Foreign Office New Zealand travel warning over one thing 'everyone needs to do'

Holidaymakers heading to New Zealand are being warned of the one thing they must do before their trip. The Foreign Office has said that all tourists leaving the UK for New Zealand need to complete a special form.

In an update on entry requirements for New Zealand on Thursday, June 27, it said Brits must fill out a New Zealand Traveller Declaration. The form is free and can be completed online or via an app.

Paper applications are also accepted, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said. The form is important as it is linked to your passport and is checked when you arrive at the border.

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The FCDO said: "Everyone travelling into New Zealand needs to complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration. It is free and you can do it via the online form or the NZTD app.

"There is a paper declaration form available for travellers who cannot complete it online. Your declaration is linked to your passport and is checked when you arrive at the eGate or by a border officer.

"If you hold a New Zealand visa or a NZeTA, you still need to complete a declaration as well." If you are travelling by air, the earliest you can submit your declaration is 24 hours before your trip.

It needs to be submitted by the time you reach passport control in New Zealand, the FCDO said. For those travelling by sea, the earliest they can submit their declaration is 24 hours before leaving the vessel’s last foreign port prior to arriving in New Zealand.

The declaration needs to be submitted by the time the vessel has arrived at its first port in New Zealand, the FCDO added.