Immigration New Zealand (INZ) has announced that group and tour escort visitor visa applications will move to its enhanced Immigration Online system from 20 July 2026. INZ says anyone applying for one of these visas around that time should be aware of some important changes.
According to INZ, the transition is part of its Our Future Services programme, which aims to modernise the immigration system by improving efficiency, agility, risk management and customer experience through a more sustainable digital service model. INZ says it intends to use smart technologies and automation, and to draw on data to identify and manage risk earlier, with the goal of a simpler, faster process, shorter waiting times, clearer communication on application status and greater self-service.
What changes from 20 July 2026
INZ says visa products are moving to enhanced Immigration Online in phases. The following products will transition on 20 July 2026.
Group Visitor Visa
- General
- Approved Destination Status (ADS)
Visitor Visa
- Tour Escort Visitor Visa
- General Visitor Visa for ADS Free and Independent Travellers (FIT)
Further detail on these visa types is available on the relevant INZ visa pages.
New application form and system
INZ says other visitor visa applications are already on enhanced Immigration Online, and that this transition is a significant step towards having all visitor visa products on the system. The small number of remaining visitor visas will move across with other visa products they are closely linked to.
INZ says it engaged with visa processing staff, immigration professionals and the international tourism sector, including ADS agents, to design the new Group Visitor Visa and Tour Escort Visitor Visa application and processing product. It says this feedback, drawn from people with real-world experience of applying for and processing these visas, shaped a process that focuses on making it easy to understand and clear about what is expected of applicants.
INZ says it is also building functionality that will let applicants share their Group Visitor Visa application with others, including other group members and tour agency staff working on the applications.
INZ says its approach to paper-based applications for these visa products may be considered as part of the transition, but that there will be no changes until it communicates otherwise. From 20 July 2026, new applications will be automatically directed through the new system. INZ says it will provide more information closer to the transition date by updating its news item and website.
Wider changes to application systems
INZ says that over the course of the Our Future Services programme it will move all visa applications onto the enhanced Immigration Online platform. The platform was first introduced in 2021, and INZ says several application types have already moved onto it, including international student visas, visitor visas, the Accredited Employer Work Visa and permanent resident visas.
More information about the programme, including when other visa types are likely to move to the new system, is available from INZ and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Our Future Services, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
