Official advice for New Zealanders living and travelling overseas
Protests and demonstrations have taken place in Barcelona and other parts of the Catalonia region since the vote on Catalan independence on 1 October 2017. We are advising New Zealanders in Spain to avoid all protests and demonstrations as even those intended to be peaceful have the potential to result in violence. We recommend monitoring the media to keep up to date with local developments and following any instructions issued by the local authorities.
New Zealanders travelling in Thailand are advised to take note of the following travel advisory from the Thai Government concerning the Royal Cremation of the late King His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej, which will take place from 25-
The Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-hazards Department has assessed the Volcanic Alert Level as Level 3 (out of 5) for the Manaro Voui volcano on Ambae Island which is in a minor eruption state. Vanuatu authorities have declared a state of emergency and a mandatory evacuation order is in place for Ambae Island.
New Zealanders in Vanuatu are advised to follow the advice of the local authorities, including the evacuation order.
The National Disaster Management Authority for Indonesia has raised the volcanic alert level for Mount Agung volcano on Bali from orange to red (level 4 on a 4 level scale). The local Karangasem government continues to monitor the situation closely.
Here are some sensible preparations New Zealanders living or travelling overseas can take to ensure they are best prepared for unforeseen events like a natural disaster, major civil unrest or a deterioration to the security situation:
Travel is permitted to Cuba from the US; however travelling for tourism purposes directly from the US to Cuba isn’t allowed under US law. This applies to US nationals and all foreign nationals who are either resident in the US, or travelling through the US en route to Cuba on any airline.
Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have announced they plan to suspend all flights to and from Qatar from 6 June 2017 until further notice. Qatar has also announced they plan to suspend all flights to and from these destinations.
From no later than 25 March 2017, passengers on direct flights inbound to the United States and the United Kingdom from certain airports in the Middle East and North Africa will not be allowed to carry electronic devices larger than a cell phone or smart phone in carry-on luggage or other accessible property. Electronic devices that exceed the size limits will need to be secured in checked luggage.
For flights to the United Kingdom, the UK government has provided maximum dimensions for electronic devices permitted in carry-on luggage (length: 16.0cm, width: 9.3cm, depth: 1.5cm).
President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation on 24 September 2017. The Proclamation extends travel restrictions to certain citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen and Somalia. This Proclamation comes into effect on 18 October 2017 and supersedes the previous ban, issued on 6 March 2017.
