Immigration New Zealand (INZ) announced on September 4 another step toward fully digital visa processing.
From October 1, 2026, New Zealand immigration authorities will no longer accept paper application forms for 24 Visitor Visa categories and the Transit Visa. Applicants will instead have to submit their applications through the Enhanced Immigration Online system.
Main visa categories affected by the end of paper applications
The change notably covers the standard Visitor Visa, used by travelers who require a visa for tourism, as well as visas for business travel, organized groups and several other specific categories of visitors.
The 24 Visitor Visa categories affected are:
- General Visitor Visa;
- Business Visitor Visa;
- Group Visitor Visa, including groups traveling under the Approved Destination Status (ADS) scheme;
- Academic Visitor Visa;
- Adoption Visitor Visa;
- Adoption Pre-citizenship Visitor Visa;
- Antarctic Traveller Visitor Visa;
- Arts and Music Festival Visitor Visa;
- Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa;
- Crew joining a Ship or Plane Visitor Visa;
- Dismissed Worker Visitor Visa;
- Escort of Medical Patients Visitor Visa;
- German Law Student Visitor Visa;
- Guardian Visitor Visa;
- Medical Treatment Visitor Visa;
- Occupational Registration Visitor Visa;
- Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa;
- Pitcairn Islander Visitor Visa;
- Private Yacht or Plane Visitor Visa;
- Short-term Entertainment Act Visitor Visa;
- Sports Events Visitor Visa;
- Super Yachts Visitor Visa;
- Tour Escort Visitor Visa;
- Visiting Media Visitor Visa.
The Transit Visa is also included. From October 1, travelers who require this visa to transit through New Zealand will also have to apply online.
Paper applications submitted before October 1 will still be processed
The change will not affect applications already underway.
Immigration New Zealand says any paper application submitted before October 1, 2026, will continue to be processed as usual. Applicants will therefore not need to submit a new online application.
After that date, however, paper applications will no longer be available for the affected visa categories, except in exceptional circumstances. Anyone who believes they are unable to use the online service will need to contact Immigration New Zealand so their situation can be assessed.
New Zealand moves more visa applications to Immigration Online
The end of paper applications is part of a broader transition that has already been underway for several months.
Since August 24, 2026, new Group Visitor Visa and Tour Escort Visitor Visa applications have been directed to Enhanced Immigration Online.
Another deadline is approaching on September 24, 2026. From that date, applicants will no longer be able to start new applications for most Visitor Visa categories in the old Immigration Online system. New applications will instead have to be started on the enhanced platform.
Applicants who still have a draft application in the old system will have a short window to complete it. On October 8, 2026, the affected forms will close and any remaining drafts in the old system will be deleted. Applications that have already been submitted will remain accessible there while they are being processed.
According to Immigration New Zealand, the enhanced system is designed to make it easier to upload supporting documents and track an application in real time. It also tailors questions more closely to each applicant’s circumstances and is intended to reduce errors, including through automated passport data capture.
Some Visitor Visas can still be applied for through existing channels
Not all Visitor Visa categories are immediately affected by the end of paper applications.
For now, Immigration New Zealand is keeping existing application processes in place for several categories, including visas for partners and children of military personnel, students and workers, as well as the Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa and Child of a New Zealander Visitor Visa.
The Trafficking Child Victim Visitor Visa, Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa and Refugee Claimant Visitor Visa are also excluded from the October 1 change.
Immigration New Zealand has nevertheless indicated that paper applications for these categories could also be phased out at a later date.
No change for visa-waiver travelers using the NZeTA
The new rules do not mean that travelers who are currently visa-exempt will have to apply for a Visitor Visa.
Passport holders from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, among many other visa-waiver countries and territories, can still travel to New Zealand for short stays without applying for a Visitor Visa in advance. Most visa-waiver travelers can stay for up to three months, provided they obtain a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before departure and meet New Zealand’s entry requirements.
Australian citizens are treated differently and generally do not need an NZeTA to travel to New Zealand.
The NZeTA also continues to apply to visa-waiver travelers transiting internationally through Auckland Airport. Nationals of some countries that are not visa-exempt for visits to New Zealand may also transit with an NZeTA if their nationality appears on New Zealand’s separate Transit Visa waiver list.
VisasNews Take
The change announced by Immigration New Zealand does not introduce a new visa requirement. Instead, it changes how travelers who already need a visa must apply. Starting October 1, 2026, standard Visitor Visas, Business Visitor Visas, Group Visitor Visas and Transit Visas will be among the categories for which online applications become the norm. For travelers from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and many other visa-waiver countries heading to New Zealand for a short stay, the NZeTA remains the main pre-travel requirement, while Australian citizens continue to benefit from separate entry arrangements.
