Technical article
How Long a Visitor Can Stay in Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu
A single-entry visa allows up to 9 months in any 18-month period.
Picture a couple named Henry and Joan. Both are 66. They have been to the South Pacific twice on short trips. This time they want to live there for a while, before they decide anything. They ask a simple question. How long could we stay as visitors?
I read the immigration pages for three countries on 10 October 2026. Two gave me full answers. One gave me only part.
What each page says
| Country | Longest visitor stay on the page | Can a visitor work? | Fee shown |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | 9 months in 18 (single entry) or 6 months in 12 (multiple entry) | No, with an exception for remote work for a business overseas | From NZD 441 |
| Australia | 3, 6 or 12 months (visitor visa, subclass 600) | Not stated on the page | Not stated |
| Vanuatu | 120 days (tourist visa); 30 days (visitor visa) | No paid work or business | 5,150 VUV (tourist, non-exempt countries); 7,420 VUV (visitor) |
New Zealand
Immigration New Zealand says "You can stay for up to either 6 months or 9 months." It depends on the type of visa. A single-entry visa allows up to 9 months in any 18-month period. A multiple-entry visa allows up to 6 months in each 12-month period. Leaving New Zealand on a single-entry visa ends it.
The page says "You cannot work, but you can study for up to 3 months." Working remotely for a business overseas is the exception. A visitor must plan to leave at the end of the stay and must have enough money for living costs, or an acceptable sponsor. The fee starts from NZD 441, and the page says about 80% of applications are processed within 2 weeks. The page shows a news notice dated 2 March 2026. The visa details themselves have no date.
Vanuatu
The Department of Immigration page describes two different visas for visitors. The tourist visa is "valid for a maximum period of 120 days. This visa does not allow for extensions." People from exempt countries can get it on arrival. Others apply and get approval first. The fee for those from non-exempt countries is 5,150 VUV.
The visitor visa is "valid for a maximum period of 30 days." It is for people who are outside Vanuatu and not exempt from visa rules. The application charge is 7,420 VUV. Its conditions include obeying the law, no paid work or business, and telling the department about significant changes.
The page has no date. It does not list the exempt countries, so I cannot tell you which visa your passport would get. The page does not describe a retirement visa. It lists family and descent visas that run up to 12 months with extensions, but those are for other people.
Australia
The Department of Home Affairs lists the Visitor visa (subclass 600) as a visa "For tourists, business visitors or to visit family for 3, 6 or 12 months." That is all I could read. The page, last updated on 23 September 2024, would not show its stay rules, work rules or fee to me. The department's other web address was blocked. I will not fill the gap from memory.
What is left open
- Australia: the rules inside the visa page, such as work limits, what decides 3, 6 or 12 months, and the fee.
- New Zealand: how long visitors from visa-waiver countries may stay. That page did not load.
- Vanuatu: which countries are exempt, and whether any longer permit exists for retirees.
You could…
- Check which visa your own passport gets for each country, since the answer changes the length.
- Count the days you would be away from home, and ask what that means for your home country's residence and tax rules.
- Ask an accountant or lawyer who works with Americans abroad (or your own nationality) whether a long visit changes anything about taxes or health cover at home.
If you had six clear months in one of these places, what would you want to find out first?
Figures are estimates for planning, based on public data. Date read: 10 October 2026.
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