People planning to spend Christmas and New Year with family in New Zealand are being urged to apply for their visitor visas early.
Immigration New Zealand issiued a reminder on 29 September 2026 warning that the busy holiday season brings increased applications and potentially longer processing times.
NZ Immigration said it received approximately 284,000 visitor visa applications between September and March last summer.
“Applicants should provide all required supporting documents, a clear passport copy and a suitable photograph.”
“Personal details must match the passport, and documents in other languages should include English translations.”
NZ Immigration warns that missing information and small errors can delay decisions stating, “Some incomplete applications may be declined.”
Immigration New Zealand also reminded eligible Pacific Islands Forum passport holders travelling from Australia that they may qualify to use an NZeTA instead of a visitor visa, provided they hold an eligible Australian visa.
“Travellers should check the requirements that apply to their circumstances before making travel arrangements.”
The reminder comes as former New Zealand MP Lupematasila Anae Arthur Anae continues to campaign for easier travel for Samoans and other Pacific nationals, seeking three-month visitor visas issued on arrival instead of requiring applications before departure
Anae’s campaign includes Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.
Supporters argue that visa costs, paperwork and processing delays place unnecessary pressure on families travelling for funerals, weddings, medical emergencies and other important occasions.
On 11 February 2026, Anae presented a petition carrying nearly 50,000 signatures to New Zealand Foreign Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters at Parliament.
His advocacy has included seeking support from Pacific governments and raising public awareness through community campaigns and newspaper advertisements.
New Zealand First backed the proposal, while Labour announced on 17 September that it would expand visa-waiver travel to citizens of Pacific Islands Forum countries.
Those commitments have yet to become a general visa-waiver arrangement for Samoans travelling directly from Samoa.
For now, a Samoan citizen applying from Samoa for a standard New Zealand visitor visa pays NZ$161 (approx ST$274) including the NZ$41 immigration levy. Immigration New Zealand reduced the total from NZ$216 on 1 June 2026, saving applicants NZ$55, under a temporary reduction lasting 12 months.
The reduced fee applies to eligible Pacific nationals applying from outside New Zealand.
Samoan citizens are exempt from the separate International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy. The NZ$161 government charge excludes any additional expenses for translations, medical checks or paid assistance with an application.
Parent Boost and Group Visitor Visas are excluded from the temporary fee reduction.
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