New Zealand Opening Borders in 2022 – Stages and Dates Confirmed!

November 24, 2021

And finally, some good news for people who have been waiting tirelessly to visit New Zealand! New Zealand (NZ) borders are set to open from January 2022 to New Zealanders and for the other countries from April 2022.

This announcement gives certainty and a glimmer of hope to so many families, businesses, visitors, airlines, and airport companies that New Zealand is returning to a phase of normalcy.

The New Zealand Government has made an announcement that:

• Fully vaccinated Kiwis and other eligible travellers can travel to NZ from Australia without staying in MIQ from 11.59 pm Sunday, 16 January 2022
• Fully vaccinated Kiwis and other eligible travellers can travel to NZ from all other countries from 11.59 pm Sunday, 13 February 2022
• All fully vaccinated individuals will be able to travel to NZ from 30 April 2022 onwards, with the re-opening staged over time
• The Very High-Risk classification for Indonesia, Fiji, India, Pakistan, and Brazil will be removed early next month.

The border will open in three stages, and all travellers who are not needed to enter MIQ will still be required to do:

• a negative pre-departure test
• proof of being fully vaccinated
• a passenger declaration about travel history
• a day 0/1 test on arrival
• a requirement to self-isolate for seven days, and
• a final negative test before entering the community

Information on when visitors can enter New Zealand without going through MIQ:

Step 1:

From 11.59 p.m. on January 16, 2022, fully vaccinated New Zealand nationals, individuals with a residence-class visa, and other visitors qualifying under our present rules from Australia will be able to travel (provided they have been in Australia or New Zealand for the past 14 days).

Step 2:

From 11.59 pm Sunday 13 February, fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens, residence-class visa holders, and other travellers eligible under our present border settings, save from Very High-Risk nations, will be able to enter the country.

Step 3:

From 30 April onwards, open to fully vaccinated foreign nationals (perhaps staged by visa category).

Those who do not meet the criteria for the above 3-Steps will still be allowed to enter New Zealand under present border conditions will be placed in MIQ immediately upon arrival, where they will spend seven days in controlled isolation followed by three days at home.

With so many new announcements coming out, it is important to be abreast with these and it can get a bit overwhelming, which is why our team of skilful and proficient Licensed Immigration Advisers are here to provide assistance to you.

Get in touch with us at Immigration Advisers New Zealand Ltd., which provides up-to-date immigration information so you can consider opportunities and prepare yourself for the future. To know all the required processes and information contact us at:

Email:[email protected]

Call: +64 09 3790219.