Vanuatu is on New Zealand's transit visa waiver list. An NZeTA covers transit through Auckland — but visiting New Zealand requires a Visitor Visa, and seasonal work runs through the RSE scheme.
Transit only
What the NZeTA covers
2 years
NZeTA validity
24 hours
Maximum layover
Under 72 hrs
Typical decision time
100% online
No embassy visit
Overview
Vanuatu is the largest single source of Recognised Seasonal Employer workers in New Zealand. Thousands of ni-Vanuatu travel each year to pick and pack fruit in Hawke's Bay, Marlborough, Nelson and Central Otago, and the remittances they send home are a meaningful part of the national economy.
That makes the distinction on this page especially important. Vanuatu is on New Zealand's transit visa waiver list, not the full visa waiver list. An NZeTA covers a change of planes at Auckland — it does not permit entry, and it has nothing to do with seasonal work.
Seasonal work runs entirely through the RSE scheme, which is employer-led and arranged before you travel. A visit for any other reason requires a Visitor Visa granted in advance.
At a glance
Eligibility
An NZeTA covers transit through Auckland only — changing planes and departing within 24 hours without leaving the terminal. For a visit of any kind you need a New Zealand Visitor Visa applied for before travel.
The Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme is the route for seasonal horticultural work, and it is how the overwhelming majority of ni-Vanuatu travel to New Zealand. An accredited New Zealand employer recruits through the Vanuatu Department of Labour, and the work visa is issued on the strength of that offer. You cannot apply independently and you cannot convert a Visitor Visa into RSE work.
Other work requires an employer-supported work visa, and study of any length requires a student visa. Neither can be arranged from an NZeTA or a Visitor Visa after arrival.
Stay & validity
The transit concession is narrow: Auckland International Airport only, a maximum of 24 hours, and you remain airside throughout.
A Visitor Visa is granted for a specified period with conditions attached, and is assessed on whether you intend to leave at the end of the visit.
An RSE work visa is tied to the specific employer who recruited you and to a defined season, typically up to seven months in a year. It does not permit working for another employer, moving regions without approval, or staying beyond the season.
Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your departure from New Zealand.
Pricing
Live fees for Vanuatu passport holders, shown all-in — the government charge, the tourism levy where it applies, and our service fee, with nothing added later.
Your nationality is pre-selected as Vanuatu
Requirements
Everything Vanuatu passport holders need before starting a request. The first five items apply to every applicant; the rest are specific to your nationality.
Passport bio-data page — a clear colour scan or photo showing your photograph, full name, date of birth, passport number and expiry date
Recent passport-style photograph — full face visible against a plain light background, taken within the last six months, no headwear other than for religious reasons
A valid email address, which is where the approval is sent and which you should keep accessible while travelling
A credit or debit card to pay the NZeTA request fee and the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy together
Your onward or return ticket details — border officers can ask to see evidence that you intend to leave
Simple process
Four steps, entirely online, with our team checking every field before anything reaches Immigration New Zealand.
Enter your passport details exactly as printed, answer the health and character questions, and upload your photo. Most people finish in under ten minutes.
Our team checks your photo dimensions, passport number, name spelling and declarations before anything is submitted to Immigration New Zealand.
Your request goes to Immigration New Zealand together with the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, and we track it until a decision is issued.
There is no sticker or label — the authorisation is held electronically against your passport number. We explain exactly what to show at check-in.
An NZeTA for transit is usually approved within minutes. A Visitor Visa takes several weeks and is assessed individually with supporting documents.
RSE applications run on the employer's timetable rather than yours, coordinated through the Vanuatu Department of Labour. If you are being recruited, the employer and the Department handle the visa process — be wary of anyone charging you a fee to arrange RSE work, since recruitment is not supposed to work that way.
Transit conditions
Transit without a visa is a narrow permission with hard limits. Read these before you book a connection through Auckland — a routing that breaks any one of them needs a different authorisation.
Transit without a visa is available at Auckland International Airport and nowhere else in New Zealand. You cannot transit through Wellington, Christchurch or Queenstown on this basis.
You must depart within 24 hours of arriving. Overnight connections that exceed that window need a Transit Visa or a Visitor Visa instead.
You remain in the international transit area for the whole layover. You cannot clear immigration, collect checked luggage, leave the terminal or spend the night in an off-airport hotel.
You need a confirmed ticket to your next destination and, where that destination requires one, a valid visa for it. Airlines verify both before boarding.
Getting there
Port Vila has direct services to Auckland with Air Vanuatu, and connections through Nadi, Sydney and Brisbane. RSE workers usually travel on charter or block-booked flights arranged by the employer.
Best time to go
The RSE season is what governs most travel. Work is concentrated between roughly October and May depending on the crop and region — thinning and pruning early, harvest and packing later — and the employer determines your travel dates.
For a family or holiday visit, New Zealand's summer of December to February gives the best conditions but is also the peak period for Visitor Visa applications.
New Zealand is one to two hours ahead of Vanuatu depending on daylight saving, so there is effectively no jet lag.
Avoid these
Declines are rare, and almost always technical rather than substantive. These are the problems that come up most often on requests from Vanuatu — we check for every one of them before submitting.
RSE recruitment runs through the Vanuatu Department of Labour and accredited New Zealand employers. Individuals charging fees to secure placements are operating outside the scheme, and workers who pay them frequently arrive to find no job exists. Verify any offer through the Department before parting with money.
It does not, under any circumstances. Working on a visitor entry is a breach that leads to removal and a re-entry ban, and it disqualifies you from future RSE participation — a far higher cost than the work is worth.
Port Vila to Auckland is a short direct flight, but Vanuatu is on the transit waiver list. Entering New Zealand requires a Visitor Visa or an RSE work visa granted before departure.
An RSE visa is tied to a specific employer and location. Moving to another grower or another region without going through the proper process breaches your visa conditions and affects future seasons.
Passport number mistyped
By far the most common problem. The authorisation is attached to the number you enter, so a single wrong character produces an NZeTA that does not exist as far as the airline is concerned.
An undeclared conviction
Immigration New Zealand asks about convictions, deportations and previous refusals. Undisclosed history found later is treated far more seriously than the original offence.
A photograph that fails the check
Shadows across the face, glasses, a busy background or a cropped chin all cause the automated check to reject an image, which turns an instant approval into a manual review.
Conditions
These conditions are set by Immigration New Zealand and do not vary by nationality. Two of them — the passport-linking rule and the cruise rule — catch out a lot of otherwise well-planned trips.
Your authorisation is held electronically against the passport number you entered. There is no label in your passport and nothing to print for immigration. If you renew or replace that passport, the NZeTA does not transfer — you must request a new one.
Every person travelling needs their own NZeTA, including newborns and children. A child cannot be added to a parent's request, and each one needs their own valid passport.
An approved NZeTA lasts two years from the date it is issued and can be used for any number of trips in that period, provided your passport remains valid. It cannot be extended — when it expires you simply request a new one.
The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy funds conservation and tourism infrastructure and is charged alongside the NZeTA request. It currently stands at NZD 100 and is payable once per NZeTA, not once per trip.
An NZeTA lets you board. The decision to admit you is made by a border officer at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch or Queenstown, who can ask about your funds, your accommodation and your intended departure.
Since October 2019 every cruise passenger arriving in New Zealand by sea needs an NZeTA or a visa, regardless of nationality — including passengers whose nationality would otherwise be exempt.
Consular services
The High Commission in Port Vila and the Vanuatu Department of Labour both matter far more here than an NZeTA does. The Department coordinates all RSE recruitment, and the High Commission supports Visitor Visa and other applications. If someone outside these channels offers you New Zealand work for a fee, treat it with considerable caution.
FAQs
The questions Vanuatu passport holders ask most often about travelling to New Zealand.
Yes. Vanuatu is on New Zealand's transit visa waiver list, not the full visa waiver list. An NZeTA only covers changing planes at Auckland within 24 hours. To enter New Zealand you need a Visitor Visa or, for seasonal work, an RSE work visa granted before you travel.
Through the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, coordinated by the Vanuatu Department of Labour. Accredited New Zealand employers recruit through the Department and the work visa follows from the job offer. You cannot apply independently, and you cannot convert a Visitor Visa into RSE work.
Almost certainly not. RSE recruitment runs through the Vanuatu Department of Labour and accredited employers, and workers should not be paying middlemen for placements. Verify any offer through the Department before paying anyone anything.
No. That is a breach of your visa conditions leading to removal and a re-entry ban, and it disqualifies you from future RSE participation. The cost is far higher than any short-term earnings.
Typically up to seven months in a year, tied to the specific employer who recruited you and to the season. It does not permit working for another grower, and it does not convert into residence.
Several weeks, assessed individually with supporting documents including evidence of funds, your travel plans and details of anyone you are visiting. Start well before booking non-refundable flights.
Your nationality is already set to Vanuatu. Complete the form in under ten minutes, and our team will check every detail before it reaches Immigration New Zealand.
Other nationalities
Stay limits, entry conditions and levy rules differ by passport. Here are the guides for other nationalities.
