Dummy Ticket for a New Zealand Visitor Visa: What Exit Proof INZ Accepts

New Zealand’s visitor visa is one of the clearer cases for a dummy ticket, because the official guidance both asks for exit evidence and warns against committing money before approval. The tension resolves neatly once you separate what the application needs from what you need on arrival.

This guide explains INZ’s exit requirement, where a dummy ticket fits, what to add alongside it, what changes at the border and how this differs from NZeTA travel. For onward-ticket rules on arrival by visa type, see our separate guide to New Zealand onward tickets: paid ticket or funds.

Put simply, INZ accepts either a ticket or the money to buy one. A dummy ticket on its own is neither, so pair it with funds evidence.

What Does INZ Ask for as Exit Proof?

Under "Leaving New Zealand", INZ says you must be able to show that you plan to leave at the end of your stay. If you pay for yourself, you need to provide your ticket for travel out of New Zealand at the end of your stay, or documents such as bank or credit card statements that show you have enough money to buy a ticket. The money for your ticket must be in addition to what you need to live on.

If you are sponsored and have no return ticket, your sponsor can provide recent bank statements showing they can buy you a ticket out.

Where Does a Dummy Ticket Fit in the Application?

INZ recommends that travellers do not book any non-refundable travel until their Visitor Visa is approved. A dummy ticket, a real reservation with a verifiable PNR but no issued ticket, lets you show proposed travel dates without buying a fare you might lose.

• Use it to show your planned arrival and departure dates.

• Add bank or card statements showing enough money for a ticket out, on top of your living funds.

• Make sure the departure date fits the stay you request.

• Do not describe the reservation as a paid ticket.

A DummyFlights reservation costs $15 per person, carries a PNR valid for 48-72 hours and includes free date changes within the same day of booking. Because the PNR window is short, issue it close to submission.

How Much Money Should You Show?

The example converts monthly figures roughly. Show clear statements in your name, with the bank and currency visible, as INZ asks.

What Do You Need on Arrival?

INZ says that when you arrive you need a ticket to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay, proof you have enough money to buy one, or agreement that a sponsor will pay for one, plus proof you have enough money to live on. Officers can refuse entry if you cannot provide evidence of onward travel or the money to leave.

Every time you travel to New Zealand on this visa, you must have a ticket out or proof of funds to buy one, unless your visa says "Return/onward travel not required". Airlines may also check. Our page on whether airlines ask for proof of return before boarding explains typical questions.

How Is This Different for NZeTA Travellers?

INZ’s NZeTA page is stricter than many travellers expect. At check-in for your flight to New Zealand, you must be able to show that you intend to leave at the end of your stay, with a ticket for travel out of New Zealand to a country you have the right to enter. INZ says the ticket must already be paid for. If you leave by cruise ship or private craft, a cruise itinerary or a letter from the craft owner is accepted.

What Does an Example Application Look Like?

Neha, an Indian software engineer, plans 18 days in New Zealand. Her application includes INZ’s India checklist items, her passport, a dummy ticket showing Auckland arrival and Queenstown departure, hotel reservations, bank statements showing well over the living funds plus the cost of a one-way ticket, and her employer’s leave letter. After approval she buys her actual tickets and carries them on arrival.

For the general picture, see our guide on which ticket types satisfy proof of exit.

Who Needs an NZeTA and Who Needs a Visitor Visa?

INZ warns that visa waiver travellers who cannot meet any of the requirements may not be allowed to enter, even with an NZeTA. At the border INZ needs to see your passport, your NZeTA confirmation and a completed New Zealand Traveller Declaration.

What Does an NZeTA Trip Cost in Official Fees?

INZ says the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL) of NZD $100 is charged for most visitor visas, NZeTAs, student visas and some work schemes, and is paid together with the NZeTA request. You pay it every time you request an NZeTA or apply for a visa that includes it. INZ says it does not give the IVL back, even if it declines the application. There is no fee for the visa waiver visitor visa given on arrival.

Check the NZeTA fee itself on INZ’s fees tool, as it differs by how you apply.

How Do Funds and Tickets Work Together?

INZ says visa waiver travellers must provide travel tickets or evidence of onward travel and funds to support themselves, and may be asked for this on arrival. Funds and the exit ticket are judged together: a ticket dated in ten weeks needs funds for ten weeks.

Our guide to what an onward ticket is covers the general idea.

What Do Three New Zealand Exit Plans Look Like?

A UK backpacker on an NZeTA

She can stay up to 6 months. She buys a paid flight to Sydney dated in five months, checks that she can enter Australia, and carries the ticket out of Australia too, as the next country may also want onward proof.

A US couple on a three-week trip

They request NZeTAs and pay the IVL with the request. Their paid return to Los Angeles is dated day 21, and they carry bank cards and prepaid accommodation, so NZD $400 a month each applies.

A visa-required visitor

He applies for a visitor visa and shows evidence of onward travel. When the visa is granted he buys the actual flight, because he will present it at check-in.

What Is the Pre-Flight Checklist for New Zealand?

For a visitor visa application, where INZ asks for evidence of onward travel, a DummyFlights reservation costs $15 per person, carries a PNR valid for 48-72 hours and includes free date changes within the same day of booking. NZeTA travellers should hold a paid ticket.

What Are the Visitor Visa Basics in 2026?

INZ’s Visitor Visa page sets out the headline terms. People travelling on passports from some countries must apply for a Visitor Visa before visiting. It allows a stay of up to 6 or 9 months; you cannot work, but you can study for up to 3 months.

INZ recommends that travellers do not commit to bookings they cannot change until the Visitor Visa is approved. That is the main reason applicants show a flight reservation rather than an issued ticket when they apply.

Multiple-Entry or Single-Entry: How Does the Count Work?

INZ issues either a multiple-entry or a single-entry visa based on its assessment. The stay limit is counted backwards from your intended departure date, so your exit date drives the calculation.

Worked example: two visits on a multiple-entry visa

A visitor spent 2 months in New Zealand from February to March. She now plans a second visit ending on 30 November. Counting 12 months back from 30 November covers the February visit, so she has up to 4 more months available. Her exit record for the second trip should show departure on or before 30 November, and the trip should be no longer than 4 months.

Which Health and Character Checks Can Affect Your Dates?

INZ requires visitors to be in good health and of good character. How long you stay decides which evidence you need, so your exit date matters here too.

INZ says X-ray or medical evidence must be less than 3 months old when INZ receives it, and that it may ask for this evidence during processing even if you did not need it when you applied. Shortening a planned stay to under 6 months can remove the X-ray step for many applicants, but only if your exit record and itinerary really show that shorter stay.

How Do Partners, Children and Sponsors Fit In?

INZ lets you include your partner and dependent children aged 19 or younger in your application, with evidence of the relationship (such as marriage and birth certificates) and of their identity. If family members apply separately, INZ asks for a letter listing each member’s full name, date of birth, passport number and visa application number if known.

A sponsor, who can be an individual or an organisation, completes the Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry and becomes responsible for you while you are in New Zealand. INZ says supporting documents can include recent bank statements, pay slips, the employment agreement and ownership papers or rent receipts for your accommodation. If you are sponsored and have no return ticket, the sponsor can show bank statements proving they can buy you a ticket out.

What If You Live in the Schengen Area but Are Not an EU Citizen?

INZ’s exit rule asks for a ticket out to a country you have the right to enter. INZ says that if you will return to a Schengen member state after your visit but are not a citizen of a member state, evidence of your right to enter is a current copy of your Schengen visa.

• Include a copy of your current Schengen visa or residence document with the application.

• Make sure it is still valid on your planned return date.

• Show the flight back to the Schengen country, or funds to buy it.

• Check your passport is valid at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand, as INZ requires.

What Should Group and Event Travellers Know?

INZ says people visiting as part of a group, such as a tour group or for an event or conference, for 1 month or less may be able to apply for a Group Visitor Visa instead. Each member pays the visa application fee and must meet all the individual Visitor Visa requirements. For events with 30 or more international visitors, INZ recommends that the organiser contacts INZ.

For a group, the exit plan is usually one shared return flight. Make sure every member’s name is on it and that the dates match the group application. Our page on what an onward ticket is explains how a reservation differs from a ticket.

What Is INZ’s Full Application Document List?

INZ lists what to provide when you apply. The flight reservation is only one line, and the other items must tell the same story about your dates.

For funds evidence, INZ says statements must show the account is in the applicant’s name, which bank holds it and the currency. Accepted evidence includes prepaid accommodation vouchers or receipts, bank or credit card statements, and bank drafts or traveller’s cheques.

Which Official Sources Does This Guide Use?

• Visitor Visa, Immigration New Zealand, including "Leaving New Zealand", "Enough money to live on" and "When you arrive".

• INZ’s visitor visa checklists linked from the same page, such as the India checklist for stays under six months.

• INZ: New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA)

• INZ: Visa Waiver Visitor Visa

• INZ: Visa waiver countries and territories

• INZ: Paying the International Visitor Levy

Show the Dates, Show the Money, Then Buy the Ticket

For a New Zealand visitor visa, INZ accepts a ticket out or proof of funds to buy one, and advises against non-refundable bookings before approval. A dummy ticket shows your proposed dates; your statements show the money. Once approved, buy the ticket you will fly and carry it on arrival.

See also whether a dummy ticket is a confirmed ticket.

Frequently Asked Questions

Friendly reminder: Airline, visa and border rules can change. A New Zealand visa or a temporary reservation does not guarantee boarding or entry. Follow Immigration New Zealand’s and your airline’s current instructions for your nationality and route.