Most NZeTA requests are approved automatically. When one is not, it is either referred for a manual check — which simply takes longer — or declined. The two are different, and the response to each is different.
First, check which one it is
- Still processing: decisions usually take 72 hours, and some take longer. Wait rather than reapplying
- Declined: you have been assessed and refused. Requesting another NZeTA with the same information will produce the same answer
Why NZeTAs are declined
- Your passport is not eligible for the visa-waiver arrangement
- Details entered do not match the passport
- Character or immigration history questions that need a full assessment
- You have already used your allowance of visitor time
What to do instead
If the reason is a data-entry error, correcting it and requesting again is legitimate. If the reason is that you are not eligible for the NZeTA, the route is a visitor visa, which is a fuller application assessed by a person. Do not keep submitting NZeTA requests in the hope of a different result — the pattern itself becomes part of your record.
Do not use a third party to 'fix' it
No agent has influence over the decision, and none can appeal it for you. Applications are made only through Immigration New Zealand, at NZ$17 in the app or NZ$23 on the website.
Source: Immigration New Zealand — NZeTA
An approved NZeTA is still not a guarantee of entry. The border officer decides on arrival, and being refused entry is a separate outcome from being declined an NZeTA.
More on the NZeTA
Dual nationals
The NZeTA is linked to one passport, and you must travel on it. A second nationality is not a problem — showing the wrong passport at check-in is.
Children and infants
Yes. Every traveller needs an NZeTA in their own name, including infants who are travelling on a parent's lap and do not have their own seat.
Australians
Australian citizens need neither a visa nor an NZeTA for New Zealand. Australian permanent residents are different: they must hold an NZeTA before boarding.
Work and study
Arriving under the visa waiver lets you study for up to 3 months. It does not let you work. What counts as work is wider than most travellers expect.
Medical treatment
If the purpose of the trip is medical treatment, Immigration New Zealand requires a Medical Treatment Visitor Visa. The NZeTA does not cover it.
NZeTA or visa?
The NZeTA covers short visits from visa-waiver passports. Longer stays, work, study beyond 3 months and medical treatment need a visa instead.