New Zealand Immigration Update - Negative COVID-19 test required for most travellers

Background

The Government has announced it now requires travellers from most countries arriving in New Zealand to have a negative COVID-19 test result prior to departure.

Update

Travellers who are landing in New Zealand must have a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of departure. A negative test result is not required for travellers from:

• Antarctica

• Australia

• Cook Islands

• Federated States of Micronesia

• Fiji

• Kiribati

• Marshall Islands

• Nauru

• New Caledonia

• Niue

• Palau

• Samoa

• Solomon Islands

• Tokelau

• Tonga

• Tuvalu

• Vanuatu

• Wallis and Futuna

Nb: Children under 2 years of age do not need to take a pre-departure test.

Travellers from locations where the approved pre-departure testing is not available are exempt. Instead, travellers will need to get a certificate from a registered health professional confirming that they have no symptoms, less than 72 hours before travelling. Countries which fall under this exemption include:

• Albania

• Belize

• Dominica

• Kenya

• Laos

• Montenegro

• Myanmar

• Slovenia

• St Kitts and Nevis

• St Vincent and the Grenadines

• Tajikistan

• Turkmenistan

Approved tests

The following tests are acceptable:

• PCR/RT-PCR tests

• LAMP

• Antigen tests (also known as viral antigen tests or point-of-care (POC) antigen tests)

Our advice

It is important you check with your airline about any pre-departure testing requirements and factor these into your timings if you are planning to travel to New Zealand. Travellers should also remember that the requirement to secure a slot in managed isolation before travelling to New Zealand remains in force, with a significant wait list.

We would advise all travellers to confirm any travel requirements with an immigration adviser or solicitor as the rules continue to change.

Questions?

If you have any questions please get in touch with the team.