Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is warning against unauthorised third-party sites that are ripping off tourists buying electronic visas.

This comes as overall international visitors to New Zealand are forecast to exceed five million in the coming year.

These websites charge up to 15 times more than the normal $17 it costs for the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) if it is purchased through a mobile app.

Roz Prober, a Canadian national, was charged US$174 ($269) for her visa application on a site that claimed to be linked to INZ.

“Prior to it [the application] being finished, they said they could not give me a visa as they did not have my picture,” Prober said.

Prober said it was disconcerting as she had entered all her private information on the site. She was due to arrive in New Zealand for a Viking cruise that started from Auckland.

“I am so excited to see NZ but this has taken the edge off a bit,” she said.

More than five million visitors are forecast for 2024. Photo / 123rf

Peter Elms, INZ national manager border, said third-party sites were common for several government agencies.

“Most third-party sites are legitimate sites that charge a fee to provide a service, such as assistance in applying for a travel authority. However, a small proportion of these types of sites are fraudulent sites,” Elms said.

“We are aware that some third-party sites exist for the NZeTA. We encourage all travellers to use the official government website or mobile app when requesting their NZeTA.”

Elms said INZ undertook extensive communication to inform travellers how to apply for the NZeTA using the official INZ site or NZeTA mobile apps, which are available via the Apple Store of Google Play.

“This includes specific warnings about avoiding using fraudulent third-party websites and raising awareness of these sites by publishing details of them,” he said.

“We would reiterate that an NZeTA costs just $23 using the website or $17 using the mobile apps and only takes a matter of minutes to complete.

“Travellers shouldn’t need to fork out more money than the official cost and should make sure that they aren’t being misled into paying more, as this will not speed up the processing of their NZeTA.”

Elms said it travellers were concerned about the validity of their NZeTA, they should go back to the site they purchased their NZeTA from and not INZ.

“We are unable to assist in those circumstances, as the transaction is between the traveller and the site they used,” Elms said.

These fraudulent sites are not new, and some have been around for several years.

In 2019, INZ took legal action against these websites, sending cease and desist letters and managing to get some taken down.