NZ Group Visitor Visa Online 2026: Indian Travel Guide

Last checked 16 October 2026 against Immigration New Zealand (INZ) pages. Fees, forms and processing times change, so confirm on the linked INZ pages before you apply.

A family trip or a tour group from India to New Zealand does not always need a Group Visitor Visa. Many families are better off with ordinary Visitor Visas. This guide explains what the group visa is, who it suits, how the online process works and what to prepare, using INZ’s own pages.

Group Visitor Visa or ordinary Visitor Visa?

INZ describes the Group Visitor Visa for people who will arrive in and visit New Zealand together for the same purpose, with the same travel arrangements. The key points from that page:

Stay: normally up to 1 month, though INZ says it can be longer in some cases, for example a short-term study tour.
Cost: from NZ$271.
Processing: 80% within 2 weeks.
One person submits and pays for the group application. It must include a completed Visitor Visa application for each group member.

The ordinary Visitor Visa is different. INZ lists a stay of up to 6 or 9 months, a cost from NZ$441 and processing of 80% within 2 weeks. You cannot work on it, but you can study for up to 3 months.

So the group visa fits a single trip with a shared itinerary and a fixed leave date. If your relatives are coming at different times, for different reasons, or for longer than a month, check whether individual Visitor Visas suit you better. A family travelling outside a group should also look at INZ’s India checklist for the general visitor visa.

Who can be in the group

INZ’s India checklist says partners and dependent children up to age 19 can be included in a single application. Children aged 20 and over can travel with the group but must be included as separate individuals. A group can have up to 50 Visitor Visa applications in one Group Visitor Visa application (INZ).

Every person must meet the requirements of their own Visitor Visa. INZ says that if one person does not, their application could be declined and removed from the group, and the other applications are not affected.

Who does what: group roles

INZ’s group application page sets out these roles. One person can hold several of them.

Group creator. Creates the group in Immigration Online and is automatically a group administrator.
Group administrator. Can view and edit applications in the group, share them, pay for and submit the group application, and receive the group eVisa.
Group contact. The main point of contact for INZ about the group’s purpose, itinerary and travel dates. This person must have administrator access.
Group leader. Keeps the group together on arrival in New Zealand and provides travel documents if asked. If the leader is not an administrator, they will need a copy of the eVisa.
Applicants. Each person with an individual application. They only receive messages about their own application.

Each applicant must give permission for the administrator to view, edit and submit their application. If a tour escort travels with the group, INZ says they must apply separately for a Tour Escort Visitor Visa and be named in the itinerary.

The online steps

INZ says new Group Visitor Visa applications use its enhanced Immigration Online system, and from 1 October 2026 applications for this visa must be made online. The steps INZ lists start like this:

The group creator logs in to Immigration Online, goes to My groups and chooses Create a group.
They fill in the group form and upload documents for the group, such as a cover letter and itinerary.
An administrator creates each individual Visitor Visa application, and either completes it or shares it with the applicant to complete.
Each applicant agrees to the group process and gives permission to the administrator.
An administrator pays for and submits the group application with all individual applications.

Check the page for the full steps and INZ’s user guide, since the system has been changing.

What to prepare

The group application needs a travel itinerary and a signed declaration that the members intend to travel to New Zealand together for the same purpose. INZ says the itinerary should include the arrival date, where the group will stay and for how long, planned activities and accommodation, the leaving date for each member, and details of anyone else involved such as a tour escort.

INZ’s India checklist for the Group Visitor Visa (November 2024, written for paper and VAC applications, so use it as a guide to the evidence INZ expects) lists, for each member:

Passport identity pages and recent photographs.
English translations of any documents not in English, done by a translator who meets INZ’s requirements, not a family member or friend.
Evidence you can fund your stay and your travel out of New Zealand, for example bank statements or payslips for the last 3 months, tax returns for the last 2 years, credit card statements, or a sponsorship form.
Police certificates if the trip would take your total time in New Zealand to 24 months or more.

It also suggests a cover letter listing each person’s name, date of birth and passport number, and proof of relationship for partners and children, such as a marriage certificate or a child’s birth certificate. If a business supports the group, the checklist asks for a supporting letter, a list of applicants and company evidence such as registration, bank statements and tax returns.

Under INZ’s rules for the ordinary Visitor Visa, funds should be at least NZ$1,000 per month for maintenance and accommodation, or NZ$400 per month if accommodation is prepaid, unless a sponsor supports you (INZ operational manual). Each group member must also show they can leave New Zealand at the end of their stay.

Timing

INZ’s wait times page showed an average of 1 week for Visitor Visas and most completed within 2 weeks, for applications processed in the last 4 weeks. That page updates weekly, so check it on the day. INZ also warns that processing is busiest between September and March and advises applying early. We did not find an official “apply this many weeks ahead” figure for groups, so leave generous time, especially around Diwali, school holidays and the southern summer.

Mistakes to avoid

Choosing the group visa for a family whose members will travel on different dates.
Sending documents without English translations from an approved translator.
Forgetting the group contact needs administrator access.
Leaving out the signed declaration or itinerary.
Using an unlicensed agent to give immigration advice. INZ says people who are not licensed or exempt can only help with applications as part of their job and by recording information the applicant gives them.

For other visa options, see our guides to Indian visa rules in New Zealand and the NZ work visa for Indians in 2026.

This article is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm current requirements with INZ or a licensed immigration adviser.

About The Author

Daylon Sckoze

Daylon Sckoze is the editorial voice of Elvion Pulse: practical, source-checked guides on New Zealand visas, jobs, money, housing and settling in, written for the Indian community in Aotearoa and everyone planning the move. Every guide links its sources and carries a “last checked” date.

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