Official advice for New Zealanders living and travelling overseas
Official advice for New Zealanders living and travelling overseas
Reviewed: 15 January 2019, 14:20 NZDT
Between 22 and 27 January 2019, World Youth Day (a youth event organised by the Roman Catholic Church) will take place in Panama. Before you goIf you’re a New Zealander planning on attending World Youth Day, we encourage you to: Register your details with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the SafeTravel website so we can contact you and account for your well-being in an emergency. Take out comprehensive travel insurance that covers any pre-existing conditions and potential activiti...Read More
Reviewed: 17 December 2018, 09:10 NZDT
The holiday period in December and January is peak season for international travel, and we wish all New Zealanders safe travels over the summer holidays. We have some advice for Kiwi travellers to consider before departure: 1. Register with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on the SafeTravel website so that you receive important updates.2. Read the travel advisory for your destination so that you are aware of any potential risks. 3. Organise comprehensive travel insurance. To navigat...Read More
Reviewed: 10 December 2018, 12:30 NZDT
The Pacific cyclone season begins 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 autho...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: 12 November 2018, 12:30 NZDT
A series of wildfires have broken out in California. Many people have been killed and thousands displaced from their homes since the fires broke out. Evacuation orders are in place in several areas and emergency shelters have been opened. The Governor's Office of Emergency Services has activated the State Operations Center to the highest level and is coordinating with other local, state and federal emergency response officials to address emergency management needs. We recommend monitoring the ...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
Reviewed: 28 May 2018, 14:01 NZST
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. Increased numbers of dengue fever cases have been rep...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
Jamaica
Reviewed: 18 January 2019
Reviewed: 18 January 2019
Chile
Reviewed: 17 January 2019
Reviewed: 17 January 2019
Nepal
Reviewed: 15 January 2019
Reviewed: 15 January 2019
Denmark
Reviewed: 14 January 2019
Reviewed: 14 January 2019
Kyrgyzstan
Reviewed: 18 December 2018
Reviewed: 18 December 2018
Kuwait
Reviewed: 17 December 2018
Reviewed: 17 December 2018
South Sudan
Reviewed: 14 December 2018
Reviewed: 14 December 2018
Tanzania
Reviewed: 7 December 2018
Reviewed: 7 December 2018
Travelling or living overseas? Help us find you in an emergency, so we can check on your well-being or send you important information.
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If you access consular assistance through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, or register on SafeTravel we will collect and use your personal information for the purpose of providing consular services to you. Read More
Health alerts and general travel health tips....read more
This page provides information on how you can help yourself, and how we can help you, when things go wrong overseas...read more
Information on passports and visas for your next trip overseas....read more
Information on travel insurance and why it's important....read more
Please note, only consular emergencies, for example death, arrest, illness or injury to New Zealand citizens will be handled outside office hours.
Location and contact details for New Zealand Embassies around the world.