After two-and-a-half years, New Zealand has fully reopened its international borders for the first time since March 2020.

The final stage of the phased reopening strategy, which started in April 2022, was completed on Sunday night, with visitors from all over the world now welcome back into New Zealand, including cruise ship arrivals, student visa holders and people from China and India.

Speaking at the China Business Summit on Monday morning, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called the reopening “an enormous moment” and said the country was “open for business.”

“It’s been a staged and cautious process on our part since February, as we, alongside the rest of the world, continue to manage a very live global pandemic, while keeping our people safe,” Prime Minister Ardern said.

The reopening has been welcomed by the country’s business events and tourism industries, who are looking forward to the boost in business from international arrivals.

While mandatory pre-departure testing was dropped in June, most visitors to New Zealand are still required to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated and all international arrivals must complete two rapid antigen tests and report the results to health department within their first week of arrival.