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Australia for New Zealand passport holders: Visa-free

Your circumstances

Passport:
🇳🇿 New Zealand
Lives in:
Not specified (general rule)
Going to:
🇦🇺 Australia
Purpose:
Holiday

Route summary

Visa-free

Visa-free (not from an official source)

Unofficial source – not verified

This rule is not from an official Australia government source. It is based on a secondary reference source (github.com). Confirm with the embassy or the official immigration authority before you travel.

Visa-free. Not from an official Australia government source; based on the Passport Index dataset (GitHub, last updated 18 Feb 2026), a single unofficial source. Low confidence, not verified - confirm with the embassy before travel.

Conditions

No conditions recorded for this route — check the official source.

About this route

Route type
Visa-free: no visa application needed.
Documents
Document list not published by the official source.
Fee
Fee not published by the official source.
Processing
Processing time not published by the official source.

Next step

Steps not published by the official source — use the official link to start.

Official sourcegithub.com ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Last checked 21 Oct 2026 against github.com · Secondary_research

Documents

Document list not published by the official source.

Fees

Fee not published by the official source.

Processing and validity

Processing time, validity and maximum stay: not published by the official source.

Quick answers

Do New Zealand passport holders need a visa for Australia?

Visa-free (not from an official source). Visa-free. Not from an official Australia government source; based on the Passport Index dataset (GitHub, last updated 18 Feb 2026), a single unofficial source. Low confidence, not verified - confirm with the embassy before travel. Source: https://github.com/ilyankou/passport-index-dataset/blob/master/passport-index-tidy-iso2.csv

Business, work or just passing through?

The rules above are for a holiday: tourism and visiting family and friends. Business visits, paid work and transit are covered separately below.

Business visits to Australia

Not verified yet (not yet covered). We haven't verified the business rules for New Zealand passport holders, and we don't publish rules we haven't checked against an official source. A rule that is awaiting verification or not yet covered is not a negative visa decision: it only means we haven't confirmed it on an official source yet. Until then, see immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.

Working in Australia

Free movement

New Zealand citizens – Special Category visa (subclass 444)

New Zealanders entering on a New Zealand passport are usually granted a Special Category visa on arrival, which lets them live, study and work in Australia indefinitely, subject to health and character requirements.

  • Enter Australia on a valid New Zealand passport
  • Health and character requirements

Source: New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade – Immigration status in Australia (mfat.govt.nz).

What the source says

"Most New Zealanders are issued with a non-protected Special Category visa (SCV) (subclass 444)" … "The SCV is granted depending on certain health and character requirements, and lets New Zealand citizens live, study and work in Australia indefinitely. But it is technically a temporary visa."

Other work routes in Australia (not needed if the right above applies to you)

These are the main routes and what they require. Whether you qualify depends on your circumstances; the official page decides.

Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) – permanent

For: Skilled workers nominated by an Australian employer

  • Nominated by an Australian employer
  • Necessary skills for the job
  • Health and character requirements
Length
Permanent
Longer term
Permanent visa

Source: Department of Home Affairs – subclass 186 (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au).

What the source says

"This visa lets skilled workers, who are nominated by their employer, live and work in Australia permanently." … "You must be nominated by an Australian employer"

Skilled Independent (subclass 189) – permanent, by invitation

For: Invited skilled workers (points-tested), eligible New Zealand citizens and eligible Hong Kong or BN(O) passport holders

  • Invitation to apply (points-tested stream)
  • Skills Australia needs
Length
Permanent
Longer term
Permanent visa

Source: Department of Home Affairs – subclass 189 (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au).

What the source says

"This visa is for invited workers, eligible New Zealand citizens and eligible Hong Kong or British National (Overseas) passport holders with skills we need, to live and work permanently anywhere in Australia."

Skills in Demand visa (subclass 482) – temporary, employer-sponsored

For: Workers nominated by an approved Australian employer (Core Skills or Specialist Skills stream)

  • Nominated for a skilled position by an approved sponsor
  • Right skills for the job
  • Relevant English language requirements
  • Core Skills stream: occupation market salary and your earnings at least the Core Skills Income Threshold – AUD 79,423 from 1 July 2026
  • Specialist Skills stream: higher threshold (AUD 141,210 before the 1 July 2026 indexation)

Source: Department of Home Affairs – subclass 482; Government of South Australia – income threshold notice; Federal Register of Legislation explanatory statement F2026L00329 (migration.sa.gov.au).

What the source says

"the Department of Home Affairs increased the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold ( TSMIT) and the Core Skills Income Threshold (CSIT) to $79,423" … "You must: be nominated for a skilled position by an approved sponsor have the right skills to do the job meet the relevant English language requirements" (https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/skills-in-demand-visa-subclass-482) … "AMSR be at least the specialist skills income threshold (currently $141,210)" (https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2026L00329/asmade/2026-03-24/es/original/pdf)

Checked 16 Oct 2026. Overview: Home Affairs – Working in Australia. Requirements, fees and thresholds change; confirm on the official page before applying.

Transit through Australia

Option 1
Visa-freeAirside transit (8 hours or less)

Transit without a visa (TWOV) – up to 8 hours, airside only

New Zealand is on Australia's transit-without-visa list: you can change planes in Australia without a visa if you arrive by air, leave by air to a third country within 8 hours, hold the documents for your destination and do not need to clear immigration or leave the transit lounge. Otherwise you need a Transit visa (subclass 771) or another visa.

Conditions

  • Confirmed onward flight to a third country within 8 hours of arrival.
  • You must not need to clear immigration (e.g. to collect baggage or change terminal) – if you do, you need a visa.
  • Hong Kong: HKSAR or BNO passport holders resident in Hong Kong; Taiwan: residents with an ordinary Taiwan passport.
Government fee
Fee not officially published
Processing
Not verified yet
Validity
Not verified yet
Max stay
Not verified yet
Steps, documents & where to apply

How to apply

Steps not verified yet — follow the official source below.

Documents checklist

Document list not verified yet — check the official source.

✓ Checked on the live official page

Official wording

“Home Affairs – Travellers eligible to transit without a visa (TWOV): 'you can transit Australia on your way to a third country ... without an Australian visa, provided you ... will arrive in Australia by aircraft; have a confirmed ticket to leave Australia to travel to a third country, by aircraft within 8 hours of arriving; ... must not need to clear immigration or leave the airport transit lounge' – eligible countries listed on the page.”

Alert me if this route changes

Get an email when we update the guidance for New Zealand passport holders going to Australia, after we've checked the change against the official source. Nothing else.

Tell me about changes to

We send a confirmation email first. Unconfirmed sign-ups are deleted after 7 days.

Before you go to Australia

Customs cash limits and the scams official travel advice warns about in Australia.

Common tourist traps

  1. Fake services and romance scams

    How it works: Scams targeting visitors include dating and romance scams, and websites offering fake services.

    How to avoid it: Check current scams on the government's Scamwatch website before paying anyone you haven't met.

Emergency numbers in Australia

Paraphrased from official travel advice: gov.uk · FCDO page updated 19 Mar 2026 · Last checked 24 Oct 2026.

Explore Australia

Planning more than the paperwork? Our Australia guide picks out places to visit, with a source for every tip.

Places to visit:
Great Barrier Reef · Uluru · Sydney Opera House
Read the full Australia guide

New Zealand passport: of the 153 destinations with a rule verified from an official source, 105 visa-free, 19 visa on arrival, 25 eVisa or travel authorisation, 4 embassy visa.

Australia: rules verified from an official source for 197 of 198 passports. Australia guide and every passport →

Where else can New Zealand passport holders travel? See every destination we cover →

Optional travel offers

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Plan your trip to Australia

Verify with the embassy before you book. Visa rules change without notice. We link every rule to its official source and last checked it on 21 Oct 2026, but the embassy, official e-visa portal and your airline have the final say. MyVisaPort is not a visa agent and is not affiliated with any government.