eGate
- eGate is an automated way to get through passport control.
- eGate is available at four New Zealand airports for arriving and departing travellers.
- You can use eGate if you are 10 years of age or older and have an ePassport from countries listed below on this page.
- Everyone travelling into New Zealand needs to complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) before reaching passport control.
- eGate uses biometrics to match the picture of your face in your ePassport with the picture it takes of you at the gate.
eGates are at Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown airports for both arriving and departing travellers.
You can use eGate if you are 10 years of age or older, and have an ePassport from:
- New Zealand
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- China (excluding Hong Kong)
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Italy
- Ireland
- Japan
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- United States
When you arrive in New Zealand, before you go through an eGate, you must:
- have your passport ready to scan, and
- have completed a New Zealand Traveller Declaration
If you are using an eGate when departing New Zealand, you must have your passport and your boarding pass ready.
If a Customs officer cannot verify your identity with reasonable certainty in a visual check, they may ask you to go through an eGate.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration
Your New Zealand Traveller Declaration will be automatically checked:
- when you scan your passport at the eGate, or
- when a border officer checks your passport.
You do not need to print anything out.
To find out more, visit www.travellerdeclaration.govt.nz/
How eGate works
eGate uses biometrics to match the picture of your face in your ePassport with the picture it takes of you at the gate.
Make sure you look as similar to your ePassport photo as possible so eGate can work. Avoid headwear that obscures any part of your face, including:
- veils
- scarves
- hats
You can leave your eyeglasses on if:
- you are wearing them in your ePassport photo
- they have thin frames.
eGate can handle minor changes in your face, such as:
- you have gained or lost weight
- your hair has changed.
eGate and privacy
When you use eGate, Customs, Biosecurity and Immigration officials will use the information you provide – including your photo – to clear you and your items across New Zealand's border.
We keep your biometric information for three months before destroying it. We keep your other information, including information about your movements across New Zealand's border, indefinitely. Your information will be handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020, or as the law authorises. This might include your information being used by or shared with other law enforcement or border control authorities.
Relevant New Zealand legislation
eGate is an automated electronic system under section 296 of the Customs and Excise Act 2018. Details of the system are published here and in the New Zealand Gazette.