New Zealand will trial visa waivers for Chinese visitors arriving from Australia starting this November, the Government has announced.
The “visa waiver status” changes would only apply to Chinese passport holders with a valid Australian visitor, work, student or family visa, and for stays of up to three months.
Immigration Minister Erica Stanford said the Government was helping to boost the country’s attractiveness as a destination for Chinese tourists.
“More than 240,000 Chinese visitor visas were granted in 2024, and we want those numbers to grow,” she said in a media release. “This will make it easier, cheaper and faster for them to cross the Tasman and visit our shores.
“The trial will last for 12 months and will be supplemented by further improvements to our immigration processes, making it easier for people applying for a visa.”
Immigration New Zealand was establishing a dedicated contact centre number and support in China for Chinese “Approved Destination Status” travel agents. New Simplified Chinese web content would also be published on the agency’s website.
Those applying for a visitor visa would also no longer need to have their document translations certified, which Stanford said would remove additional translation fees for all applicants, not just those from China.
These changes were in conjunction with the five-year multiple entry visitor visa and current average processing time of five working days for a Chinese visitor visa application, Stanford said.
Upston said China was one of New Zealand’s most important tourism markets and that more visitors meant a larger spend across the hospitality and tourism sectors.
“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,” she said.
The Government’s announcement follows calls for an easing of visa requirements for Chinese visitors, including from Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown, and the granting of visa-free access for New Zealanders to visit China last year.
