New Zealand is considering introducing passport-free travel for visitors coming from Australia, with a potential trial set to coincide with the 2028 Cricket World Cup, pending the outcome of the country’s general election on November 7. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who took office in 2023 and previously served as Air New Zealand’s CEO, has identified the international sporting event as a target to test the new travel system.
The Cricket World Cup, scheduled from October 21 to November 19, 2028, will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, generating a significant volume of cross-Tasman travel. Under the proposed system, travellers would still be required to hold passports but would no longer need to present physical documents at airports. Instead, passengers would submit passport information and complete a digital travel declaration prior to departure. This procedure would enable immigration authorities and customs officials to process travellers’ details before arrival, streamlining entry into New Zealand.
Dean Long, chief executive of the Australian Travel Industry Association, noted that passport-free travel between Australia and New Zealand has been under discussion for more than two decades, with key obstacles including New Zealand’s quarantine policies. He explained that a subcommittee had been working on related arrangements since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that implementing passport-free travel would be a logical progression following the digital travel declaration trials conducted during recent years.
Long emphasized the importance of reducing friction between the two countries, particularly given that many international visitors perceive Australia and New Zealand as part of a single regional trip. He also highlighted the potential tourism and economic benefits of making cross-border travel more seamless.
Historically, citizens of Australia and New Zealand did not need passports to travel between the two countries until Australia imposed passport requirements in 1981 due to security and drug trafficking concerns, with New Zealand following suit in 1987. Any future initiative to simplify travel documentation would mark a return toward the earlier arrangements.
While the Australian Department of Home Affairs has not publicly commented on New Zealand’s election commitment to paperless travel, Long described the proposal as a positive sign of the New Zealand government’s commitment to tourism, a vital sector for its economy.
Recent statistics underscore the volume of travel across the Tasman Sea. In July of this year, 134,260 New Zealanders visited Australia, exceeding numbers from the previous year and surpassing pre-pandemic figures. A nearly equivalent number of Australians, 133,640, traveled to New Zealand in the same period, making New Zealand the second most popular overseas destination for Australians, after Indonesia.
Long underlined that successful implementation of passport-free travel would require coordinated efforts and robust information-sharing between the two governments. He acknowledged some rivalry in leadership on the issue but expressed optimism that competitive dynamics might accelerate progress on both sides.
“We may be different countries but we definitely view each other as family,” Long said, pointing to this shared relationship as a positive foundation for the initiative.