Log on before you fly out

The world is an increasingly complicated place and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade is here to help you keep safe.

Our website(external link) is the official source of advice for New Zealanders travelling or living overseas and contains the latest travel information, including travel advisories, travel tips and a registration facility.

If you are in charge of your next school educational or sporting trip overseas, we strongly recommend you make it a priority to refer to the Safe Travel website(external link) for travel advice and to officially register your group with us.

Our travel advisories are written to help you make informed travel decisions and may advise against travel to certain destinations due to the risks around safety and security. We update the website regularly and we encourage you to subscribe to receive free travel advisory updates for the destinations you intend travelling to.

By registering your plans, we will be able to send your group important information in an emergency and to locate them quickly should we need to account for their safety and wellbeing.

Registration is designed to allow group tour details to be entered in a single go, avoiding the need for individual registration, and the information you provide is protected under the Privacy Act 1993. It is often those that are registered with us that are contacted first to confirm their safety and wellbeing during an overseas emergency.

Finally, we would like to emphasise the importance of obtaining comprehensive travel insurance before your group departs New Zealand.

If one of your group has an accident or falls ill overseas, the medical costs can be enormous and it is up to the individual or their family to cover these costs if no travel insurance is held. Making changes to disrupted travel bookings can be complex and extremely costly. You don’t want your emergency to become a financial emergency as well.

Also, make sure the insurance policy covers any activities you are planning to undertake, as many policies exclude activities such as climbing and scuba diving.

If you plan ahead, you can reduce the risks and make sure you are prepared to tackle anything unexpected that comes your way. Reading our travel advice, registering your details online and taking out travel insurance can make a world of difference.

We would be happy to answer any questions you have regarding our consular services. Please do not hesitate to contact Garrett Hulse, Consular Advisor (Travel Advisories and Outreach).

Contact Garrett:

• by email on garrett.hulse@mfat.govt.nz
• by phone on 04 439 8568.