Permission to reside and work in Tokelau for up to three months, requiring approval from the Village Councils of all three islands.
Official government source: legislation.govt.nz · checked 2026-07-26
Polynesia · Immigration
Tokelau
Tokelau sits in Polynesia. Its immigration system runs 6 distinct routes — led by short stay & visit, work and independent means, each set out in official law. All 6 cite an official government source, shown on the route with the date we last read it. Who actually qualifies depends on your full profile.
- Immigration routes
- 6across 5 route categories, each set out in official law
- Source-cited routes
- 6 of 6cite an official government source, with the date we last read it
- Largest category
- Short stay & visit2 of the 6 routes — see them under Short stay & visit below
- Region
- Polynesia
- Capital
- Fakaofo
- Population
- 2,608
- Official language
- English, Samoan · +1
- Currency
- NZD
- Time zone
- UTC+13:00
Source-cited pathways
Immigration routes
All 6 routes, grouped by purpose — 6 of 6 cite an official government source directly.
Work
1 route
Independent means
1 route
Discretionary residence permission for up to three months, based on support, health, character and village-approved accommodation.
Official government source: legislation.govt.nz · checked 2026-07-26
Free movement
1 route
Unconditional right of a New Zealand citizen who is a Tokelauan to enter, visit, reside and work in Tokelau without a permit.
Official government source: legislation.govt.nz · checked 2026-07-26
Short stay & visit
2 routes
Permit-free entry for a New Zealand citizen who is not a Tokelauan, limited to ten days and with no right to work.
Official government source: legislation.govt.nz · checked 2026-07-26
Visitor permission for a person who requires a permit to enter or remain in Tokelau, valid for no more than ten days.
Other & special
1 route
Administrator-granted special permission to reside and normally work in Tokelau for up to one year.
Official government source: legislation.govt.nz · checked 2026-07-26
Official sources
- [NSO] Tokelau: Statistics UnitGovernment
See which Tokelau routes you actually qualify for.
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