New Zealand to Reopen Borders for Quarantine-Free Travel in May 2022

Good news, avid travellers — you may soon travel to New Zealand!

On 16 Mar 2022, the New Zealand Government has announced that they will be bringing forward its border reopening date to next month, way ahead of the initial deadline proposed back in February.

Also read: Australia Is Officially Reopening to International Tourists: Here’s What We Know!

Image credit: Mark Tantrum

Commencing on 13 Apr 2022, fully vaccinated Australians will be the first group of travellers that will be allowed into the country quarantine-free. Beginning 2 May 2022, this will be expanded to include international visitors from about 60 visa-waiver countries and territories; such as the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, Germany, South Korea and Singapore. Travellers with existing visas but who are outside this list will be eligible for entry into New Zealand as well.

Travellers who do not fall under any of the above categories need not worry, as New Zealand is still on track to reopen its borders to everyone by October 2022.

What else to know about New Zealand borders reopening

Image credit: Ömer Faruk Bekdemir

However, that being said, travellers will have to meet these requirements in order to qualify for quarantine-free travel.

1. You must take a pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test 48 hours before departure and produce a negative result.
2. You must be fully vaccinated as per the vaccination requirements.
3. You are required to take 2 rapid antigen tests (RATs) during your self-isolation period on day 0/1 and day 5/6.

Also read: Morocco Is Reopening Its Borders to Foreign Tourists in February 2022

Unvaccinated New Zealanders and those who do not meet New Zealand’s vaccination requirements for self-isolation will be subjected to Managed Isolation and Quarantine (MIQ) upon arrival into the country.

Hopefully, this New Zealand borders reopening plan points to a brighter year for travel! So, how excited are you about this? Go ahead and tell us all about it on our Facebook page. 

Information extracted from a press release by Tourism New Zealand.