Pre-arrival checklist for international students
Guide for international students to prepare for arrival in New Zealand. Information about visas, student ID, accommodation and orientation. Remember to bring your important documents.
Get ready to join us in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
As the start of class approaches, ensure you have your unconditional offer on hand, and your Student Visa approved. Follow this guide to prepare for your journey with us, and finalise essential details in the weeks and days before you travel.
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Accept offer of place
Ensure your unconditional offer is accepted. On MyWaikato (opens in a new tab), go to ‘Qualifications and Papers’, and select ‘Respond to offer’.
If you have an agent, ask them to do this for you. -
Apply for student ID card and send us your Student Visa
Use the Express Service to begin Student ID application process and access campus services when you arrive.
Express Service cut off date for C Trimester is: Sunday, 8 November 2026.Email us a copy of your passport, your Student Visa, headshot photo for your ID card, and student ID number to IDcards@waikato.ac.nz (opens in a new tab) (for Hamilton students) or uwt@waikato.ac.nz (opens in a new tab) (for Tauranga students).
Send us a copy of your e-visa issued by Immigration New Zealand to info@waikato.ac.nz, to ensure our records are up to date.
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Paper selection
Find your programme by searching for the qualification. If a study planner is available on your chosen programme, go to MyWaikato (opens in a new tab) and start selecting your papers.
Otherwise, contact your course advisor (if mentioned in your offer of place) to discuss and select your papers prior to your arrival.
Download the International Student Enrolment Guide for On-campus Students (opens in a new tab) for step-by-step information.
If you have questions or need further assistance, please email info@waikato.ac.nz.
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Confirm travel plans
Review all the conditions on your Student Visa before you travel.
Book your flights to New Zealand and make sure your arrival date aligns with orientation and welcome events scheduled by the University of Waikato. We recommend you arrive at least two weeks prior to the start of your classes, to familiarise yourself with the campus, climate, and the time zone.
Everyone travelling into New Zealand must complete a Traveller Declaration (opens in a new tab).
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Arrange accommodation
Make sure your accommodation arrangements are sorted. We offer a variety of on-campus and nearby options, along with helpful tips for renting or flatting.
Check our accommodation page to apply and check fees.
Halls of Residence check-in
Available between 8.30am and 10.00pm (7 days a week) only. If you need to check in outside of these hours, contact the accommodation team (opens in a new tab) as soon as possible.
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Arrival form and airport pick-up
Complete the arrival form (opens in a new tab) to let University staff know when you are expecting to arrive. If eligible, you can request to be picked up from Auckland or Hamilton airports and be taken to your pre-arranged accommodation in Hamilton or Tauranga.
If you requested complementary airport transfer, you must submit the arrival form at least seven days before your arrival date in New Zealand.
Pack for New Zealand's weather and life on campus. Remember to bring personal and academic documents to finish your enrolment with the University. Bring any medical history, driver's license, mobile phone and laptop. We recommend you bring at least NZD$400 in cash for emergencies.
Check the Ministry of Primary Industries (opens in a new tab) for items you can and can't bring into New Zealand.
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Arrive in New Zealand and complete enrolment on campus
Once you arrive in New Zealand, the next step is to make sure you are fully enrolled in your course. Come see our team on Level 2 of the Te Manawa The Student Centre (Hamilton campus) or The Hub (Tauranga) to show your original documents, finalise paper selection, pay any additional fees, and collect your student ID.
If there are any additional documents you need to provide before completing your enrolment, this will be displayed at the top of your MyWaikato (opens in a new tab) portal.
Refer to our on-campus enrolment guide (opens in a new tab) for international students for more information.
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Accept Enrolment Agreement
When your enrolment is completed, you need to accept your Enrolment Agreement.
Log into MyWaikato (opens in a new tab), select the ‘Qualifications and Papers’ tab and then select ‘Complete enrolment’.
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Attend Orientation
You must be here on campus for Orientation week. It starts one week before the start of classes. New international students have a mandatory Orientation hosted by our International Student Services Team.
If you have questions about Orientation or miss the Orientation session because you have not arrived in New Zealand yet, email the International Student Services Team as soon as you can.
Orientation date - C Trimester 2026
International Student Orientation - save the date: Wednesday, 11 November 2026
Time and location to be confirmed.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
You must arrive in New Zealand in time to attend Orientation, which starts one week before classes begin. Orientation is a required programme and an essential step before starting your studies.
If exceptional circumstances mean you are unable to attend Orientation, you must notify us as soon as possible by emailing internationalsupport@waikato.ac.nz
In limited cases, alternative or late orientation arrangements may be considered. We will contact you with further information if this applies to your situation.
For students beginning in Trimester C, you should plan to arrive on campus by Monday, 9 November to finish enrolment and attend Orientation. Classes begin on Monday, 16 November.
No, you do not need a Student Visa if you are studying online.
However, some of our programmes allow you to start studying online but cannot be completed online. Before you join us in New Zealand, you need to obtain a Student Visa with Immigration New Zealand (opens in a new tab).
If considering starting online to transfer mid-trimester, you must enroll in a full-time course load—the same as you would if you were on-campus. This is mandatory to meet the requirements of your visa.
Students who wish to apply for a Post Study Work Visa need to ensure that they transfer to New Zealand in time to complete at least 30 weeks of full-time study in New Zealand. Immigration New Zealand does not include holiday periods in the calculation of the 30-week requirement. This is important if you are studying a 120-point Master's programme.
We strongly recommend that students speak to Immigration New Zealand or a licensed immigration adviser to confirm you will be meeting this requirement as the University is not able to advise on this.
For more details, refer to the Immigration New Zealand website (opens in a new tab).
Airport pick-up is available for new-to-the-country international students arriving from Auckland airport or Hamilton airport. For any questions, email the International Student Services Team internationalsupport@waikato.ac.nz.
The complementary airport transfer is currently only available to new international students without dependents.
If your travel plans change and you have already filled out an arrival form, please email and update us with the changes at internationalsupport@waikato.ac.nz (opens in a new tab).
Please do not fill out another arrival form if you have already done so.
We held a pre-arrival webinar session with our International Student Services office and suggest watching the recording for important pre-arrival information, including Student Visa, accommodation, health tips, and services available on campus.
Register your details to watch the recorded pre-arrival webinar (opens in a new tab).
Please refer to the Studentsafe – Inbound University Insurance page for more information about insurance policy.
Follow us on Social Media
We have dedicated pages for international students where you can find out what’s going on around campus, attend exclusive events, and more.
Follow Waikato International on Facebook (opens in a new tab) and Instagram (opens in a new tab).