8 September 2022
45 Pipitea Street, Wellington 6011
Phone +64 4 495 7200
dia.govt.nz
Nigel Gray
fyi-request-20206-
[email address]
Tēnā koe Nigel
Official Information Act request 2223-0119 – Passport entitlements
Thank you for your Official Information Act (Act) request received by the Department of Internal
Affairs (Department) on 11 August 2022.
You requested –
1. Precisely what does a NZ Passport entitle a bearer to?
2. Is there any law that permitted the overriding of this passport in this particular instance
(the lockdown of New Zealand) and if so what is that law?
3. Given that this refusal to allow my entry during this time effectively invalidated my
passport and rendered the statement on the inside cover useless, am I entitled to a
refund for the costs I accumulated as a result of my refusal to be permitted entry and for
the cost of the passport application since it was not honored by the NZ government?
On 24 August 2022 we notified you of the decision to transfer question two of your request in
accordance with section 14(b) of the Act, as the information requested is not held by the
Department, but is believed to be held by, and more closely related to the functions of the
Ministry of Health.
In response to the remainder of your request, I can provide you with the following information.
The Department issues New Zealand passports to New Zealand citizens. A passport can be used
as photo identification and proof of citizenship, as well as facilitating international travel.
Entry requirements are determined by the border authorities of the country you are travelling
into. For example, you may be required to obtain a visa, pre-authorisation for travel,
vaccination, or meet other requirements depending on the country you are travelling to, and
the passport or citizenship you hold.
The fees for a New Zealand passport application are set under the Passport (Fees) Regulations
2015. The standard application cost is for the issue of a passport and not related to your use of
the passport once it has been issued to you. There are no grounds under which to request a
refund of the application fee for your passport due to difficulties experienced when trying to
travel with border restrictions in place.
You can find this information via the following link
: Passport (Fees) Regulations 2015 (LI
2015/264) (as at 25 May 2022) Contents – New Zealand Legislation. As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, the Department has
decided to proactively release a copy of this response on the DIA website. All requestor data
including your name and contact details, will be removed prior to release. The released
response will be made available here:
https://www.dia.govt.nz/Official-Information-Act-
Requests-2. You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Ngā mihi
Julia Taylor
Manager Operational Policy and Official Correspondence
Service Delivery and Operations
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