NZeTA 4+

Once you get past the scanning process, the NZeTA system as a whole works as advertised. Unfortunately, the scanning process is absolutely TERRIBLE. In two different sessions, across lighting conditions all over the house and outdoorts, we had ridiculous results: my wife's passport would scan so fast you didn't even have a chance to steady your hand. On the first day nothing we tried whatsoever would get my passport number to scan. Nothing.

On the second try a day or two later, her passport scanned again in a fraction of a second. Mine took about an hour of messing around. Eventually it worked by using an angle that was not at all what the app says to do, under somewhat weird lighting conditions.

After we did the facial photography, our visas were off for approval. Hers was approved in about 13 minutes. Mine took a week. Why? Who knows. Maybe because NZ hates my passport, which was issued at the same time as hers. Maybe it's because I'm not as white as her. No idea!

I wish I hadn’t let all the negative reviews deter me. I don’t know if they’ve done updates and bug fixes since all of the complaints but it took less than 30 seconds to submit the application and was $52. Half the amount I paid via the third party service that never got my application approved. It’s the official transit authority’s app, so it’s what the airlines will direct you to.

Helpful tip (from a traveller en route to Australia with a New Zealand layover - you still need the eta even for a layover) have the airline check your passport and see if the authorization has been issued. The app showed “pending” for hours while I waited in the airport unable to get boarding passes or check in. When I went back up to the counter defeated to see about rebooking he could see it had actually been approved and was able to print my boarding passes. The agent said that happened to another couple as well, their status was showing pending (so they paid twice trying to submit another application in hopes that would help??) and it had actually already gone through.

No glitches, hiccups, errors, hurdles. Quick and foolproof. And better than the third parties.

I just want you to know the trouble we're having to see if you can advise some help. We are a family of 7 (with 5 small children) from the United States. We've been volunteering at a mission hospital in the highlands of Papua New Guinea for the past 5 weeks with limited email access, electricity etc... We had a planned layover in New Zealand Nov 7-12 on our way home. We booked and paid for an Air B&B in KatiKati, car rental etc...

After leaving the highlands and flying to the Port Moresby airport yesterday, we were unable to check into our flight to Brisbane and Auckland, we found about the new VISA waiver which went into place after we were already doing our mission work, and we were never notified. We had no idea. Unfortunately, we were not allowed on the flight, and we are now stuck with our young family in a very dangerous city.

Because this dilemma was not the airlines fault, we are paying for everything. Because we don't know when the NZ visas will be approved, we don't even have a departure ticket out of Papua New Guinea. I applied for my visa online yesterday and haven’t received approval. I tried this app, but every time I try to take a picture of my 2 year-old, it says “face not visualized.” We just want to get home with or without a layover in New Zealand. Could someone please help?

Thanks,
Derek and Amy Holmes and family (Elijah, Meredith, Cora, Reagan, and Silas)