The numbers
Published by Immigration New Zealand. The two lines are charged together.
The cheaper of the two routes. Same document, same processing.
Six dollars more for doing exactly the same thing in a browser.
The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. Compulsory and charged with the application.
Multiple entries within that period, with stays of up to 90 days for Americans.
The levy is most of the price
This is the number that surprises people, so it deserves its own comparison.
The NZeTA processing fee if you use the official mobile app.
The same application with the compulsory visitor levy added.
The levy is roughly six times the permit. The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy funds conservation and tourism infrastructure. It is collected in the same transaction as the NZeTA, which is why the headline price you see quoted is almost never the amount charged to your card.
Using the official app rather than the website saves six New Zealand dollars, which is the only saving available to you. There is no way to avoid the levy as a US tourist.
Where to apply
One government system, reachable two ways.
nzeta.immigration.govt.nzOfficial websiteNZeTA appOfficial appThe suffix .govt.nz is restricted to New Zealand government bodies. The app is published by Immigration New Zealand and is the cheaper of the two official routes, which is unusual: normally the app and the website cost the same.
How to apply
Allow more time than the marketing suggests.
- Download the official NZeTA app if you want the NZ$17 price rather than NZ$23.
- Scan your passport and take the photograph the app asks for.
- Answer the character and immigration history questions.
- Pay the NZeTA fee and the NZ$100 levy together in one transaction.
- Wait for the email. Many are issued within minutes, but Immigration New Zealand asks you to allow up to 72 hours.
- Check the passport number on the approval. The NZeTA is tied to that passport.
What goes wrong
Three failures, and the first is a budgeting error rather than a mistake.
- Budgeting NZ$17 and being charged NZ$117. The levy is not a surprise fee added by a reseller. It is a genuine government charge, collected at the same moment, and it is most of the total.
- Applying on the website out of habit. The website costs NZ$23 and the official app costs NZ$17 for the identical document. This is the rare case where the app is cheaper.
- Leaving it to the airport. Airlines check for an approved NZeTA before boarding. Immigration New Zealand asks for up to 72 hours, so applying on the day is a real risk.
What changed
The levy nearly tripled, which is why older figures are so far out.
The NZeTA and the visitor levy are introduced together, with the levy at NZ$35.
The visitor levy rises from NZ$35 to NZ$100, almost tripling the real cost of entry.