NZeTA is not a visa in itself: it's permission to board, verified by your airline or cruise line, and on arrival Immigration New Zealand grants you a visitor visa for the trip. It covers tourism, visiting family and friends, business-visitor activities such as meetings and negotiations, and study of up to three months.
It's requested online through Immigration New Zealand's app or website, and the whole thing is tied to the passport you apply with — renew the passport and you need a new NZeTA.
- Every traveller needs their own, infants and children included
- Transit passengers through Auckland need one even if they never leave the airport
- You must be in good health, of good character, able to support yourself (NZ$1,000 a month, or NZ$400 if accommodation is prepaid) and hold onward travel
- A medical treatment trip needs a Medical Treatment Visitor Visa instead
Visitor Visa
The Visitor Visa is the route for anyone whose passport isn't on the visa-waiver list, and for visa-waiver travellers who want to stay longer than the NZeTA allows. It's applied for and decided before you travel, and it's assessed properly: who you are, why you're coming, how you'll fund the trip and whether you'll leave at the end.
Parents of New Zealand citizens and residents have a dedicated option, the Parent Boost visitor visa, which allows much longer stays than a standard visit.
- Nationals of India, China, the Philippines, South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, Vietnam and every other non-waiver country
- Visa-waiver nationals planning stays of more than 3 months
- Business visitors, people visiting family, and anyone coming for a short course
- A sponsor in New Zealand can support an application that would otherwise fall short on funds
Work Visas
Most people working in New Zealand hold an Accredited Employer Work Visa: the employer is accredited by Immigration New Zealand, the job is checked, and the visa is tied to that role. Alongside it sit the Working Holiday visas for young people from partner countries, Partner of a Worker visas, Post-Study Work visas for graduates, and specific-purpose visas for secondments and short assignments.
The paperwork is heavier than a visit: qualifications, experience, English where required, and full health and character checks. Getting the sequence right — job offer, job check, then visa — is most of the work.
- A written job offer from an accredited employer is the starting point for the AEWV
- Working Holiday visas have age limits (18–30 or 18–35) and country quotas that open and close
- Partners of work-visa holders can often work too, depending on the main visa
- Many work visas lead to residence through the Green List or the Skilled Migrant Category
Student Visa
Any course longer than three months needs a student visa. The Fee Paying Student Visa is the standard route; a Pathway Student Visa covers up to three consecutive courses on one visa. Immigration New Zealand looks at your offer of place, how you'll pay for tuition and living costs, insurance, and your health and character.
Partners and dependent children can usually come with you — on a visitor, work or student visa of their own, depending on the course level.
- An offer of place from an approved education provider is required before you apply
- Tuition is paid or evidenced; living costs are evidenced separately
- Most students can work up to 20 hours a week in term time
- Graduates may qualify for a Post-Study Work Visa
Partner & Family Visas
Partners of New Zealand citizens, residents and visa holders can apply for a visitor or work visa based on the relationship, and — once the relationship is established for long enough — for residence. Dependent children join on their own visas, and parents have both temporary and residence options.
Relationship evidence is everything here: that you're living together in a genuine and stable relationship, for how long, and with what shared commitments.
- Temporary partner visas usually need evidence of living together
- Partnership residence generally needs 12 months of living together
- Dependent children up to a set age can be included
- Parent options include the Parent Boost visitor visa and the Parent Resident Visa ballot
Residence
Residence is the long game. The Skilled Migrant Category is points-based — you need six points from a combination of your qualification, occupational registration or income, and skilled work in New Zealand. The Green List offers a faster route for roles New Zealand needs: Straight to Residence for Tier 1 occupations and Work to Residence after two years in a Tier 2 role.
Partners of citizens and residents, and parents through the ballot, have their own residence categories. Every residence application involves a full document set and the most thorough health and character assessment of any visa.
- Skilled Migrant: 6 points, a skilled job or offer, English, and age under 56
- Green List: a qualifying role with an accredited employer, pay thresholds apply
- Residence class visas lead to permanent residence after two years
- Expect months rather than weeks, and gather documents early
Our role
What we do — and what only Immigration New Zealand can do
Entry Gov is a private assistance service run by Compass World LLC. We are not the government, and nothing we do changes who makes the decision.
What we do
- Confirm the right pathway for your passport and plans before you pay anything
- Quote one fixed service fee, with government charges itemised separately
- Capture your passport data by scan and check every field against the document
- Build the document list for your visa and review what you send
- Have a licensed immigration adviser assess and sign off every visa application
- Lodge the application and handle any request for further information
- Keep you updated by email and answer the phone seven days a week
What we don't do
- Make, speed up or influence any decision — that is Immigration New Zealand's alone
- Guarantee an approval, a processing time or entry at the border
- Claim to be, or act for, the New Zealand Government or any immigration authority
- Charge anything that isn't shown before checkout
- Give immigration advice through anyone other than a licensed adviser
- Keep your service fee if a submission problem on our side stops your application proceeding
Why a licensed immigration adviser matters
Under the Immigration Advisers Licensing Act 2007, only advisers licensed by New Zealand's Immigration Advisers Authority (or exempt people such as New Zealand lawyers) may give immigration advice. On every visa file, our adviser confirms the visa, assesses eligibility, reviews documents and signs off the lodgement. You can verify any adviser's licence on the Authority's public register. Clerical help with the NZeTA itself does not require a licence.
The process
From first message to decision
The same five stages whether it's a 72-hour NZeTA or a residence file that takes months — the difference is how much happens at stage three.
Enquiry
Tell us your passport, your plans and your dates — by form or by phone.
Pathway & quote
We confirm which NZeTA or visa applies and quote one fixed service fee plus the government charges.
Documents
You get a checklist specific to your pathway; we review each item as it arrives.
Adviser review
For visas, a licensed immigration adviser assesses eligibility and signs off the file.
Lodgement & decision
We lodge, track, respond to any INZ request, and send the outcome to your inbox.
Eligibility first
Nobody pays for an application they can't make.
Checked field by field
Names, numbers and dates matched to your passport.
Updates by email
Every milestone, and the final decision, in writing.
Fees, refunds and timing
No surprises at checkout
What you pay
Two things, always shown separately before you pay:
- Government charges — set by Immigration New Zealand (and the NZ$100 International Visitor Levy where it applies). Passed through at cost.
- Our service fee — one fixed amount for the guidance, document checks, licensed adviser review and support. Quoted up front, never changed mid-file.
You can apply directly at immigration.govt.nz and pay only the government charges. Our fee is for the help, not for access.
Refunds and delays
If a technical or submission problem on our side means your application can't proceed, the service fee is refunded. Once an application has been lodged with Immigration New Zealand, the government charges are in its hands and the service fee is normally non-refundable.
Processing times belong to Immigration New Zealand. What slows them down most: mismatched names, missing police or medical certificates, unclear relationship evidence, and peak-season volumes. We flag all four before lodging.
Read the full refund policy →More questions
The details people ask about most
Can I switch from an NZeTA to a visa once I'm in New Zealand?
Does an approved NZeTA or visa guarantee entry?
What are the health and character requirements?
Do I need an English test?
Can you help if I've been refused before?
How do I check your adviser's licence?
Ready when you are
Tell us your plans. We'll tell you what's involved.
A short message is enough to start — passport, purpose, rough dates. We reply within 24 hours with the pathway, the document list and one fixed price.
