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New Zealand visa resources

Processing times

Processing times vary widely by visa type and completeness of the application; Immigration New Zealand publishes current indicative times online.

Official guidance Regularly updated

Important

This information is for general guidance only. Meeting the requirements does not guarantee your application will be approved.

How long an application takes depends on the visa type, how complete your application is, and current demand. An NZeTA is normally issued within 72 hours, but full visa applications take longer, and student visas can take longer still where you must show tuition fees have been paid before a visa is issued.

Immigration New Zealand publishes indicative decision times for each visa on its fees and decision-times pages. Because these figures move with demand and policy changes, check the official page for the current estimate for your specific visa rather than relying on a fixed number.

Next steps

  1. Check the documents you’ll needView documents
  2. How to applyStart here
  3. Choose your visaFind a visa

Official sources

For the most accurate and up-to-date information, always refer to the official government sources.

Verified against official sources · last reviewed 2026-08-21. Information only — not legal advice.