The New Zealand government has eased restrictions on visitor visas for Pacific Island Forum countries including Samoa allowing multiple visits to New Zealand starting on 6 July.

This means they will be able to stay in New Zealand for a total of up to six months in any month within that time (but no more than nine months in an 18-month period.

The announcement was made by Immigration New Zealand (INZ) in a press statement on Friday.

According to INZ the PIF countries will still need to meet the requirement to be granted a visitor visa and may be granted a shorter visa length if their passport is expiring soon or there are other concerns.

The relaxing of visa conditions is a relief for many Samoans who often wait for months and the expense of applying for multiple visas to visit families in New Zealand.

Furthermore, PIF country passport holders travelling to New Zealand from Australia (unless they are travelling on a transit visa) will also be able to travel on a visa-free trial for 12 months beginning in November 2025.

From this time, anyone holding a passport from a Pacific Islands Forum country with a valid Australian visitor, work, student, or family visa, will be able to come to New Zealand from Australia with a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) for up to three months, rather than applying for a visa. This does not include people transiting through Australia. 

But until those dates, INZ said people from the PIF country will still need the appropriate visa to come to New Zealand. 

PIF countries include the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.