News report | | 14/04/2020 | ±2 minutes reading time

The coronavirus outbreak in New Zealand has not been as severe as expected. Due to the isolated location of the country and the rapid intervention of the authorities, the virus has led to a minimal number of deaths. Now that Australia, too, is getting a better grip on the outbreak, both countries are looking into the possibilities of reopening the borders.

Economic necessity

The deal was proposed mainly for economic reasons. Like many other countries in the world, New Zealand and Australia are struggling with the consequences of the severe lockdowns. Recessions are looming, and by opening the borders, trade between the two countries can pick up again. In addition, tens of thousands of travellers will also be able to cross the border again, which will benefit the tourism industry in both countries. Most of the tourists who visit New Zealand each year come from Australia and vice versa.

The deal will be exclusive, which means that both New Zealand and Australia will not be allowed to make deals with other countries regarding tourism or trade. More than half a million New Zealanders live in Australia, and 75,000 Australians live in New Zealand. This measure will therefore, among other things, allow families to visit each other.

Other countries possibly added

Although, for the time being, the agreement only applies to New Zealand and Australia, New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is already looking into the possibility of extending it to other countries in due course. The main criterion for countries to qualify is to be able to demonstrate that they have full control of the coronavirus outbreak in their own country. At the moment, countries such as Taiwan and South Korea have the greatest chance of this, but there is also the possibility that countries on other continents will eventually be able to conclude similar deals with New Zealand.

The current situation for European countries: travelling and visas

For the time being, this seems a long way off for European countries. Unlike countries such as South Korea or Taiwan, the effects of Covid-19 in the west have been much more severe. Most European countries have to deal with tens of thousands of infections, resulting in thousands of deaths. It will therefore take much longer for these countries to fully control the situation.

European travellers will therefore continue to be subject to New Zealand's current travel ban for some time to come. European travellers will not be allowed to enter the country, even if they have a valid visa. The NZeTA visa, the most popular tourist visa for New Zealand, can still be applied for, but cannot currently be used to enter the country.

The deal between New Zealand and Australia can serve as inspiration for other countries. For example, the USA and Canada have already made plans to reopen the borders, and similar agreements will probably be made between European countries.

Please note: this news article about the visa for New Zealand is more than one year old. It might contain outdated information and advice, and no rights can therefore be derived from this article. Are you going on a trip soon and do you wish to do know what rules currently apply? Read all about the up-to-date information about the visa for New Zealand.

e-Visa.co.uk is a commercial and professional visa agency, and supports travellers in obtaining, among others, the New Zealand visa. e-Visa.co.uk is an official partner of the International Air Transport Association, IATA, with membership number 57231226, acts as an intermediary, is no law firm, nor does it employ lawyers, does not provide legal advice, and is in no way part of any government. You can also apply for a visa directly with the immigration service (123 NZD per visa, via nzeta.immigration.govt.nz). However, not with our level of support. If you submit your application via e-Visa.co.uk, our support centre is available to you 24/7. In addition, we manually check your application and all the documents you provide before submitting it to the immigration authorities on your behalf. If we suspect any errors or omissions while doing so, we will personally contact you to ensure that your application can still be processed quickly and correctly. To use our services, you pay us 123 NZD in consular fees, which we pay to the immigration service on your behalf, as well as £43.97 in service fees as compensation for our services, including VAT. Our services have saved many travellers from major problems during their trip. Should an application be rejected despite our support and verification, we will refund the full purchase price (unless an application for a previous New Zealand visa was rejected for the same traveller). Read more about our services here.