31 October 2021BY Sanela.barac
Wednesday, 06 October 2021
New vaccination requirement for non-citizen travellers to New Zealand from 1 November 2021
Full vaccination will become a requirement for non-New Zealand citizens arriving to New Zealand from 1 November.
Important things to note:
The requirement will not apply to:
– New Zealand citizens,
– children under the age of 17,
– and those who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons.
RSE workers coming to NZ as part of the one-way QFT arrangement with Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu will also be exempt due to existing vaccination requirements, as will refugees.
There will also be a process to seek exemptions from the Director General of Health on humanitarian grounds, or where people travelling with New Zealand citizens have not had the opportunity to be vaccinated within the timeframes.
Travellers will be required to declare their vaccination status when registering with the Managed Isolation Allocation System, as well as presenting proof of vaccination or a relevant exemption to their airline and to Customs officers once they land.
Everybody arriving will still be required to complete 14 days in Managed Isolation and Quarantine, and all travellers except those from exempt locations will still need to have evidence of a negative COVID-19 test result from an accredited laboratory within 72 hours of their first scheduled international flight.
Those subject to the requirement who fail to present proof of vaccination may be subject to an infringement notice under the COVID-19 Public Health Response Amendment Act 2020, which under a Bill currently before the House would see infringements carrying a maximum fine of $4000.
Read more and familiarise yourself before making travel plans.
Source: COVID19.govt.nz – Official New Zealand Covid19 Alerts and Updates Webpage
