Your status: transit visa-waiver
New Zealand places the Republic of the Marshall Islands on its list of transit visa-waiver countries. This is a narrower status than the full visa waiver some countries enjoy. In practice, it means:
- You can change planes at Auckland International Airport without a transit visa, if you hold an approved NZeTA
- You can travel to New Zealand on an NZeTA if you arrive as a cruise ship passenger
- You can't enter New Zealand as a visitor by air on an NZeTA
- You can't leave the airport during your transit
The NZeTA requirement has applied since 1 October 2019. Your airline checks for an approved NZeTA when you check in for a flight that connects through Auckland.
Rules for transiting Auckland
Transit visa-waiver travellers must follow these conditions. If any of them don't fit your itinerary, you need a different visa.
| Airport | Auckland International Airport only. Other New Zealand airports are not available for transit without a visa. |
|---|---|
| Time | No more than 24 hours on the ground. |
| Location | You must stay in the international transit area at all times. |
| Onward travel | A confirmed onward ticket to a third country, leaving from the same airport. |
| Levy | Transit passengers don't pay the IVL tourism levy. |
Our New Zealand transit guide explains these rules in more detail, including what to do if your connection is delayed.
Visiting New Zealand instead
If you want to leave the airport in Auckland, even for a short stay, visit family, attend a church conference or go sightseeing, you need a New Zealand visitor visa. This is a separate application from the NZeTA, assessed by the New Zealand immigration authorities, and it usually takes longer.
Don't book on a transit NZeTA if you plan to stay. If you arrive by air with only an NZeTA and ask to enter New Zealand, you will be refused entry. Apply for the visitor visa well before you travel.
Read about the New Zealand visitor visa to understand what is involved.
Arriving on a cruise ship
Cruise travel is the exception. All cruise passengers can travel to New Zealand on an NZeTA, whatever their nationality. If you are joining a Pacific or trans-Tasman cruise that calls at New Zealand ports, you can apply for an NZeTA as a cruise visitor. If you plan to fly into New Zealand to join the ship, though, you will need a visitor visa for that part of the trip.
See our NZeTA for cruise passengers page for the details.
Typical routes from Majuro
The Marshall Islands sits in the central Pacific, north of the equator and about 12 hours ahead of UTC, close to New Zealand time. Getting from Majuro or Kwajalein to destinations in the South Pacific usually involves a regional connection. Common patterns include flights via Honolulu or Guam, via Tarawa and Nauru to Brisbane, or via Fiji.
Auckland is a useful transit point for travellers continuing to destinations such as Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands, Fiji or Australia. If your itinerary uses Auckland as a connection and you stay airside, a transit NZeTA is what you need. Many Marshallese also live and work in the United States, and if you are travelling from Hawaii or the US mainland on your Marshall Islands passport, the same rules apply.
Applying for a transit NZeTA
Choose "Transit" as your travel type
Or "Visit" if you are a cruise passenger.
Enter your Marshall Islands passport details
Your passport should be valid for your whole journey. Copy your name exactly as printed in the machine-readable zone.
Upload a photo
A clear, recent photo of your face against a plain background.
Pick a processing speed and pay
Normal 48–72 hours, emergency 24–48 hours or rush 12–24 hours. See the fees page for prices.
Families can add up to 10 travellers in one application. Each person, including children, gets their own NZeTA.
If you hold a second passport from a visa-waiver country, such as the United States, you could choose to travel on that passport instead. In that case, apply for the NZeTA with that passport and use it for the whole journey. The rules for that country then apply to you.
Travel day checklist
- The Marshall Islands passport you used for your NZeTA
- Your NZeTA confirmation email
- A confirmed onward flight leaving Auckland within 24 hours
- Any visa or travel authority needed for your final destination
If you have any doubts about your connection times, contact us before you travel, or start your transit NZeTA application now so it is ready well before your departure.
FAQs for Marshall Islands travellers
Not when arriving by air. The Marshall Islands is a transit visa-waiver country, so an NZeTA lets you transit through Auckland International Airport only. To enter New Zealand as a visitor by air, you need a visitor visa.
Up to 24 hours. You must stay in the international transit area and leave on an onward flight to another country from the same airport.
No. Transit passengers do not pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy.
Yes. Cruise ship passengers of any nationality can travel to New Zealand on an NZeTA, so Marshall Islands citizens can apply for one as cruise visitors.
No. New Zealand looks at your passport, not where you live. If you travel on a Marshall Islands passport, the transit visa-waiver rules apply.
No. Transit visa-waiver travellers can only transit through Auckland International Airport.