Mwenenzi

https://www.govt.nz/browse/immigration-and-visas/
https://www.govt.nz/browse/immigrati...uest-an-nzeta/
https://www.immigration.govt.nz/know...-question-1324
IMHO still need to pay the IVL-->https://www.govt.nz/browse/immigrati...-visitor-levy/
Unsure about the need for a NZeTA
NZeTA is not a visa.

FT master thread-->NZeTA required from 1 October 2019 to visit or transit New Zealand

worldiswide

Thanks.. since US is only a provisional APEC member the card doesn't list any countries that it is cleared for entry. Based on that we did apply for the nz eta..understand it is not a visa.

JamesBigglesworth

Just to clarify the way the APEC card works - once you have the card you would then apply for a business travel visa to each country you wanted to enter during the card validity period and that would be logged against the card for later entry, *saving you time down the road*. The card itself does not provide entry anywhere, per se.

The American card, by virtue of not being a "real" APEC card, does not allow you to do the pre-logged visa thing. The only benefit the US APEC card offers someone is access to the APEC lines at immigration in member countries. That is still an advantage in many countries as the APEC lines tend to be very short.

As an American you still need to do all the usual visa/pre-approval things that anyone else does. You ust get to use the APEC lines is all. Which, in the context of New Zealand, is meaningless because you can use the Smart Gates for entry anyway once you have the online ETA done.

docbert

This is NOT correct. The APEC card removes the need for a visa. It instead has a separate process for being pre-approved to enter any of the (full) APEC countries. There is no need to 'apply' for anything other than the ABTC itself. As a part of your application, it is first approved by the issuing country (ie, the country you're a citizen of), and is then sent to all other full APEC member countries for individual approval. Once you are approved by each country, those countries will be displayed on your card (Previous this was on the back of the physical card. Now it's in the app for the electronic card), and once that happens you can enter the country without a visa but under the rules of the ABTC program.

The US ABTC is very much a "real" card. It looks exactly the same as the non-US cards, and functions in exactly the same way (technically that's no longer true as the US still issues physical cards where most countries now do electronics cards, but otherwise...) The difference with the US (and Canada) cards is that because these countries are only "transitional" members of the scheme, holders of those cards are NOT submitted for pre-clearance from other member countries. So a US card will never have any countries listed on the back of the card, where a non-US/Canadan card will list somewhere between none and all other full member countries on the back.

Attempting to use a US-issued ABTC in New Zealand will follow exactly the same rules as a card issues by any other country - if New Zealand is listed as a pre-cleared country on the card, then no visa/NZeTA is required (for a business trip). The difference is that a US card will never have NZL listed, where another countries card might. Yes, that's somewhat semantics given that a US card will never have NZL listed - but it's more correct than saying it's not a real card!

This is correct. Just as for any other passenger who does not have an ABTC listing NZL on the back (regardless of the country the card is from), you need an approved NZeTA to enter. (There's a few exception here such as Australian citizens, but those obviously aren't relevant here).

JamesBigglesworth

False. You nominate which countries you want clearance from when you do your application for the card. You are applying for a visa for each one, it's just that it's being attached to the card rather than a specific passport. I'm not interested in your semantic game on that front as you're missing the entire point. (If you do want to play the semantic game then please note I'm using the terms "attached" and "passport" as terms of art for immigration purposes, not the vernacular.)

Again, semantics IMO that misses the point and also why I put 'real' in quotes: it doesn't actually serve/deliver the function the card was intended for. The US card is no more a real, functioning card than Herschel Walker's police badge was "a real police badge". The only thing the US card does is get you access to the ABTC lanes at immigration. Beyond that, it's useless.

Now you're being deliberately obtuse. If you'd prefer it being called "a real card that is close to worthless" then I can always use that phrase?

docbert

I can't speak for every countries application process, but I can speak for that of Australia as I hold an Australian ABTC. You do NOT nominate countries you want pre-clearance from. Your application is forward to ALL full ABTC countries (ie, all excluding US/Canada).

In the days of the plastic card you could specify a list of countries, and they would not issue a physical card until all of those countries had approved your application, and then they would issue a second card once all countries had approved (or rejected) your application. Despite this list, the application was still sent to all countries, and despite the fact I had only ticked 2 or 3 countries for this list, my interim card contained over half of all of the countries as those were the ones that had approved me at that stage they issues my interim card.

Now days Australia states that "You can nominate up to 5 economies for priority consideration". It's not clear what this actually does (if anything) but seems to be the current system of what I described above for the electronic card, with the advantage that "the economies that have approved your pre-clearance request will be displayed progressively on your Virtual ABTC home screen as each pre-clearance is granted".

The Australian application process is online now days, but it's easy to see that none of the Hong Kong, PNG or Malaysian forms have a list like you're describing. The latter two do have the option to select "priority" economies as I described above.

freed0m

For applicants from full membership countries, there is no such thing as “selective” pre-clearance. Your pre-clearance is always sent to every member countries. The priority ones are mainly to save the trouble for you to wait for a full clearance before getting the card. As long as the priority ones have cleared you, you will be issued an interim card, which will display all the countries which have ore-cleared you(maybe all, maybe some, but at least all the priority ones you select). You will receive another card after all member countries have made their decision, whether accepting or rejecting your pre-clearance.

During the COVID period, Vietnam allegedly stopped clearing anyone. I could not have my final card because of this. I checked with immigration of my home country after around 1 year(it was covid period, so I was not going to use it anyway) and they advised that I could get my final card without clearance from Vietnam. So my card still only has the 18 pre-clearance I had. Although applicants have no option of selective pre-clearance, they can get the final card without waiting for all the pre-clearance.

yyzprincess

One of the questions on the NxzeTA is: Have you ever been known by a different name?

I have to answer "Yes" And insert my name before marriage;
However it does not give option to state : before marriage I was known by my maiden name. After marriage by my married name only.
There is no option to indicate the different name was my maiden name.
How did your wife answer that question if after marriage goes by married name?
Australia ETA601 There is a similar question :"Alias" Once you answer :Yes: and insert Alias name there is an option to select "Other" once selected a box appears and I noted "Maiden Name"

docbert

The fact they don't give you the option to explain seems to make it fairly clear that they don't care why you changed your name, just that you did and what the old one was. At the end of the day it doesn't make any real difference if you changed your name due to marriage or some other reason - they just want to know all names/aliases you've used so that they can check those against their various databases just like they are going to do with your current name.

yyzprincess

Thank you.
I tried to apply online. Major issue uploading Jpg photo. Went to Staples that passport & Visa photos. provided the associate https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-...eptable-photos
She followed all instructions to make sure get a photo that meets requirements. Each photo was reject when we uploaded. She finally gave up.
Downloaded NZeTA android app.

Kmxu

App is the way to go.
My wife started my application a week before our trip began. For whatever reason, Australia resident was checked during the application (fat finger?). I was puzzled why my application fees were less than my wife's. This puzzle was solved at Air New Zealand (ANZ) lounge in SYD; I was not allowed to check in and the agent could not get a board passing for me. So, I re-applied the e-visa and paid the same amount of fees as my wife did. However, the approval e-mail never came. An ANZ lounge agent checked me in and gave me a boarding pass anyway. I promptly left the ANZ lounge for the nearby SK lounge after getting the boarding pass. I eventually received the approval email two and a half day later. I did not do anything bad during this period.

docbert

As you've probably already worked out, Australian (non-citizen) residents still need an NZeTA (~NZ$20 depending on how you apply), but they do not pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) which is NZ$35. Australian citizens don't need an NZeTA, and thus don't have to pay either.

Kmxu

The ANZ agent's first question was "are you an Australian resident?" after I gave him my US passport. I said no. And he asked me to reapply for e-visa.

progapanda

Is anybody else having issues with an NZ eTA application stuck in “Pending” state for more than the typical 72 hours it is supposed to take to receive a decision (as also stated on my eTA receipt).

I’m supposed to fly to AKL in less than 2 days’ time and am wondering if I should be getting worried about this and thinking about alternative flight plans? For what it’s worth, I’ve visited NZ several times before on the same U.S. passport I used in my latest eTA application.

sweetsleep

Getting a NZ visa is super fast. Make sure you remove any cover on your iPhone or Android so that it does not interfere with the NFC part of the application process(for taking a photo), I obtained both my Australia and NZ visas in less than 30 minutes from time I submitted to getting an approval,.