New Zealand Launches Visa Waiver Trial for Chinese Citizens Travelling from Australia

New Zealand announced it will be testing a visa waiver policy for Chinese citizens travelling from Australia, starting November 2025. 

According to Immigration New Zealand, Chinese passport holders travelling from Australia with a valid Australian visitor, work, student, or family visa will be able to visit New Zealand for up to three months with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authorization (NZeTA).

During the trial period, eligible Chinese citizens will not need to apply for a visa to visit New Zealand. However, the latest visa waiver status will not apply to Chinese nationals transiting through Australia. 

Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said the government is rolling out this trial to attract more Chinese tourists to New Zealand. 

“More than 240,000 Chinese visitor visas were granted in 2024, and we want those numbers to grow,” she said. “This will make it easier, cheaper, and faster for them to cross the Tasman and visit our shores.” 

According to Minister Stanford, the trial is expected to run for 12 months, and the government will be putting in place more improvements to facilitate the visa application process. 

Immigration New Zealand will also set up a dedicated contact center number and support in China for Chinese “Approved Destination Status” travel agents. It is also adding simplified Chinese content to its agency website to improve accessibility of information for Chinese nationals.

To simplify the visa application process, the agency is removing the requirement for certified translations on visa documents, which would remove additional translation fees for all applicants, including non-Chinese nationals. 

Minister Stanford added, “In the year ended March 2025, visitors from China contributed $1.24 billion to New Zealand’s economy, but there’s still more work to do to grow these numbers and drive further economic growth throughout the country.”