Group and Tour Escort Visitor Visas move to Immigration Online from 24 August

From 24 August 2026, Group Visitor and Tour Escort Visitor visa applications move to Immigration New Zealand's enhanced Immigration Online system, as part of the wider Our Future Services programme aimed at delivering a faster, more self-service immigration system.

The following visa products transition on 24 August 2026: the Group Visitor Visa, including the General, Approved Destination Status, and Visitor Visa for ADS Free and Independent Travellers categories, and the Tour Escort Visitor Visa. Applications can continue to be submitted in the current system right up until the transition date, so travel that has already been booked is not at risk.

New functionality

The new system will let applicants share a Group Visitor Visa application with other people involved in the process, including other group members and tour agency staff working on the application. Immigration New Zealand has engaged with visa processing staff, immigration professionals, and the tourism sector, including ADS agents, to design the new application and processing product.

Why the extra time

Immigration New Zealand has said the priority is a reliable, stable system, and the additional time before the transition allows for final testing before it opens for applications.

Where this sits in the bigger picture

Most other visitor visa products, including international student visas, other visitor visas, the Accredited Employer Work Visa, and permanent resident visas, have already moved to Immigration Online since the platform was introduced in 2021. This transition brings the system close to covering all visitor visa products. Immigration New Zealand has noted that its approach to paper-based applications for these products may be reviewed as part of the transition, though there are no changes to that at this stage.

For agents and tour operators

If your business submits Group Visitor or Tour Escort Visitor applications on behalf of clients, it is worth flagging the 24 August date internally now and watching for further detail from Immigration New Zealand as the transition date approaches.

While paper visa applications are slowly disappearing online visa applications create a new set of complexity. Rushing to lodge an application and missing key documents will slow down processing and risk failure.

If you would like to understand how this transition affects your current or planned applications, our team can assist.