Plane taking off representing Flight Centre Travel Group releasing its year-end results

Trans-Tasman travel could soon be passport-less. What does this mean for businesses

 

Flying from Sydney to Auckland could soon feel like a domestic hop. New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has announced that a re-elected National government would trial paperless, passport-less trans-Tasman travel, targeting 2028. 

It’s an election commitment, not a done deal, and nothing changes for travellers today. But for businesses that send people across the Tasman every week, it’s worth watching closely.

Key takeaways:
  • New Zealand’s National Party has proposed a digital Trans-Tasman travel passport trial targeting 2028, contingent on winning the November 2026 election
  • New Zealand is Australia’s largest source of inbound visitors and Corporate Traveller’s most-booked international destination, with 2026 bookings already topping all of 2025 and nearly 10% of short-term arrivals in each country made for business

Outdated paper processes already cost the Australian economy billions of dollars every year, according to the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Contents

What’s been proposed for Australia-New Zealand travel?

The 2026 New Zealand general election is scheduled to be held on 7 November 2026. Prime Minister Luxon, who is himself a former Air New Zealand chief executive, has vowed to make this long-held belief of his a reality if his National Party wins re-election.

Coming from my background before politics, I'm really a big supporter of it, and I drove a lot of that in my former life around a more seamless, domestic-like experience between Australia and New Zealand," he said.

We want a fully digital trans-Tasman experience, where eligible travellers can rely on a smartphone, their digital credentials and biometric technology through more of the airport journey, and we intend to have a trial in place around that before 2028.

"It is in both of our countries' interests to make trans-Tasman travel as easy as possible, whether it's for holidays, whether it's for visiting family, or for doing business.

How would passport free travel work between Australia and New Zealand?

Eligible Australian and New Zealand citizens would use a smartphone, digital credentials, and facial recognition for more of the airport journey, with no physical paper passport needed at the gate.

While travellers would no longer need to rummage around in their bag for that expensive piece of paper, they would of course still need to have one registered. Travellers would submit their passport and travel details online before departure, and other critical security measures like bag checks and biosecurity policies would be unchanged.

The proposed policy only covers NZ airports, and reciprocal agreements will need to be made with their Australian counterparts.

Prime Minister Luxon's government seeks to use the 2023 formation of the Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Group as a catalyst to reach an agreement which suits both countries.

 

Why is a paper-less passport between Australia and New Zealand so important?

The Trans-Tasman corridor is one of the most frequented routes in the world, with residents from each country being the most regular visitors to the other. 

The latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures shows New Zealanders made 110,210 trips to Australia. That's 14.6% of all visitor arrivals, ahead of China (106,990) and Japan (62,600).

Stats NZ data shows New Zealand welcomed a record 1.59 million visitor arrivals from Australia in the July 2026 year. That's roughly 43% of the 3.69 million total overseas visitor arrivals. And in the month of July 2026 alone, 53% were from Australia!

Nearly 10% of short-term arrivals in each country were for business purposes.

New Zealand is by far our most frequented international destination, accounting for roughly a quarter of all our customers’ international travel out of Australia. Bookings into New Zealand in 2026 have already overtaken the whole of 2025, with a quarter of the year still to go.

Trans-Tasman is one of the most important corridors for Australian business, so any move to make it faster and simpler is worth backing. A digital-first border could take real time out of short-turnaround trips, like a same-day meeting or a quick site visit.Given the sheer number of Aussies and Kiwis crossing the ditch for work, this change should be a no-brainer.

Corporate Traveller Global Managing Director Tom Walley

Sample Passenger Card

Australia is already ditching the paper card

While Australia is yet to confirm whether it will share paperless passports with New Zealand, it is seeing some movement in the same direction. Anyone who’s travelled overseas for either work or leisure will be well familiar with the paper ‘incoming passenger’ cards and the pain of manually filling them out while jetlagged.

They aren’t just annoying. A 2024 report by the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry found that removing these ‘antiquated’ paper cards and improving airport mobilisation could bring an extra $50 billion to the economy every year. 

In July 2026, the Federal Government announced a national rollout of digital passenger cards to replace the paper ones, to be phased in at all international airports after a successful Qantas trial.

Paper incoming passenger cards will soon be a distant memory. Image source: Australian Border Force.

More than 450,000 passengers on certain inbound Qantas flights found the trialed digital cards to be a success, according to Australian Border Force data.

Minister for Home Affairs, Tony Burke MP, said digital declarations will soon be a permanent part of the border.

When people arrive in Australia, I want them out of the airport and experiencing the best place in the world as fast as possible,” he said.

Traveller modernisation is essential to Australia's prosperity and national security.

Visitors and Australian travellers alike will be able to take advantage of a seamless border process, which integrates into everyday digital life.

 

When will business travellers be able to fly between Australia and New Zealand without a passport?

Not yet, and not for a while. The trial depends on New Zealand’s National Party winning the November 2026 election, with a working system targeted for 2028, and Australia still needs to agree reciprocal arrangements on its side. Until then, every Trans-Tasman traveller needs a valid passport, exactly as they do today.

But if this does end up becoming a reality, a faster border could take real time out of short turnaround trips. Every minute saved from lining up in a queue is another minute that can instead go into a meeting, a handshake, or a crucial dinner.

“Australia and New Zealand have one of the closest economic relationships in the world, and the border experience should reflect that. If both governments can deliver this well, it will make a busy corridor easier for the businesses and people who rely on it regularly, and we'd like to see it progress."

Corporate Traveller Global Managing Director Tom Walley

City view of Auckland

Sending your team to New Zealand’s biggest business hub? Get the inside track on where to stay, eat and meet with our Destination Guide: Auckland.

 

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