Can I leave USA and return to New Zealand with an expired New Zealand passport?
Passport expired 2 months ago. I am a permanent USA resident but New Zealand citizen - I only have 1 passport. My departure date is Nov. 1. Can I leave USA on an expired NZ passport and have it renewed in New Zealand - I'll be there with family for several weeks before returning to the states?
Best Answer
Timatic (courtesy KLM) says not:
- Passports and other documents accepted for entry issued to nationals of New Zealand must be valid on arrival.
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Can you travel on expired NZ passport?
Emergency travel document when outside of New Zealand You can apply for an emergency travel document if you are outside New Zealand, and: your passport is expired, lost, stolen or damaged. you need to travel urgently, and. you will not get your new passport before you travel.What happens if your passport expires in NZ?
If your passport expires, you must apply to transfer your visa to a new passport before you can travel. To transfer your visa, you must: send us your old and new passports. complete an 'Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa'Can a resident travel with an expired passport?
If you are overseas and your U.S. passport expired on or after January 1, 2020, you may be able to use your expired passport to return directly to the United States until June 30, 2022. You qualify to travel on your expired passport if all the following are true: You are a U.S. citizen.What happens if my passport expires in another country?
If your passport expires while you are abroad, contact the embassy or consulate of your country and apply for an emergency travel document. You must remember that most travel emergency documents are valid only until you re-enter your home country; afterward, you must apply for a new passport.NZ Passport Renewal Online - Your Step by Step Guide #NZPasspport #RenewNZPassport
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Answer 2
CAVEAT: FOR REAL LEGAL ADVICE CONTACT A LAWYER
There are actually two different questions here
- Can New Zealand deny entry to a citizen?
- Can you get there without valid papers?
The answer to the first is "probably not" although the immigration officers can (and probably will) make the process pretty miserable for you. It's legally somewhat murky and hence immigration offices try to avoid the situation in the first place. Hence they often hoist the enforcement onto the airlines.
Which brings us to question 2: No airline will allow you to board without a valid passport or visa. That's clearly spelled out in the contract of carriage: each passenger is responsible for having proper papers and the airline has every right to deny you boarding if that's not the case. The airlines are highly motivated to enforce this since they can be fined heavily by the immigration office.
So the more nuanced answer is: if you manage to get to an entry point you would probably be able to get in, although perhaps with delays and potential fines. However, it will be almost impossible to get there in the first place.
The obvious right course of action would be to contact a New Zealand consulate in the US and have your passport renewed.
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Images: Marek Piwnicki, Samson Katt, Ketut Subiyanto, Uriel Mont