Travel information & visa details

We enjoy welcoming visitors to New Zealand. To ensure you have an experience to remember, make sure you've done your homework and have everything sorted before you leave.

Passport holders of some countries and territories do not have to apply for a visa before they travel to NZ but must hold an NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority). Click here for a list of visa waiver countries and territories. If you are not sure whether you need a NZeTA or a visa, visit the New Zealand Immigration website.

Before travelling to New Zealand, you need to make sure your passport is valid for at least three months longer than your expected departure date. If you come from a country that needs a New Zealand visa to enter, please be sure to apply in advance.

You do not need a visa to visit New Zealand if you are:

• A New Zealand or Australian citizen or resident, or
• A UK citizen and/or passport holder (you can stay up to six months), or
• A citizen of a country which has a visa waiver agreement with New Zealand (you can stay up to three months)

If you have a biometric passport (or electronic passport) and are over 12 years old, you may be able to use New Zealand Customs eGate service. This allows you to complete your Customs and Immigration checks faster so you can get on with enjoying your visit to New Zealand.

IF YOU NEED A VISA:

If you are travelling from a non visa waiver country you must apply for a visa. Please start this process NOW. The conference is not liable for declined visas or visas that are not processed in time. Please ensure your visa application is submitted at least 6 weeks prior to the Congress but we recommend allowing up to 3 months, to be safe.

Refer to the travel advisory document for additional information.

IF YOU NEED AN OFFICIAL INVITATION LETTER:

An official invitation letter to support your visa application can be requested from the ISTA Secretariat at events@ista.ch

Please note that the Secretariat can only help with getting visa for those people who have registered and paid for the event.

For an invitation letter from the meeting organiser please supply the following information for the participant:
• Full name as shown in official documents (passport)
• Date of birth
• Place of birth
• Country of citizenship (country which issued your passport)
• Number of your passport
• Date of expiry of your passport

As soon as the required data has been received, the Secretariat will start the procedure of issuing the invitation
letter for you and will be sent to you by e-mail when ready. In you have any questions concerning visa
procedures, please read the information above or contact Kate Clark, Conference Innovators on katec@conference.nz

Travelling to New Zealand is easy. Flights are available from many international destinations. New Zealand is only a 9-12 hour overnight flight from most countries on the Pacific Rim.