Travel disrupted by
the Middle East
situation
Issued: Monday 02 Mar 2026, 07:10 pm NZDT
We have established a priority phone line from Monday to Friday for people to contact us about this specific situation. Call 0508 558 855 (toll free from NZ landlines) or +64 9 914 4100 and press option 7. For information about what options are available to you, check:
Middle East: advice for temporary visa holders in New Zealand affected by travel disruptions
Business Visitor Visa
Apply for this visa if you want to visit New Zealand for business reasons. You must have enough money to live on while you are here or have the financial support of your employer.
Up to
3 months in 1 year
From
NZD $341
80% within
1 week
To apply you must:
- be visiting New Zealand on business for up to 3 months in 1 year
- have enough money to cover your living expenses while in New Zealand or have your employer support you
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- visit New Zealand for business reasons
- study for up to 3 months
- include your partner and dependent children in your application.
If you are from a visa waiver country you do not need a Business Visitor Visa, but you must have a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before travelling to New Zealand.
You do not need a visitor visa or an NZeTA if you are travelling on an Australian passport.
How long you can stay
You can stay in New Zealand on a Business Visitor Visa for up to 3 months in 1 year.
Who can apply
To apply for this visa you must:
- be visiting on business for up to 3 months in 1 year
- be in good health
- be of good character
- have a genuine reason for coming to New Zealand
- have enough money to pay your expenses, have financial support from your employer or government, or have an acceptable sponsor
- have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.
Business reasons for visiting
You must be visiting New Zealand for business reasons.
The Business Visitor Visa is only for short-term visits to New Zealand for specific business reasons, such as meetings, exploring business opportunities, or negotiating contracts.
Note
If you are travelling for a reason not listed under acceptable business reasons — such as working, training, performing, or participating in events, you may be required to get a work visa or general visitor visa instead of a Business Visitor Visa.
Find and choose a visaYou will need to provide a letter from your employer or the New Zealand company you are doing business with. The letter must confirm:
- your employment, and
- the business reasons for your visit.
Health
You must be in good health.
We may ask you to have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your health.
If you are staying less than:
- 6 months, you do not normally need a chest X-ray
- 12 months, you do not normally need a medical certificate.
When you apply, you must answer questions about your health. This will decide if you need to provide evidence of a chest X-ray or medical examination to complete your application. Even if you do not need these when you apply, we may ask for them when we process your application.
Who needs an X-ray or medical examinationCharacter
You may need to provide police certificates as proof of your good character.
If you have a criminal conviction, or are a security risk to New Zealand, we may not give you a visa.
Character requirements for New Zealand visasYou must provide police certificates that are less than 6 months old when you apply if:
- you are aged 17 or older, and
- your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer — this includes time you spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas.
If we ask for a new police certificate when processing your application, you will need to send us a new one.
Police certificatesGenuine intentions
You must have genuine reasons for coming to New Zealand.
When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we will consider all the information that:
- you provide to support your application
- we have about your personal circumstances
- you have previously given to us.
Enough money to live on
You must have enough money to live on while you are in New Zealand, have the financial support of your employer or government, or have an acceptable sponsor.
If you are paying for yourself
You must have at least NZD $1,000 a month, or NZD $400 a month if you have already paid for your accommodation.
Evidence can include:
- proof of accommodation pre-payment, like hotel pre-paid vouchers or receipts
- bank statements or credit card statements
- bank drafts or traveller's cheques.
If you have financial support from your employer or government
You must provide a letter from your employer or government confirming financial support.
If you have a sponsor
Your sponsor is responsible for you while you are in New Zealand — they can be an organisation or an individual.
Your responsibilities as a sponsorSponsorship process for a visaLeaving New Zealand
When you arrive in New Zealand, you must be able to show that you plan to leave the country at the end of your stay.
If you are paying for yourself, you will need to provide:
- your ticket for travel out of New Zealand at the end of your stay to a country you have the right to enter, or
- documents, such as bank or credit card statements, that show you have enough money to buy a ticket.
Note
The money for your ticket must be in addition to what you have to live on.
Partner and dependent children
You can include your partner and dependent children aged 19 or younger in your visa application, or they can apply for their own visas.
To include family in your application:
- you must provide evidence of your relationship with them, for example, marriage and birth certificates
- you must provide proof of their identity
- they must be of good character and be in good health.
Documents you need
When you apply
When you apply, you will need to provide:
- a copy of your passport or certificate of identity — if you apply on paper, you can provide a certified copy, but we can usually process your visa application faster if you provide the original
- 1 acceptable photo if you apply online, or 2 photos if you apply on paper
- police certificates, if required
- a chest X-ray certificate, if required
- a medical certificate, if required
- translated versions of all your documents if they are not in English.
Alert
You may not be allowed to check in to your flight if your passport is close to expiring. Check that it will not expire while you are in New Zealand or close to when you plan to leave New Zealand.
Before you travel to New ZealandAfter you apply
After you apply, we may contact you and ask for:
- evidence of a medical examination or chest X-ray
- police certificates as proof of your good character.
When you arrive
When you arrive, you will need to have:
- a ticket to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay, proof you have enough money to buy one, or agreement that a sponsor will pay for your ticket to leave New Zealand
- proof you have enough money to live on for your stay in New Zealand.
How to apply online
Follow these steps to complete your application online.
Note
To help prevent delays with processing, make sure your application contains all the required documents.
Gather your documents
The section 'Who can apply' explains the requirements for this visa and what you will need as proof.
Our guides for applying for a visitor visa can also help. These are also available in other languages.
Guides to applying for a visitor visa — Document searchGet documents translated
For your application you must provide:
- English translations of any documents that are not in English
- scanned copies of the original documents.
Note
Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.
Submit your application and pay the fee
To apply online, log in to your account or set up an account if you do not have one already.
Apply online, upload your documents and pay the applicable fees.
Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for fees.
Wait for our decision
We will let you know if we need more information to process your application.
Check your application status
Log in to your account to check the status of your application.
Using eVisas and visa labelsHow to apply on paper
Follow these steps to complete your application on paper.
Gather your documents
The section 'Who can apply' explains the requirements for this visa and what you will need as proof.
Complete the application form
Complete the application form and attach all supporting documents.
Tourist/Business Visitor Visa Application (INZ 1189) (PDF, 672 KB)