When will the border reopen?

The Prime Minister has said New Zealand will need to reach a certain level of herd immunity before border restrictions are significantly changed. At this stage, the roll out of a vaccine to the population is expected to start around March 2021.

The Minister of Covid-19 Response has said some travel restrictions will remain in place for another 12 to 18 months. It is difficult to accurately predict exactly when there will be easing at the border. Based on current comments by political leaders it is looking like late 2021 or mid-2022.

The border remains closed to tourists, international students, and most workers.

Anyone who is not a NZ citizen or resident wanting to enter New Zealand to work or join family should take specialist advice before applying for a border exemption. We are seeing people being declined 8 to 10 times before they come to see us. Our team can save a lot of time, heartache, expense, and stress by getting it right first time or advising against applying.