Printed from https://fyi.org.nz/request/33537-dual-citizens-using-egate on January 18, 2026 11:31

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Dual citizens using eGate

David Singh made this Official Information request to New Zealand Customs Service

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From: David Singh

Dear New Zealand Customs Service,

I have a question regarding eGate use by dual New Zealand citizens who are traveling with both a New Zealand passport and a foreign passport that does not have a Citizenship Endorsement or any New Zealand visa linked to it.

OIA request 24-575 notes that, to use eGate, the passport details and passenger details provided by the airline must be an exact match.

In the following scenario:

A New Zealand–United States dual citizen uses their US passport (without a Citizenship Endorsement) to check in for a flight departing New Zealand to the United States (as US citizens cannot be granted a visa or ETA by CBP), and then proceeds to border control.

Can you confirm:
- Whether the person can use their New Zealand passport at eGate in this situation; and
- If not, whether the correct process is that the person must present their New Zealand passport to an officer at manual passport control.

My understanding is that the US passport could not be used at eGate, as it would not be linked to any New Zealand visa or endorsement. Please confirm whether this understanding is correct.

Do Customs have any plans to update operational guidance or systems to address this situation, given the increasing number of New Zealand dual citizens who hold and travel with more than one passport?

Yours faithfully,

David Singh

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From: OIA
New Zealand Customs Service

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