Quick guide by trip type
The document you need depends on how you are travelling and whether you plan to leave the airport. Find your situation below.
| Your trip | What you need |
|---|---|
| Flying through Auckland to another country, staying airside, under 24 hours | NZeTA (transit) |
| Joining a cruise that visits New Zealand | NZeTA (as a cruise visitor) |
| Flying to New Zealand to visit, study or attend an event | Visitor visa, or another visa |
| Transiting through Christchurch, Wellington or Queenstown | A transit visa or visitor visa |
| Layover longer than 24 hours in Auckland | A visitor visa |
What transit visa-waiver means
New Zealand divides countries into groups. Citizens of visa-waiver countries can visit without a visa. Citizens of transit visa-waiver countries, which include the Federated States of Micronesia, don't need a transit visa to pass through Auckland, but they do need a visa to enter New Zealand by air.
Since 1 October 2019, transit visa-waiver travellers have needed an NZeTA before they fly through Auckland. It is a digital authority linked to your passport. Your airline checks it at check-in for any flight with an Auckland connection.
Your passport decides. Many FSM citizens live in Guam, Hawaii or the US mainland. If you travel on your FSM passport, the transit visa-waiver rules apply wherever your journey starts.
Conditions at Auckland Airport
To transit without a visa, all of these must be true:
- You arrive and depart through Auckland International Airport
- You stay in the international transit area the whole time
- Your time in transit is 24 hours or less
- You hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country
- You have an approved NZeTA linked to the passport you are travelling on
If your connecting flight is cancelled and you would need to leave the airport, airline and airport staff will tell you what to do. Our transit guide has more about these situations.
Getting south from the FSM
The four states of the FSM, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae, are spread across a wide area of the western Pacific. Most long-distance journeys connect through Guam or Honolulu on island-hopping services. From there, travellers heading to the South Pacific often connect through Australia, Fiji or Asia, and Auckland may be one stop on a longer route to places such as Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands or Fiji.
Pohnpei and Kosrae are on a similar time zone to New Zealand, while Yap and Chuuk are a little behind. Remember that flight schedules in the region can change, and some routes don't run every day. Book connections with enough time, but keep your stop at Auckland under 24 hours.
If you want to visit New Zealand
A visit means anything beyond the airport transit area: seeing family, attending church or community events, sightseeing, or short study. For these, FSM citizens need a New Zealand visitor visa. It is a separate application, assessed by the New Zealand immigration authorities, and takes longer than an NZeTA.
A transit NZeTA can't be used to enter New Zealand by air. If you arrive without a visa and ask to enter, you will be refused.
The exception is cruise travel. All cruise passengers can travel to New Zealand on an NZeTA. See NZeTA for cruise passengers. For visitor visas, read our visitor visa overview.
How to apply for your NZeTA
Our online form takes about ten minutes and checks your details before submission. You will need your FSM passport, a clear photo and a payment card.
Select your travel type
Choose "Transit" for an Auckland connection, or "Visit" for a cruise.
Enter passport details
Copy your names from the machine-readable lines in your passport.
Add a photo
Plain background, face clearly visible, no hat or sunglasses.
Pay and submit
Choose normal (48–72 hours), emergency (24–48 hours) or rush (12–24 hours).
Apply for an NZeTA for Micronesia
Prices for each processing option are shown on our fees page. You can track your application on the status page.
Practical tips
- Make sure your passport is valid for your whole journey and for your final destination's requirements
- Each traveller, including children, needs their own NZeTA. You can add up to 10 people in one application
- Keep your NZeTA approval email on your phone
- Carry any visa needed for your final destination
- Allow enough time between flights, especially if your first leg is an island-hopping service that can be delayed
Planning ahead is the best way to avoid problems at check-in. Start your transit NZeTA now and keep the approval with your travel documents.
FAQs for travellers from Micronesia
Yes, if you are transiting through Auckland International Airport or arriving in New Zealand on a cruise ship. The FSM is a transit visa-waiver country.
No. You must stay in the international transit area for the whole time, which can be no more than 24 hours. To leave the airport you need a visitor visa.
You need a New Zealand visitor visa if you are flying in. It is a separate application from the NZeTA and should be made well before you travel.
Transit passengers don't pay the IVL tourism levy, while visitors do. See our fees page for the current prices of each option.
No. An NZeTA is linked to one passport. If your passport is replaced, apply for a new NZeTA before you travel again.
No. You must arrive and depart from Auckland International Airport. Transit through other New Zealand airports without a visa is not allowed.