All people travelling to New Zealand are now required to complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration prior to departure, the New Zealand High Commission has advised.

The announcement was made in a statement issued by the New Zealand High Commission in Samoa on Monday. According to the N.Z.H.C. statement, travellers can start their declaration up to 28 days prior to their departure. 

The new online system requires travellers to upload their contact details, recent travel history and COVID-19-related health information such as proof of vaccination for non-New Zealand citizens.

According to New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Samoa, Dr Trevor Matheson, the New Zealand Traveller Declaration will help secure New Zealand's borders.

“Over time, the New Zealand Traveller Declaration system will make processing and assessing travellers’ information faster and easier and help to manage the higher number of travellers expected at our borders,” he said. 

The New Zealand Traveller Declaration is also required for travellers who will be transiting through New Zealand to a third country.

The system will assess travellers’ information before they set off, and issue a Traveller Pass by email detailing the steps they need to take in order to enter New Zealand. 

Passengers will need the pass, which will contain a unique QR code, to board their flights and will also be required to present it at Customs upon arrival in New Zealand. It can be printed or saved on your mobile device.

Travellers will need to provide: passport details, flight information, travel history for 14 days prior to arriving in New Zealand, contact details in New Zealand as well as emergency contact details.

If a traveller is not a New Zealand citizen, he or she will also be required to provide proof of vaccination. Travellers departing from Samoa are not required to provide proof of a pre-departure test.

Once a travellers' New Zealand Traveller Declaration application has been processed, he or she will be issued a New Zealand Traveller Pass.

The traveller will need to show his or her New Zealand Traveller Pass on check-in at the airport and the Customs when he or she arrives in New Zealand. 

The New Zealand Government will need the information before a traveler flies to New Zealand so he or she knows what to do upon arrival. If a traveller does not meet the requirements, he or she will not be issued a Traveller Pass and they will be emailed to advise of their declaration being unsuccessful. If there was an error with the information submitted, the person can return to the declaration to correct and re-submit it.