From 1 June 2026, New Zealand temporarily reduced visitor visa fees for eligible Pacific nationals as part of a 12-month trial aimed at making travel more affordable and assessing the impact on immigration demand and operations.
The total cost of a visitor visa has been reduced from NZD $216 to NZD $161, including the standard immigration levy.
The reduced fee applies only to eligible individuals applying from outside New Zealand.
Eligible nationals are from 13 Pacific nations:
- Fiji
- Samoa
- Tonga
- Vanuatu
- Papua New Guinea
- Solomon Islands
- Kiribati
- Tuvalu
- Nauru
- Palau
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Republic of the Marshall Islands
- American Samoa
The reduced fee does not apply to:
- Parent Boost Visitor Visas
- Group Visitor Visas
The trial will run for 12 months and will be used to assess effects on visitor numbers, visa demand, costs, and immigration operations before any longer-term decision is made.
The change follows other recent adjustments to Pacific travel settings, including longer default visa durations and an ongoing trial of a visa-free pathway for eligible Pacific travellers arriving from Australia.
Citizens of the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau remain New Zealand citizens and do not require visas to travel to New Zealand.
Further information is available from the New Zealand government announcement: Further improvements to Pacific visitor visa settings — The Beehive
Source article: migrationassociates.com
