New Zealand the Latest Country Requiring an ETA
Updated March 25, 2019 by CJ
New Zealand is the latest jurisdiction adding overhead to the process of visiting. The government there has recently confirmed that from October the 1st, 2019 all air and cruise arrivals from visa waiver countries will need to hold an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) before travelling to New Zealand. Australian citizens and a few others are exempt.
Why this isn’t great for business travellers?
If your client requests a meeting the day after tomorrow in Wellington, there is now an extra hurdle to attending: You cannot guarantee that you will be allowed to board the plane to New Zealand within 72 hours of starting the process. This uncertainty means delaying your meeting until it can be resolved.
Previously the only uncertainty to entering the country was at the border. By rationally analysing your options, it always made sense to book flights and hotels as soon as the meeting was requested.
Now however, the logical course of action is to wait the “up to” 72 hours until the ETA is granted prior to booking. While ETA rejection is unlikely in New Zealand for those who previously counted on entry at the border, this is the start of a slippery slope of ETA jurisdictions around the world.
As an aside, early implementation of this scheme would not have avoided the recent tragedy due to the special relationship between Australia and New Zealand.