New Zealand passport holders can travel to the Schengen Area without a European visa for up to 90 days.
Citizens of New Zealand can visit all Schengen member states with their valid passport, provided they meet the requirements for visa-free entry. This is because NEW ZEALAND VISA FOR EUROPEAN CITIZENS is part of the EU’s visa-exemption programme.
From November 2023, New Zealand nationals will be able to apply for ETIAS to go to Europe visa-free. ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, is a new visa waiver for Europe. It will become an entry require.
EUROPE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS
Citizens of New Zealand do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen Area for up to 90 days. This will not change with the introduction of ETIAS. NEW ZEALAND VISA FOR US CITIZENS is not a European visa, it is a visa waiver, or electronic travel authorisation, for visa-exempt visitors.
From November 2023, New Zealand passport holders will need to register with ETIAS to travel to countries in the Schengen zone. The ETIAS authorisation will be electronically linked to the traveller’s passport and verified at the external Schengen border.
Citizens of New Zealand will maintain their visa-free privileges but will be legally required to obtain travel authorisation from November 2023.
REQUIREMENTS TO APPLY FOR EUROPE’S TRAVEL AUTHORISATION FROM NEW ZEALAND
The ETIAS visa waiver for New Zealanders will be available through an easy-to-use online application system. The requirements for an ETIAS visa-waiver application are simple and straightforward:
- A valid New Zealand passport that is machine-readable
- A debit or credit card to pay the ETIAS fee
- A current email address, needed to receive the approved ETIAS visa waiver
These are the basic ETIAS requirements for New Zealand citizens who wish to visit any of the Schengen Member States. The Schengen Area is comprised of European countries that agreed to form one entity for the purposes of integrating passport and border control.
WHERE IN EUROPE CAN NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS VISIT WITH ETIAS?
The Schengen zone includes EU member countries, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
It also includes 4 countries that are not EU members: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, plus the microstates of Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City.
ETIAS will also be required to visit Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyrpus and Romania which are EU countries in the process of joining the Schengen Area.
The new ETIAS electronic travel authorisation will allow New Zealanders to travel to all of the countries mentioned above, as well as the freedom to travel between them.
New Zealand passport holders are advised to take into account that the United Kingdom and Ireland are not part of the Schengen Area. ETIAS will not be valid to travel to the UK or Ireland and New Zealand citizens need to check the specific entry requirements.
ETIAS FOR NEW ZEALAND CITIZENS APPLICATION
The ETIAS visa waiver will be a legal requirement for New Zealanders entering the Schengen zone, as of November 2023. The visa waiver can be obtained online by accessing the ETIAS application form using an individual’s smartphone, tablet or desktop computer and completing the easy-to-follow online process.
New Zealanders applying for an ETIAS will need to provide some basic personal information such as the following:
- Full name
- Date and place of birth
- Street address
- Contact phone number
- Accurate passport details such as country of issuance, issuance date, expiration date and passport number
Citizens of NZ completing the online ETIAS application will also be asked to disclose some of the following details:
- Criminal records
- Employment history
- Drug use
- Ties with human trafficking
- Prior travel to conflict areas or history of deportation from any EU Member States
- Past European travel information
The application process for ETIAS is simple and straightforward and the form should take NZ citizens no more than 10 minutes to complete. Processing is also fast, New Zealand citizens will need to apply just a few days before their trip to Europe.
Applicants are advised to carefully review all the information prior to submitting their European visa waiver application in order to make sure that there are no typing errors or inconsistencies in their data. This is to ensure that their ETIAS request can be processed smoothly since any mistakes may delay the process.
The last step of the ETIAS travel authorisation application process is payment, which is made using a credit or debit card.
ETIAS SECURITY CHECKS FOR NEW ZEALAND NATIONALS
Once the application is submitted, it will be cross-checked against European border security and criminal databases.
The information submitted within the ETIAS application system allows European immigration authorities to pre-screen all citizens intending to visit the Schengen zone. ETIAS checks are carried out to identify any potential threats and improve security for the safety of residents and visitors alike.
All of the data provided on the Europe visa waiver application is checked against multiple security databases managed by the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, otherwise known as eu-LISA.
Some of the security databases used for screening include:
- VIS, a database that compiles visa information
- SIS, a shared European database used to identify individuals that are suspected to have a criminal background, as well as missing people, and stolen assets
- EURODAC, a database that compiles fingerprint info
All of the security measures and processes that comprise ETIAS are being put in place with the objective of identifying citizens that enter the Schengen Area illegally or commit identity theft and other types of fraud.
If an NZ citizen’s application raises any red flags during its automated screening against security databases, the individual’s form will have to undergo manual processing by staff of the ETIAS.
In the event that manual assessment by the European Coast or Border Guard is required for an ETIAS application, this will result in longer processing and delivery time.
An ETIAS visa waiver for NZ passport holders is likely to be denied if the citizen has been involved in serious criminal activity.
NEW ZEALAND’S BILATERAL AGREEMENTS WITH EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
The New Zealand government has successfully negotiated individual visa waiver arrangements, known as bilateral agreements, with several countries in Europe. This means that citizens of New Zealand can visit these countries for more than the 90-day visa-free permission already in place.
All types of passports meeting the validity requirements and issued by New Zealand can be used to visit the below nations as an extended stay:
- Belgium (2 months)
- Denmark (3 months)
- Germany (3 months)
- Italy (3 months)
- Luxembourg (90 days)
- Netherlands (90 days)
- Iceland (3 months)
- Liechtenstein (90 days)
- Norway (90 days)
- Switzerland (90 days)
New Zealanders holding an ordinary passport can enter the following countries for the stated additional period:
- Greece 90 days
- Spain (90 days)
- France (90 days)
- Austria (3 months)
- Portugal (90 days)
- Finland (90 days)
- Sweden (3 months)
It is also possible for New Zealand visitors in possession of a diplomatic, service, or official passport to enter Austria for up to 3 months beyond the 90-day visa-free period allowed in the UE.
A bilateral agreement is a deal signed with an individual government. This means that under one agreement, New Zealanders can only travel visa-free to the country the agreement applies to and must remain there for the total length of application of this reciprocal arrangement.
Those interested in visiting more than one Schengen Member State visa-free within one trip should apply for an ETIAS visa waiver for Europe.
Note: Bilateral agreements between NZ and EU Member States might vary depending on new legislation set in place.
