Official advice for New Zealanders living and travelling overseas
Official advice for New Zealanders living and travelling overseas
Posted: 18 March 2019, 14:10 NZDT
The terrorist attacks in Christchurch on 15 March, which were motivated by extreme right-wing ideology, have attracted global attention and strong international condemnation. International reactions to those events are difficult to predict and may change at short notice. New Zealanders travelling overseas should continue to use common sense, exercise caution and be vigilant. They should look out for and report suspicious behaviour, as they would in New Zealand. New Zealanders should conti...Read More
Reviewed: 1 March 2019, 14:45 NZDT
The United Kingdom (UK) is preparing to exit the European Union (EU) on 29 March 2019. We provide the following information for New Zealanders living in or travelling to the UK. New Zealand citizens who plan to continue living in the UK after it leaves the EU can use the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website tool to seek guidance on visa status and rights to stay. Further information can be found through the UK's Department for Exiting the European Union: https://www.gov.uk/government/...Read More
Reviewed: 27 February 2019, 15:26 NZDT
Measles is a highly infectious virus that spreads easily from person to person through the air, via breathing, coughing and sneezing. It affects both children and adults. The Ministry of Health is advising people travelling overseas to make sure they are fully immunised against measles before they go. While cases in New Zealand are rare because endemic measles has been eliminated here, the disease is regularly brought into the country through international travel. There are currently significant...Read More
Reviewed: 27 February 2019, 13:25 NZDT
People travelling to the Pacific should take extra steps to avoid mosquito bites following an outbreak of dengue fever. Outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses are common in the tropical and sub-tropical climates in most Pacific Islands, in North Queensland (Australia), Asia (including India), Africa and Central/South America. Dengue fever is spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito and cannot be spread directly from person to person. Dengue outbreaks continue to be reported from the Pac...Read More
Reviewed: 11 February 2019, 10:35 NZDT
The Pacific cyclone season began on 1 November and runs until 30 April. New Zealanders travelling to the Pacific are encouraged to register their details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Travellers who register can be warned if a major cyclone approaches and given advice on precautions to take. We can also make contact with you following a significant cyclone to check on your well-being. If you are in an area affected by a cyclone, you should follow the advice of the local author...Read More
Reviewed: 24 January 2019, 14:40 NZDT
Hantavirus is widespread in four regions in Argentina: North (Jujuy, Salta), Central (Buenos Aires, Santa Fe, and Entre Rios), Northeast (Misiones) and South (Rio Negro, Neuquen and Chubut). Earlier this year there was an outbreak of hantavirus in Epuyen (Chubut Province) in Southern Argentina. There is also a high number of hantavirus cases in the Los Santos Province of Panama. Hantavirus can be transmitted by contact with infected rodents. If you are travelling in the affected areas, avoid con...Read More
Reviewed: 3 December 2018, 10:40 NZDT
There are ongoing demonstrations in Paris and across France. Protests have turned violent and traffic has been disrupted across the country. We continue to advise New Zealanders in France to avoid all demonstrations, protests and rallies, follow any advice issued by the local authorities and monitor local media for developments. New Zealanders currently in or travelling to France are encouraged to register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and read the full advisory for France. N...Read More
Reviewed: 6 November 2018, 08:25 NZDT
If you’re heading overseas, don’t forget to take out comprehensive travel insurance. Your policy should cover any activities you plan to undertake (from scuba diving to scooter riding), personal liability, medical treatment, emergency medical evacuation, and any pre-existing medical conditions. Even minor medical treatment can be very expensive overseas. If you suffer an injury overseas and return to New Zealand, ACC may be able to help with treatment costs in New Zealand, but only if you i...Read More
Updated: 24 October 2018, 11:43 NZDT
On 1 August 2018, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Government confirmed an outbreak of the Ebola virus in North Kivu province, originating in Béni territory. On 24 September a case was also confirmed in Tchomia, a town on the Ugandan border approximately 200 kilometres north of the current hotspot of Beni.Between 4 May and 15 October 2018, 216 EVD cases have been reported, of which 181 are confirmed and 35 are probable. Currently there are no trade or travel restrictions to DRC, however, ...Read More
Reviewed: 15 October 2018, 14:30 NZDT
In June 2018 an outbreak of vaccine-derived poliovirus was declared by the Papua New Guinea Government in Morobe province. In July 2018, preparations for implementation of large scale immunization activities and intensified surveillance measures began. The overall risk of a polio disease transmission in New Zealand due to an importation from Papua New Guinea is very low. The risk of ongoing transmission in New Zealand is also very low, due to high vaccine coverage of the general population, high...Read More
Reviewed: 8 October 2018, 15:45 NZDT
Istanbul’s new airport opened on 31 October 2018, with commercial flights gradually transferring from Istanbul’s existing Ataturk International Airport (IST) through until the end of December 2018. Flights will be operating into/out of both airports during this period of transition. Flight delays, cancellations and traffic congestion around both airports are likely to occur during this period. We recommend you contact your airline for further details and to confirm the status of your fl...Read More
Reviewed: 8 October 2018, 12:35 NZDT
On 28 September 2018 a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. A tsunami later hit the coastal town of Palu and other parts of the Central Sulawesi province, sweeping houses and buildings on its way. At least 2,100 people have been confirmed dead and many are injured. We have upgraded our travel advisory level for Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. We now advise New Zealanders to avoid non-essential travel to Central Sulawesi, including the city of Palu, Donggala Dist...Read More
Reviewed: 10 September 2018, 09:05 NZST
Outbreaks of mosquito-borne illnesses are common in the tropical and sub-tropical climates in many Pacific Islands, in North Queensland (Australia), Asia (including India), tropical Africa and Latin/South America. West Nile virus is commonly found in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, North America and West Asia. Dengue fever, chikungunya virus and Zika virus are spread by the bite of an infected Aedes mosquito and cannot be spread directly from person to person. Malaria is caused by a parasite s...Read More
Reviewed: 20 August 2018, 16:00 NZST
We have changed the language we use within our travel advisory levels categories, to make them more useful for New Zealanders travelling overseas. The New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade now uses a four level system to give advice in each of our travel advisories: - Exercise normal safety and security precautions (previously “no significant security risk”) - Exercise increased caution (previously “some risk”) - Avoid non-essential travel (previously “high ris...Read More
Reviewed: 18 July 2018, 11:20 NZST
Due to recent law changes, the United States of America has implemented entry requirements when arriving into their territory, or travelling to Cuba from the US. These could impact your travel in the region. Additional security questions at check-in Passengers on direct flights to the United States may be subjected to additional security-based questions at their airline check-in counter and may require additional security screening. This may cause delays, so we advise passengers to ensure they a...Read More
Posted: 29 March 2018, 17:03 NZDT
The Fijian Ministry of Health and Medical Services has issued a public notice advising of an outbreak of meningococcal disease in Fiji. Though the risk for travellers to Fiji is low, people staying in local communities or for longer periods of time should be vigilant and aware of the symptoms of meningitis following an outbreak of meningococcal disease.Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection that causes two very serious illnesses: meningitis (an infection of the membranes that cover the b...Read More
Reviewed: 5 March 2018, 14:11 NZDT
Yellow fever is an acute viral disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. Infection with the yellow fever virus causes varying degrees of disease, from mild symptoms to severe illness with bleeding and jaundice. About 15% of people infected with yellow fever progress to a severe form of the illness, and half of those will die, as there is no cure for yellow fever. Beginning in late 2016, and continuing through 2017 the Brazilian Ministry of Health reported outbreaks of yellow fever in several e...Read More
Reviewed: 2 October 2017, 10:20 NZDT
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade liaises with the Ministry of Health to provide information on health issues for New Zealand travellers, including information on disease outbreaks and health precautions for travellers. For more information on travel health issues, please see our Health and Travel page. ...Read More
Myanmar
Reviewed: 6 March 2019
Reviewed: 6 March 2019
Zimbabwe
Reviewed: 4 March 2019
Reviewed: 4 March 2019
Egypt
Reviewed: 28 February 2019
Reviewed: 28 February 2019
Solomon Islands
Reviewed: 27 February 2019
Reviewed: 27 February 2019
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Information on passports and visas for your next trip overseas....read more
Information on travel insurance and why it's important....read more
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