With the exact regex the official site enforces, the error message it returns, and what you probably did wrong. Pre-check your values in the NZTD page's local validator before pasting.
Copy the number from the passport you will use to enter New Zealand. Do not add spaces or MRZ filler marks.
^[A-Z0-9]{1,20}$
max 20Match the passport expiry date. This local checker uses YYYY-MM-DD; use the date controls on the NZTD form.
Enter every surname or family name in the English or Latin spelling shown on the passport.
Enter all given names from the passport used for the trip, including middle given names.
Match the passport date. This local checker uses YYYY-MM-DD; use the official form's date controls when submitting.
Use the country of birth requested by NZTD. Answers in the declaration must be in English.
Select the nationality shown on the passport you will present when entering New Zealand.
Use the date the flight or vessel reaches New Zealand. Check the local arrival date across time zones.
Choose air or sea. NZTD then shows either flight fields or vessel and port fields.
Air travellers should enter the flight that lands in New Zealand. Sea travellers use the vessel and port questions instead.
Use an inbox you control and check the domain before continuing. NZTD sends the reference number here.
Include the country or region code and a number where you can be reached.
Enter the full contact or residential address in New Zealand. If staying in several places, use the first address.
List every country visited outside New Zealand during the previous 30 days, including transit stops.
Choose the option that matches your passport and current visa or residence documents. NZeTA and NZTD are separate requirements.
Answer each medicines, restricted-goods, allowance, business-goods, other-person, and cash question separately.
Declare food, animal or plant products, soil or water, used outdoor equipment, and relevant animal, farm, or wilderness contact. When unsure, declare it.
Confirm only after reviewing every answer. If you change anything later, resubmit before passport control or border processing.
The official site shows a confirmation on screen. Screenshot it — that's your backup.
Within a few minutes from a govt.nz address, with the record details.
Keep the emailed reference number. After submission, the declaration is linked to your passport and checked at the eGate or by a border officer. You do not need to print it.
Screenshot is fine. PDF is fine. Even the email app open on your phone is fine.
Rare. Officer looks you up by passport number — your record is already in the system.
The NZTD is free. Use the passport you will present on arrival and answer in English. Air travellers may submit from 24 hours before starting their journey to New Zealand. Sea travellers may submit from 24 hours before the vessel leaves its last foreign port.
The checker below reads the 18 rules in data/rules/new-zealand.json. It runs in your browser and sends nothing to us. The live NZTD form and its date controls decide what can be submitted.
Type your details below. We never send them anywhere. This runs 100% in your browser. View source to verify.
< filler marks from the machine-readable zone.YYYY-MM-DD; the official form uses its own date control.NZ1, not a booking reference. Sea travellers use the vessel questions instead, so this field is not required for them.Save the emailed reference number. The declaration is linked to the passport and checked at the eGate or by a border officer. No printout is required.
If you still need coverage for the trip, these links support entrycardguide without changing the price you pay.
Affiliate disclosure: if you buy through one of these links, we may earn a commission. We never accept money from visa middlemen, form-filing services, or companies that compete with the official government forms we point to.