New Zealand passport
Encyclopedia
New Zealand passports are issued to New Zealand citizens
for the purpose of international travel. The Department of Internal Affairs
is responsible for issuing New Zealand passports.
began issuing New Zealand passports for the first time. Between 1948 and 1977, New Zealand passports bore the words 'New Zealand citizen and British subject'.
Starting on 1 July 1981, the Fraser Government
announced that New Zealand citizens could no longer travel to Australia
without passports, as it was felt that too many people who were not entitled to travel without passports to Australia were passing themselves off as New Zealanders.
In 1992, the Department of Internal Affairs
started issuing machine readable passports in New Zealand, whilst New Zealand overseas posts continued to issue manual passports. Since 24 February 1992, children's names have no longer been endorsed in the passports of their parents. In 1996, the New Zealand High Commission
in London
began issuing machine readable passports. By 2003, only around 4% of all New Zealand passport holders still held a non-machine readable version.
On 26 October 2004, New Zealand diplomatic posts stopped issuing manual passports and, on the same day, began issuing short-term machine readable emergency travel documents for New Zealand citizens who need to travel urgently. One of the reasons for reducing the number of non-machine readable passports in circulation was to increase the security of New Zealand passports; another was that, starting on this day, New Zealanders travelling to the United States
under the Visa Waiver Program
were required to enter on a machine readable passport. From this date onwards, all New Zealand citizens applying for a passport overseas have had to send their application to the Passport Office in New Zealand
, Sydney
or London
. It has also meant that all New Zealand passports issued on or after 26 October 2004 are machine readable. Remaining non-machine readable New Zealand passports (M series) are still valid and will expire by 25 October 2014 at the latest (only around 2% of New Zealand passport holders still have a non-machine readable version).
All passports issued on or after 24 April 2005 - both adult and child - have a maximum validity of five years as a result of the Passports Amendment Act (2005). Passports that were issued prior to this date continue to remain valid until the date of expiry as stated on the biodata page. On the same day, New Zealand passports were no longer endorsed with name changes, which meant that, for example, changing to a married name required applying for a new passport.
On 4 November 2005, the Department of Internal Affairs
began issuing New Zealand biometric passport
s (EA series). In order to cover the higher costs associated with the production of biometric passport
s (compared with the previous machine readable passports), the application cost increased from NZ$71 to NZ$150 for adults and from NZ$36 to NZ$80 for children.
On 23 November 2009, the Department of Internal Affairs
launched a new (and the current) version of the biometric passport
(LA series), supplied under a contract with the Canadian Bank Note Company
at a cost of just under $100 million over five years. One of the motivations for a new passport design was to ensure that it would remain difficult to produce counterfeit New Zealand passports. Unlike the previous biometric passport
, photographs on the biodata page are now laser engraved in black and white for extra security.
The Department of Internal Affairs
plans to have a new passport design within 5 years of the last launch (i.e. before November 2014) in order to keep ahead of fraudsters who seek to counterfeit New Zealand passports.
and New Zealand Certificate of Identity
for details.
, Christchurch
and Wellington
in New Zealand
, as well as overseas offices in Sydney
and London
. New Zealand Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates outside of Sydney and London are not able to issue passports, although diplomatic officers may be able to provide application forms and assist in communicating with an issuing office.
Regular passports cost NZ$153.30 (adult) and NZ$81.70 (child) when issued in New Zealand, AU$162 (adult) and AU$83 (child) in Australia and £76 (adult) and £40 (child) in the United Kingdom. Additional fees may apply for expedited services and delivery.
In emergencies, some New Zealand Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates may be able to issue an Emergency Travel Document with a validity of only one year intended to assist New Zealand citizens who do not have the time to obtain a passport in time to travel. An application for a New Zealand Emergency Travel Document (ETD) costs NZ$350 and includes the fee for a full replacement passport before the expiration of the ETD. In countries where there is no New Zealand diplomatic post, New Zealand citizens who need to travel urgently and whose passport has expired, been lost or been stolen can be issued with an Emergency Travel Document
at a cost of £95 by a British foreign mission as long as this has been cleared with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
.
As an alternative to obtaining a New Zealand passport, New Zealand citizens with another nationality and a foreign passport/travel document can apply for an endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship from Immigration New Zealand
(INZ). The endorsement can either be physically affixed inside the foreign passport/travel document or can be electronically linked in INZ's database to the foreign passport/travel document. An endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship is valid for the duration of the foreign passport/travel document it is endorsed in or electronically linked to. An endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship costs NZ$130 for first time applications and NZ$80 for subsequent applications, which means that it is cheaper than obtaining a regular adult New Zealand passport. Given that the maximum validity of New Zealand passports is 5 years (for both adults and children), an endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship may work out to be an even more economic option if affixed inside or linked electronically to a foreign passport/travel document which has a longer validity (e.g. 10 years). It is also easier to obtain an endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship than a New Zealand passport overseas, since an endorsement can be issued at INZ offices in Apia, Bangkok
, Beijing
, Ho Chi Minh City
, Hong Kong
, Jakarta
, London
, Moscow
, Mumbai
, New Delhi
, Nuku’alofa, Pretoria
, Shanghai
, Singapore
, Suva
, Sydney
and Taipei
, whilst New Zealand passports are only issued overseas by the Department of Internal Affairs in Sydney and London. However, New Zealand citizens with dual/multiple nationality travelling on a passport/travel document issued by another country may be unable to access New Zealand consular assistance whilst overseas and may not be able to enjoy as many visa exemptions. For example, a dual New Zealand and Samoan
citizen travelling only on a Samoan passport
with an endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship affixed inside is unable to obtain a Special Category Visa
(SCV) upon arrival in Australia
and must obtain an Australian visitor visa before travelling, since to obtain an SCV a New Zealand citizen must present a valid New Zealand passport.
emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "NEW ZEALAND PASSPORT" and "URUWHENUA AOTEAROA" are inscribed above the coat of arms in silver. The standard biometric symbol is on the bottom. Passports prior to November 2009 were navy blue.
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone.
and in Māori
:
and Māori
. (Previously English and French.)
, Eli Cara and Uriel Kelman, were convicted and jailed for attempting to obtain New Zealand passports through submitting fraudulent applications
. A third suspected Mossad
agent, Zev William Barkan, who was a former Israeli diplomat based in Europe was involved in stealing the identity of a tetraplegic Aucklander to obtain a passport fraudulently in his name. It was not until a year later that the Israeli Government formally apologised to the New Zealand Government for its actions.
aroused the suspicion of the New Zealand Government, which decided to investigate whether he and his companions had links to Mossad
. In particular, there were concerns that the travellers may have been trying to infiltrate the police national computer system to gain access to information which could be used to clone New Zealand passports, as well as other highly sensitive intelligence files. The story then gained media attention worldwide after it was revealed by The Southland Times
in July 2011.
Mizrahi, who died in the earthquake after being crushed by falling masonry in a parked van, was found in possession of at least five foreign passports. All of his travelling companions, Michal Fraidman, Liron Sade and Guy Jordan, met with Israeli officials and left New Zealand within twelve hours of the earthquake (despite the chaos and difficulties relating to travel and communication in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake), having been personally escorted by Shemi Tzur, the Israeli ambassador, to the airport. Not long afterwards, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
phoned the New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key
, four times to enquire about the four Israeli travellers.
Further suspicions regarding the real identity of Mizrahi were raised when The Southland Times
revealed that, despite media reports within Israel
describing him as a popular person, a Facebook
tribute page had only received five comments.
Although no conclusive evidence could be found to implicate the four Israeli backpackers, leading security experts, such as Paul Buchanan, have nonetheless continued to argue that there remain many unanswered questions surrounding the affair.
New Zealand nationality law
New Zealand citizenship was created on 1 January 1949 by the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948...
for the purpose of international travel. The Department of Internal Affairs
Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is a state sector organisation whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship and gambling law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil...
is responsible for issuing New Zealand passports.
History
In 1948, following the creation of New Zealand citizenship with the passing of the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act, the Department of Internal AffairsDepartment of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is a state sector organisation whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship and gambling law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil...
began issuing New Zealand passports for the first time. Between 1948 and 1977, New Zealand passports bore the words 'New Zealand citizen and British subject'.
Starting on 1 July 1981, the Fraser Government
Fraser Government
The Fraser Government refers to the federal Executive Government of Australia led by Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser. It was made up of members of a Liberal Party of Australia-Country Party of Australia coalition in the Australian Parliament from November 1975 to March 1983...
announced that New Zealand citizens could no longer travel to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
without passports, as it was felt that too many people who were not entitled to travel without passports to Australia were passing themselves off as New Zealanders.
In 1992, the Department of Internal Affairs
Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is a state sector organisation whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship and gambling law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil...
started issuing machine readable passports in New Zealand, whilst New Zealand overseas posts continued to issue manual passports. Since 24 February 1992, children's names have no longer been endorsed in the passports of their parents. In 1996, the New Zealand High Commission
New Zealand House
The High Commission of New Zealand in London is housed in a skyscraper known as New Zealand House in The Haymarket, London, off Pall Mall...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
began issuing machine readable passports. By 2003, only around 4% of all New Zealand passport holders still held a non-machine readable version.
On 26 October 2004, New Zealand diplomatic posts stopped issuing manual passports and, on the same day, began issuing short-term machine readable emergency travel documents for New Zealand citizens who need to travel urgently. One of the reasons for reducing the number of non-machine readable passports in circulation was to increase the security of New Zealand passports; another was that, starting on this day, New Zealanders travelling to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
under the Visa Waiver Program
Visa Waiver Program
The Visa Waiver Program is a program of the United States Government which allows citizens of specific countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for up to 90 days without having to obtain a visa. The program applies to the 50 U.S. states as well as the U.S...
were required to enter on a machine readable passport. From this date onwards, all New Zealand citizens applying for a passport overseas have had to send their application to the Passport Office in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
or London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It has also meant that all New Zealand passports issued on or after 26 October 2004 are machine readable. Remaining non-machine readable New Zealand passports (M series) are still valid and will expire by 25 October 2014 at the latest (only around 2% of New Zealand passport holders still have a non-machine readable version).
All passports issued on or after 24 April 2005 - both adult and child - have a maximum validity of five years as a result of the Passports Amendment Act (2005). Passports that were issued prior to this date continue to remain valid until the date of expiry as stated on the biodata page. On the same day, New Zealand passports were no longer endorsed with name changes, which meant that, for example, changing to a married name required applying for a new passport.
On 4 November 2005, the Department of Internal Affairs
Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is a state sector organisation whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship and gambling law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil...
began issuing New Zealand biometric passport
Biometric passport
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
s (EA series). In order to cover the higher costs associated with the production of biometric passport
Biometric passport
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
s (compared with the previous machine readable passports), the application cost increased from NZ$71 to NZ$150 for adults and from NZ$36 to NZ$80 for children.
On 23 November 2009, the Department of Internal Affairs
Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is a state sector organisation whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship and gambling law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil...
launched a new (and the current) version of the biometric passport
Biometric passport
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
(LA series), supplied under a contract with the Canadian Bank Note Company
Canadian Bank Note Company
The Canadian Bank Note Company is a Canadian security printing company. It is probably best known for being one of two private companies holding contracts with the Bank of Canada to supply it with Canada's paper currency. The company's other clients include private businesses, national and...
at a cost of just under $100 million over five years. One of the motivations for a new passport design was to ensure that it would remain difficult to produce counterfeit New Zealand passports. Unlike the previous biometric passport
Biometric passport
A biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
, photographs on the biodata page are now laser engraved in black and white for extra security.
The Department of Internal Affairs
Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)
The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs is a state sector organisation whose roles include the issue of passports; administering citizenship grant applications, and lottery grant applications; enforcement of censorship and gambling law; registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil...
plans to have a new passport design within 5 years of the last launch (i.e. before November 2014) in order to keep ahead of fraudsters who seek to counterfeit New Zealand passports.
Entitlement to a passport
Only New Zealand citizens are entitled to be issued New Zealand passports. Other travel documents are available from the Department of Internal Affairs for New Zealand refugees or residents who are unable to obtain passports from their home countries but need to travel; see New Zealand Refugee Travel DocumentNew Zealand Refugee Travel Document
The New Zealand Refugee Travel Document is an international biometric travel document issued by the Department of Internal Affairs to a recognised refugee in New Zealand.-Use:...
and New Zealand Certificate of Identity
New Zealand Certificate of Identity
The New Zealand Certificate of Identity is an international biometric travel document issued by the Department of Internal Affairs to an alien resident of New Zealand who is unable to obtain a national passport. It is not usually issued to a person whose government is represented in either New...
for details.
Types
- Regular passport (black cover) - Issued for ordinary travel, such as vacations and business trips
- Diplomatic passport (red cover) - Issued to New Zealand diplomats, top ranking government officials and diplomatic couriers
- Official passport (green cover) - Issued to individuals representing the New Zealand government on official business
- Emergency travel document (black cover) - Issued for urgent travel
Obtaining a passport
The Department of Internal Affairs is responsible for issuing New Zealand passports. The Department of Internal Affairs issues passports from its offices in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
and Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, as well as overseas offices in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. New Zealand Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates outside of Sydney and London are not able to issue passports, although diplomatic officers may be able to provide application forms and assist in communicating with an issuing office.
Regular passports cost NZ$153.30 (adult) and NZ$81.70 (child) when issued in New Zealand, AU$162 (adult) and AU$83 (child) in Australia and £76 (adult) and £40 (child) in the United Kingdom. Additional fees may apply for expedited services and delivery.
In emergencies, some New Zealand Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates may be able to issue an Emergency Travel Document with a validity of only one year intended to assist New Zealand citizens who do not have the time to obtain a passport in time to travel. An application for a New Zealand Emergency Travel Document (ETD) costs NZ$350 and includes the fee for a full replacement passport before the expiration of the ETD. In countries where there is no New Zealand diplomatic post, New Zealand citizens who need to travel urgently and whose passport has expired, been lost or been stolen can be issued with an Emergency Travel Document
British emergency passport
British emergency passports are issued by British diplomatic posts to British nationals and unrepresented European Union and Commonwealth citizens for the purpose of urgent travel overseas with a maximum validity of one year.-Eligibility:British nationals, as well as unrepresented European Union...
at a cost of £95 by a British foreign mission as long as this has been cleared with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the New Zealand Government ministry responsible for promoting New Zealand's interests in trade and international relations....
.
As an alternative to obtaining a New Zealand passport, New Zealand citizens with another nationality and a foreign passport/travel document can apply for an endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship from Immigration New Zealand
Immigration New Zealand
Immigration New Zealand or INZ is a part of the Workforce group of the New Zealand Department of Labour. It is responsible for managing the benefits and consequences of immigration to New Zealand.-Visa:...
(INZ). The endorsement can either be physically affixed inside the foreign passport/travel document or can be electronically linked in INZ's database to the foreign passport/travel document. An endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship is valid for the duration of the foreign passport/travel document it is endorsed in or electronically linked to. An endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship costs NZ$130 for first time applications and NZ$80 for subsequent applications, which means that it is cheaper than obtaining a regular adult New Zealand passport. Given that the maximum validity of New Zealand passports is 5 years (for both adults and children), an endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship may work out to be an even more economic option if affixed inside or linked electronically to a foreign passport/travel document which has a longer validity (e.g. 10 years). It is also easier to obtain an endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship than a New Zealand passport overseas, since an endorsement can be issued at INZ offices in Apia, Bangkok
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, Nuku’alofa, Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
, Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and Taipei
Taipei
Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...
, whilst New Zealand passports are only issued overseas by the Department of Internal Affairs in Sydney and London. However, New Zealand citizens with dual/multiple nationality travelling on a passport/travel document issued by another country may be unable to access New Zealand consular assistance whilst overseas and may not be able to enjoy as many visa exemptions. For example, a dual New Zealand and Samoan
Samoan nationality law
Samoa has been an independent sovereign State since 1962. Prior to that, it was administered by New Zealand.The most recent Samoan law pertaining to citizenship is the Citizenship Act 2004...
citizen travelling only on a Samoan passport
Samoan passport
The Samoan Passport is an international travel document that is issued to Samoan citizens....
with an endorsement indicating New Zealand citizenship affixed inside is unable to obtain a Special Category Visa
Special Category Visa
A Special Category Visa is a type of Australian visa granted to most New Zealand citizens on arrival in Australia. New Zealand Citizens may then reside in Australia indefinitely under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement.- History :...
(SCV) upon arrival in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and must obtain an Australian visitor visa before travelling, since to obtain an SCV a New Zealand citizen must present a valid New Zealand passport.
Physical appearance
New Zealand passports are black, with New Zealand Coat of armsCoat of arms of New Zealand
The coat of arms of New Zealand is the official symbol of New Zealand. The initial coat of arms was granted by King George V on the 26 August 1911, and the current version was granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1956.-History and design:...
emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "NEW ZEALAND PASSPORT" and "URUWHENUA AOTEAROA" are inscribed above the coat of arms in silver. The standard biometric symbol is on the bottom. Passports prior to November 2009 were navy blue.
Biodata page
The biodata page of a New Zealand passport includes the following data:- Photo of passport holder
- Type (P)
- Issuing state
- Passport No.
- Surname
- Given names
- Nationality
- Date of birth
- Sex
- Place of birth (Passports Issued after December 2005 will only include city of birth)
- Date of issue
- Authority
- Date of expiry
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone.
Passport note
The passports contain a note from the issuing state that is addressed to the authorities of all other states, identifying the bearer as a citizen of that state and requesting that he or she be allowed to pass and be treated according to international norms. The note inside New Zealand passports states:- The Governor-GeneralGovernor-General of New ZealandThe Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
in the Realm of New Zealand requests in the Name of Her Majesty The Queen all whom it may concern to allow the holder to pass without delay or hindrance and in case of need to give all lawful assistance and protection.
and in Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
:
- He tono tēnei nā te Kāwana-Tianara O te Whenua o Aotearoa i raro i te Ingoa o Kuini Erihāpeti ki te hunga e tika ana kia kaua e akutōtia, e whakakōpekatia te tangata mau i te uruwhenua nei i ana haere, ā, i te wā e hiahiatia ai me āwhina, me manaaki.
Languages
The textual portions of New Zealand Passports are printed in both EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
. (Previously English and French.)
Refusal
Under the Passports Act 1992, the Minister of Internal Affairs has the power to refuse a passport, for example, on grounds of national security. The Minister also has the discretion to issue a passport for less than the full five year validity period.Israeli spies (2004)
In 2004, two Israeli intelligence agents working for MossadMossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
, Eli Cara and Uriel Kelman, were convicted and jailed for attempting to obtain New Zealand passports through submitting fraudulent applications
Passport fraud
Possible violations of the following statutes are investigated by the United States Diplomatic Security Service:*18 USC 1541 Issuance Without Authority*18 USC 1542 False Statement in Application and Use of Passport...
. A third suspected Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
agent, Zev William Barkan, who was a former Israeli diplomat based in Europe was involved in stealing the identity of a tetraplegic Aucklander to obtain a passport fraudulently in his name. It was not until a year later that the Israeli Government formally apologised to the New Zealand Government for its actions.
Israeli spies (2011)
A combination of unusual events immediately following the death of an Israeli, Ofer Mizrahi, in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake2011 Christchurch earthquake
The February 2011 Christchurch earthquake was a magnitude 6.3 earthquake that struck the Canterbury region in New Zealand's South Island at on local time , The earthquake was centred west of the town of Lyttelton, and south-east of the centre of Christchurch, New Zealand's second-most populous...
aroused the suspicion of the New Zealand Government, which decided to investigate whether he and his companions had links to Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
. In particular, there were concerns that the travellers may have been trying to infiltrate the police national computer system to gain access to information which could be used to clone New Zealand passports, as well as other highly sensitive intelligence files. The story then gained media attention worldwide after it was revealed by The Southland Times
The Southland Times
The Southland Times is the regional daily paper for Southland, including Invercargill, and neighbouring parts of Otago, in New Zealand.-History:...
in July 2011.
Mizrahi, who died in the earthquake after being crushed by falling masonry in a parked van, was found in possession of at least five foreign passports. All of his travelling companions, Michal Fraidman, Liron Sade and Guy Jordan, met with Israeli officials and left New Zealand within twelve hours of the earthquake (despite the chaos and difficulties relating to travel and communication in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake), having been personally escorted by Shemi Tzur, the Israeli ambassador, to the airport. Not long afterwards, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister of Israel. He serves also as the Chairman of the Likud Party, as a Knesset member, as the Health Minister of Israel, as the Pensioner Affairs Minister of Israel and as the Economic Strategy Minister of Israel.Netanyahu is the first and, to...
phoned the New Zealand Prime Minister, John Key
John Key
John Phillip Key is the 38th Prime Minister of New Zealand, in office since 2008. He has led the New Zealand National Party since 2006....
, four times to enquire about the four Israeli travellers.
Further suspicions regarding the real identity of Mizrahi were raised when The Southland Times
The Southland Times
The Southland Times is the regional daily paper for Southland, including Invercargill, and neighbouring parts of Otago, in New Zealand.-History:...
revealed that, despite media reports within Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
describing him as a popular person, a Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
tribute page had only received five comments.
Although no conclusive evidence could be found to implicate the four Israeli backpackers, leading security experts, such as Paul Buchanan, have nonetheless continued to argue that there remain many unanswered questions surrounding the affair.
See also
- Visa requirements for New Zealand citizensVisa requirements for New Zealand citizensNew Zealand citizens travelling on New Zealand passports are permitted to enter a number of foreign countries without the need to apply for a visa prior to arrival under certain conditions....
- New Zealand nationality lawNew Zealand nationality lawNew Zealand citizenship was created on 1 January 1949 by the British Nationality and New Zealand Citizenship Act 1948...
- Biometric passportBiometric passportA biometric passport, also known as an e-passport or ePassport, is a combined paper and electronic passport that contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of travelers...
External links
- Department of Internal Affairs: New Zealand Passports Services
- Images of a 1949 New Zealand passport from www.passportland.com