V3.150 International Tour Escorts

1. Tour escorts accompanying tour groups may undertake their duties in New Zealand while holding a visitor visa.
2. A tour escort is a person who:
   1. arrives, leaves and travels within New Zealand with a tour group; and
   2. resides offshore; and
   3. is employed by an employer outside New Zealand (e.g. an overseas travel agent); and
   4. has the primary role of providing pastoral care, facilitating arrival and departure formalities, translation, logistical support and organisation for the tour group rather than leading activities or providing in-depth local knowledge.
3. Tour escorts from countries whose nationals are people to whom a visa waiver applies (E2.1), may be granted a three-month visitor visa and entry permission on arrival in New Zealand.
4. Tour escorts from countries whose nationals are required to hold a visitor visa to travel to New Zealand must apply for a visitor visa before travelling to New Zealand.
5. Applicants must hold a letter from their employer containing the information set out at (f) below. This must be provided either:
   1. with a visitor visa application, where the applicant makes an application before travelling to New Zealand, or
   2. upon request by an immigration officer, if the applicant is applying for a visitor visa at an immigration control area having travelled to New Zealand as a person to whom a visa waiver applies.
6. The letter from the tour escort’s employer must be no more than 12 months old from the date of arrival of the tour escort and must:
   1. include the name of the applicant; and
   2. include the passport number, nationality and expiry date of the passport the applicant will be travelling on; and
   3. include the activities, duties and responsibilities the applicant will undertake while in New Zealand; and
   4. include a copy of the tour itinerary for the current tour they will be escorting
   5. be on the employers letterhead; and
   6. include the contact details of the employer, such as contacts names, contact phone numbers, email and address; and
   7. be signed by the employer; and
   8. be written or translated in English.

      Note: Persons intending to travel to New Zealand as a tour guide are required to obtain a work visa. For the purposes of these instructions, ‘tour guides’ are distinct from ‘tour escorts’ as follows:
      Tour guides generally lead tours in New Zealand providing in-depth local knowledge of New Zealand culture, history, society, geography etc and are generally employed by New Zealand employers. Tour guides may also be licensed or accredited.
      If a tour escort also performs some or all of the role or duties of a tour guide they will be required to obtain a work visa.

Effective 22/05/2017