A New Zealand passport, or Uruwhenua o Aotearoa in Māori, is a travel document issued to citizens of New Zealand for international travel. Issued by the Department of Internal Affairs through Te Mata Uruwhenua (New Zealand’s Identity and Passports division), the passport allows citizens to travel abroad and return home freely without restriction.
This guide provides everything you need to know about the New Zealand citizenship and passport process, including who can get a passport, where to apply for one, passport costs, and how to renew a New Zealand passport.
New Zealand passports: Key Takeaways
Who can get a New Zealand Passport?
Only New Zealand citizens qualify for a New Zealand passport. New Zealand citizenship is given by birth, descent, or grant. To qualify for New Zealand citizenship, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- You were born in New Zealand before 1 January 2006 or were born in New Zealand to at least one parent who is a New Zealand citizen or legal resident.
- You were born overseas to at least one parent who held New Zealand citizenship by birth at the time of your birth.
- You are a New Zealand permanent resident and have lived in the country for at least five years.
New Zealand Golden Visa holders qualify for permanent residency, but must have accumulated at least 1,350 days of physical presence over five years to apply for New Zealand citizenship by grant.
New Zealand Passport Types and Validity
Two types of ordinary New Zealand passports are issued to regular citizens:
- Adult passport: Issued to citizens 16 and over and valid for ten years.
- Child passport: Issued to citizens under 16 and valid for five years.
After a child turns 16, their passport is still valid until it expires.
Diplomatic and official passports are issued to New Zealand diplomats, government officials, and individuals representing the New Zealand government on official business.
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs issues special travel documents to New Zealand refugees and legal residents who can’t get a passport from their country but need to travel urgently.
Recognized refugees are issued a New Zealand Refugee Travel Document, and legal residents are issued a New Zealand Certificate of Identity. Refugee Travel Documents and Certificates of Identity are issued only in exceptional circumstances, which may require assistance from a New Zealand immigration agency to support an application.
Passport appearance
The New Zealand passport design, since May 2021, uses a black cover with a silver coat of arms centrally positioned. Above it are the words “URUWHENUA AOTEAROA” and “NEW ZEALAND PASSPORT,” while the biometric symbol is shown below. Silver ferns are embossed along the edges of both the front and back covers.
The text of the New Zealand passport is in both English and Māori, including the holder’s information on the biodata page. Along with a black and white photo of the passport holder, some of the biodata page’s text includes:
- Type (Momo): P
- Passport No. (Tau Uruwhenua)
- Country (Whenua): NZL
- Surname (Ingoa whānau)
- Nationality (Iwi tūturu): NEW ZEALAND
- Date of birth (Rā whānau)
How to Apply for a New Zealand Passport
One of the biggest advantages of the New Zealand passport system is that first-time passport applications and passport renewals can be completed entirely online. First-time applications, renewals, replacing lost passports, and updates to personal details follow a similar online process.
To apply for your first New Zealand passport, you’ll need the following:
- RealMe login from realme.govt.nz
- 35mm by 45mm passport photo taken in the last six months
- Identity referee
- Contact number, email address, and registered address
- Birth certificate with your parents’ full names
- Proof of New Zealand citizenship (if applicable)
An important consideration for holders of a work visa or New Zealand Golden Visa for Indians and nationals of other non-English-speaking countries seeking naturalization and a New Zealand passport is that documents, such as birth certificates, must be officially translated into English.
Getting a passport for a child
Applying for a New Zealand child’s passport requires consent from a parent or legal guardian. This can only be provided by a parent listed on the child’s birth record or by a legal guardian. The consent giver must complete the relevant section of the New Zealand passport application and provide their full name, contact details, any name changes, and their relationship to the child.
Child born overseas
New Zealand citizens living abroad can pass citizenship on to their children. A child born outside New Zealand is normally considered a citizen by descent, meaning a formal registration of this status must be made before applying for their passport. With the original documents, including their birth certificate and passport photos, along with a completed New Zealand passport application form, you can apply for citizenship and a passport at the same time.
Application process
- Check the list under ‘What you need for your application’ at passports.govt.nz.
- Log into realme.govt.nz to start the application.
- After completing the New Zealand passport application process, you’ll be asked for card details to pay the passport fee.
- After submitting the application, the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) will assess it.
- Once your passport has been approved and produced, it can be delivered to you or collected from a Passport Office in New Zealand or one of two overseas passport offices in Sydney and London.
New Zealand Processing Times
The standard processing time for a New Zealand passport is about four weeks or 20 working days. Passports are often processed sooner, but applicants should allow at least four weeks to receive their passport, especially if they apply for a passport overseas or by paper through a New Zealand embassy, high commission, or consulate.
Urgent applications
New Zealand citizens can submit urgent passport applications, which are processed in about three working days, provided the application meets the Department of Internal Affairs’ standards. A processing time of two working days may be possible for applicants in New Zealand, Australia, or the United Kingdom. This would require calling the Passport Office to justify expedited processing.
Those outside New Zealand may be eligible for an emergency travel document. This document allows citizens without an ordinary passport to return to New Zealand or continue essential travel.
New Zealand Passport Costs
New Zealand passport applications submitted online and paper applications processed in New Zealand have the following fees:
- Adult passport: NZD $247
- Child passport: NZD $144
- Urgent (adult) passport: NZD $494
- Urgent (child) passport: NZD $391
The fees for applications processed at Passport Offices overseas are charged in local currency. A standard adult passport processed at the Passport Office in Australia costs AUD $286 (about NZD $344), and the cost for processing at the Passport Office in the United Kingdom is GBP £147 (about NZD $344).
An after-hours call-out service is available for urgent New Zealand passport applications. The service is available from 5 pm to 10 pm on weekdays and from 8 am to 10 pm on weekends or public holidays. The cost is NZD $1,001 for an adult passport and NZD $898 for a child passport.
Renewing a New Zealand Passport
New Zealand passport renewal is straightforward and follows the online process as a new passport application. To renew a passport with the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), New Zealand passport holders submit their renewal application via realme.govt.nz platform using their RealMe login. A recent passport photo is required. The standard or urgent passport fee must be paid to complete the process.
Replacing a lost, stolen, or damaged passport
New Zealand passport holders must inform the DIA as soon as they realize their passport is lost, stolen, or damaged. Passport replacement for lost, stolen, or damaged passports is done through the online application system, which allows citizens to select the current status of their passport. The old passport will be canceled upon submission of the application. A lost or stolen passport requires a police report and filling out a lost, stolen, or damaged declaration form on the DIA website.
If a passport has been compromised in a data breach or scam, it must be replaced in accordance with the standard New Zealand passport requirements for a lost or stolen passport, including the submission of a declaration. The DIA will flag the record, so extra checks are done if the passport details are used for travel or in future applications.
New Zealand Passport Ranking
The 2025 Global Passport Index ranks the New Zealand passport among the world’s strongest for travel access. The passport ranks 22nd overall and 12th for quality of life, increasing the appeal of the New Zealand Golden Visa for US citizens and other tier-one passport holders. New Zealand passport visa free countries comprise 183 destinations.
Passport benefits
Australia rights
New Zealand passport holders have the immediate right to live, work, and study in Australia without a visa under the Trans-Tasman Mobility Agreement.
Global access
The passport of New Zealand is one of the best for travel freedom. New Zealand passport visa free countries comprise 183 destinations, including the UK and the US for six months and the EU Schengen countries for 90 days every 180 days.
Travel convenience
With New Zealand biometric ePassports, holders can use automated border control systems, known as eGates, in many international airports to speed up the immigration process. New Zealand passport holders can use eGates in all the country’s international airports for a faster New Zealand immigration process, as well as specific airports in Australia, the UK, and Taiwan.
Dual citizenship
New Zealand permits dual nationality, which allows New Zealand passport holders to obtain and maintain other passports.
Social security
New Zealand passport holders have a social and economic safety net through access to public healthcare and public services, as well as free high-quality education.
Indefinite residency
New Zealand passport holders have the right to indefinite and unconditional residency in New Zealand, without requirements to renew a permit or justify extended time spent abroad.
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