New Zealand Reopens to Fully Vaccinated Foreign Visitors by 2022

From 30th April 2022, New Zealand will reopen to fully vaccinated foreign visitors.

On arrival, however, seven days of self-isolation will be required.

From early next year, more New Zealanders will be able to fly home without having to go through quarantine as part of a three-step strategy.

The decision relaxes severe restrictions that have kept many people and visitors away since the Covid outbreak began.

Only New Zealand nationals and permanent residents are presently permitted to enter the country, and they must stay in government-run quarantine motels for seven days.

The government of New Zealand stated: “Fully vaccinated New Zealanders will find it easier to come home from January 2022, with foreign nationals to follow from April onwards, as the government removes the requirement for managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) for most travelers.

“Closing our border was one of the first steps we took to keep our country safe from Covid-19 and it’ll be the last thing we open up, following our transition into the traffic light system and lifting of the Auckland boundary.

“We have a clear, simple and safe plan, including a mandatory period of self-isolation.”

The border will open in three stages, and all travelers who must enter MIQ will need to bring the following:

• a pre-departure test that came up negative
• proof that you’ve been properly vaccinated
• a statement from a passenger about their trip history
• the first-day test upon arrival
• a 7-day self-isolation requirement, and
• before entering the community, a final negative test is required.

“We are making this announcement today to give families, businesses, visitors and airline and airport companies certainty and time to prepare. It’s very encouraging that as a country we are now in a position to move towards greater normality,” the New Zealand government said.

“We always said we’d open in a controlled way, and this started with halving the time spent in MIQ to seven days.

“Retaining a seven-day isolate at home period for fully vaccinated travellers is an important phase in the reconnecting strategy to provide continued safety assurance.

“These settings will continue to be reviewed against the risk posed by travellers entering New Zealand.

“Further details on how self-isolation will be implemented will be made available in December 2021, and include guidance on how people can travel from their arrival airport to their location of self-isolation and requirements for the places where they can self-isolate.”