NZTD Requirements and Documents Checklist

Before you start the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD), it helps to gather a few things so you can finish in one sitting. You mainly need your passport, your arrival flight details, and the address of your first night in New Zealand. The declaration is free, digital and required for everyone, so having these to hand saves you from stopping halfway to hunt for a booking reference.

In brief: The NZTD asks for your passport data, arrival travel details, first accommodation address and honest biosecurity answers. It is free and separate from the NZeTA, visa and IVL, which you sort out beforehand.

What the NZTD actually asks for

The NZTD is the digital replacement for the old paper Passenger Arrival Card. It gathers four kinds of information in one form: travel, customs, immigration and biosecurity. None of it is exotic, but it is easier when the answers are in front of you rather than buried in an email thread.

You do not upload documents into the NZTD. Instead, you type in details that must match your passport and your bookings exactly. The declaration is then linked to your passport and checked automatically at the border, so accuracy matters more than paperwork.

Think of the form as three quick blocks: who you are, how you are arriving, and what you are bringing. Prepare each block and the whole thing takes only a few minutes per traveller.

There is no cost for any of this. The NZTD is free on the official site and in the official app, and the only things you truly need are your own details. If a website asks you to pay a fee for the declaration itself, you are not on the official process; the declaration never carries a charge.

A short mental checklist before you begin looks like this:

• Passport open in front of you.
• Airline confirmation for the flight into New Zealand.
• Address of your first night's stay.
• A rough idea of what is in your bags for biosecurity.
• An email and phone number you can use while travelling.

In short: the NZTD collects travel, customs, immigration and biosecurity answers, all tied to your passport rather than to uploaded files, and it is free.

Your passport and its details

Your passport is the anchor for the entire declaration, because the NZTD is matched to it at the border. Have the physical document open in front of you and copy the details precisely.

• Full name exactly as printed, including middle names and any hyphens.
• Passport number, checking easily confused characters like 0 and O, or 1 and I.
• Nationality and country of issue.
• Date of birth and expiry date, entered in the format the form requests.

Make sure your passport is valid. Many travellers aim for validity well beyond their planned departure from New Zealand, but the exact rule can depend on your nationality, so confirm it on the official channels before you fly.

If you renewed your passport recently, double-check that any NZeTA or visa you hold is linked to the passport you will actually travel on. Booking references, loyalty accounts and old documents can all show an out-of-date number, and the border cares about the passport in your hand.

Good to know: even a single wrong character in your passport number can stop the automatic check. Type it slowly and read it back against the document.

In short: copy your name, passport number, nationality and dates straight from the passport, and confirm the passport itself is valid for your trip.

Arrival flight details

The NZTD wants to know how and when you are arriving. Pull up your airline confirmation and keep it open while you fill in the travel section.

Have these ready:

• Your flight number for the flight that lands in New Zealand.
• The arrival airport (for example Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Queenstown).
• The arrival date, adjusted for the international date line if your long-haul routing crosses it.
• Details of where you are travelling from and any recent countries visited, which feed the biosecurity questions.
• Whether you have visited a farm, forest or been near animals abroad, which the biosecurity screening may ask about.

If you are connecting through Dubai, Singapore, Los Angeles or another hub, the flight the NZTD cares about is the final leg into New Zealand, not your first departure. Long-haul travellers often trip over this, entering an original departure city or an intermediate stop instead of the actual arrival flight.

The date line catches people too. A flight leaving on a Monday evening can land on a Wednesday morning in New Zealand once the international date line is crossed. Read the arrival date printed on your ticket rather than counting forward yourself, and enter exactly that.

In short: enter the final leg into New Zealand, using your airline confirmation for the flight number, airport and correct arrival date.

Your first night: accommodation and address

You need an address in New Zealand, or at least where you plan to spend your first night. This is one of the most common blanks people leave, and it holds up the whole form.

Acceptable answers usually include a hotel or hostel name and address, a friend or family member's address, or the details of a campground or motorhome park if you are touring. If your plans are loose, use your first confirmed booking; you are describing where you will be, not signing a binding itinerary.

Motorhome and campervan travellers sometimes worry because they have no fixed address at all. In that case, the pickup depot or your first booked holiday park usually does the job. The system is looking for a sensible starting point, not a full night-by-night plan, so give the most accurate first location you have.

In short: have the name and address of your first night's stay ready, even if the rest of your trip is unplanned.

Customs and biosecurity: what you are carrying

New Zealand takes biosecurity very seriously, and the NZTD is where you declare it. The questions cover food, animal and plant products, outdoor gear and goods that may exceed customs allowances.

Prepare honest answers about:

1. Food of any kind, including snacks, fresh produce, honey and packaged items.
2. Animal or plant products, wooden items, shells, seeds and traditional medicines.
3. Camping and hiking gear, sports equipment and boots that have touched soil or water.
4. Goods over the customs allowances, plus large amounts of cash if asked.

When in doubt, declare. Declaring something simply means an officer may check it; not declaring a risk item can lead to an instant biosecurity fine. Clean muddy boots and tents before you pack, and it becomes a non-issue.

A little prep at home removes most of the risk. Empty and wash out water bottles and hydration packs, brush soil off tent pegs and hiking poles, and eat or bin the apple you forgot in your day bag. The point is not to scare you off bringing gear; it is to arrive with clean equipment and honest answers so the biosecurity questions take seconds.

Good to know: declaring an item is not an admission of wrongdoing. It just lets an officer decide, and it protects you from a fine.

In short: answer the food, biosecurity and customs questions honestly, and declare anything you are unsure about rather than risk a fine.

Contact details

The form also collects contact information so authorities can reach you if needed. Keep a working email address to hand, since your confirmation typically arrives there, along with a phone number and sometimes an emergency contact.

Use an email you can actually open while travelling. A confirmation email is a nice reassurance, but remember the declaration is tied to your passport, so you are not relying on showing that email at the border. There is no QR code to print or display; the border system finds your declaration from your passport automatically.

If you are travelling as a group or family, you can still use one shared contact email across everyone's declarations, as long as each person has their own separate NZTD. The contact details are about reaching the traveller if needed, not about identifying them at the gate.

In short: provide a reachable email and phone number; there is no QR code, and the confirmation is a bonus rather than the thing checked at the gate.

How the NZTD fits with other entry steps

This is where many travellers get tangled. The NZTD is only one part of arriving in New Zealand, and the other parts are separate, earlier steps that are not handled inside the declaration.

The NZeTA (Electronic Travel Authority) is a paid authorisation for travellers from visa-waiver countries and for many transit passengers; it is currently valid for around two years. The IVL (International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy) is a tourism fee of roughly 100 NZD per person, usually bundled with the NZeTA or visa. Treat these amounts as current-at-time-of-writing and confirm them on the official site.

Good to know: completing the NZTD does not grant you permission to travel. If your nationality needs an NZeTA or visa, sort that out first; the NZTD does not replace it.

In short: the NZeTA or visa and the IVL are separate paid steps arranged before travel; the free NZTD is the arrival declaration on top of them.

Residents and New Zealand citizens

A common myth is that citizens and residents can skip the NZTD. They cannot. Everyone arriving completes it, including New Zealand passport holders and permanent residents.

The difference is on the immigration side: citizens and residents already hold the right to enter, so they do not need an NZeTA or visa. They still declare their travel, customs and biosecurity details through the NZTD like any other arriving traveller.

This trips up returning locals more than you might expect. After a holiday abroad, it is easy to assume the home passport waves you straight through. The biosecurity questions apply to everyone, so the honey, cheese or muddy hiking boots in your bag still need declaring, whether you are a first-time visitor or a citizen coming home.

In short: citizens and residents skip the NZeTA and visa but still must complete the NZTD for arrival.

Getting ready for the eGate

Many travellers clear the border at an eGate, the automated passport gate at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown. It reads your passport, confirms your NZTD is done and takes your photo, with no paper involved.

To use an eGate you generally need to be 10 years or older, hold an ePassport (an electronic passport with the chip symbol on the cover) and have your NZTD already completed. If you are travelling with young children or an older passport, you simply use the staffed lanes instead, which is perfectly normal.

The eGate is not a separate document to arrange, and there is nothing to book. It simply reads the passport you already hold and matches it to the declaration you already submitted. That is the whole reason completing the NZTD before you land matters: the gate has nothing to check against if the declaration is not done.

• Check for the small chip symbol on your passport cover to confirm it is an ePassport.
• Complete the NZTD before you land so the gate has something to match.
• Remove hats and sunglasses so the camera can read your face.

In short: for the eGate you need to be 10 or older, hold an ePassport and have finished the NZTD; otherwise the staffed desks work fine.

Put it together before you fly

The smoothest arrivals happen when everything is prepared in advance. A day or two before departure, gather your passport, airline confirmation and first accommodation address, then complete the NZTD once your travel is within the submission window.

A tidy sequence looks like this:

1. Well ahead of the trip, sort your NZeTA or visa if your nationality needs one.
2. Confirm your passport validity and your first accommodation booking.
3. In the days before you fly, gather your flight details and think through biosecurity.
4. Within the submission window, complete a separate NZTD for each traveller.
5. Keep your passport handy for the border, whether you use an eGate or a staffed desk.

Good to know: doing the NZTD early leaves room to fix a typo or add a family member's declaration before you are standing in the arrivals hall.

If you want a walkthrough of the actual screens, see our guide on how to complete the NZTD, and check the timing in when to submit the NZTD. To keep the three acronyms straight, read NZTD vs NZeTA vs IVL, and for the border itself see the eGate and arrival process. Families travelling together will also want the NZTD for families and children.

In short: prepare your documents early, submit a separate NZTD for each traveller within its window, and use our step-by-step and timing guides to fill any gaps.

Key points

• The NZTD needs your passport details, arrival flight, first accommodation address, honest biosecurity answers and contact info.
• You type details rather than upload documents; everything is linked to your passport.
• The NZeTA or visa and the IVL are separate paid steps arranged before you travel.
• Citizens and residents skip the NZeTA and visa but still complete the NZTD.
• The eGate needs an ePassport, an age of 10 or over and a completed NZTD.
• Treat quoted fees and timings as current and confirm them on the official site.

FAQ: NZTD requirements and documents

Do I need to upload any documents into the NZTD?

No. You type in your details, such as passport number, flight and address. The declaration is then linked to your passport and checked automatically, so there are no file uploads.

How valid does my passport need to be?

Your passport must be valid, and many travellers keep validity well beyond their departure from New Zealand. The exact rule can depend on your nationality, so confirm it on the official channels before you book.

What accommodation address should I give?

Use where you plan to spend your first night, such as a hotel, hostel, campground or a friend's home. It describes where you will be, not a binding itinerary, so a first confirmed booking is fine.

Is the NZTD the same as the NZeTA?

No. The NZeTA is a paid travel authorisation arranged before you fly, based on your nationality. The NZTD is a free arrival declaration. You may need both, and one never replaces the other.

Does completing the NZTD let me travel to New Zealand?

Not on its own. If your nationality requires an NZeTA or visa, that grants permission to travel. The NZTD is an arrival declaration you complete in addition to it.

Do children and babies need their own NZTD?

Yes. Every traveller needs a declaration, including infants and children. An adult can complete it on their behalf, but there must be one per person.

Do New Zealand citizens have to complete the NZTD?

Yes. Citizens and residents still complete the NZTD for arrival. They simply do not need an NZeTA or visa, since they already have the right to enter.

What do I need to use an eGate?

Generally you must be 10 or older, hold an ePassport with the chip symbol, and have your NZTD completed. If any of those do not apply, you use the staffed passport lanes instead.

What should I declare for biosecurity?

Declare food, animal and plant products, camping and hiking gear, and boots that have touched soil or water. When in doubt, declare it. Not declaring a risk item can lead to an instant fine.

How much are the NZeTA and IVL?

The IVL is roughly 100 NZD per person and the NZeTA has its own fee, usually paid together. These amounts change, so treat them as current and confirm the latest figures on the official site.

Last updated: July 2026. Entry rules change; always confirm current requirements on the official New Zealand Traveller Declaration site before you travel.