New Zealand is an island country in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The main attraction of the country is its fabulous nature, and “fabulous” is not just a beautiful epithet, but the real reality of these places. Fjords and waterfalls, geysers and glaciers, rocks, caves and picturesque plains are a breathtaking sight for observers and a field of activity for extreme sports enthusiasts. The beauty of pristine nature is breathtaking, remaining in the memory of travelers for a long time, and is worth the long flight.
Main types of visas
Before you start filling out the application form and collecting documents, you should decide on the type of entry permit. The choice of visa category depends on the purpose of the trip.
Guestbook
A visitor visa is requested by those citizens who are traveling to visit relatives, participants in seminars, symposiums, or students of short courses (less than 3 months). Please note that to travel to New Zealand for the purpose of tourism and sightseeing, you will also need this type of visa.
Auckland, New Zealand
The permitted period of stay in the country is determined by the visa officer - usually this period can be from 1 month to six months. Less often – 9 months.
Working
This type of visa is applied for by Russians who wish to find employment in local companies. The validity period of a work-type entry permit is equal to the period for which the contract between the foreign employee and the employer is concluded. If you continue to retain your job, the work visa will be extended.
Student
Designed for citizens who plan to study in New Zealand. The validity period of a study visa is usually equal to the period of study at a university (4-5 years). The minimum period for which the diplomatic mission issues a student visa is 3 months.
Transit
Needed for citizens traveling in transit through New Zealand. Even to be at the airport for the purpose of transferring to a plane to a third country, you will need a transit visa. Its validity period is 24 hours.
Attention! If the wait for a flight lasts more than 24 hours, the visitor must apply for a regular (guest) visa, not a transit one.
Required documents for different types of visas
The list of documents for a visa to New Zealand changes depending on the purpose and how long the foreigner plans to stay in the country. Often you need to prove your intention to return home. To reduce the number of illegal migrants, consular officials must ensure that the applicant has strong ties to their home country. You can confirm your travel intentions by having a stable job, family members staying at home, and photographs from previous trips.
When you plan to go on a trip with the whole family, you can submit documents for personal transport, real estate, or a company in the Russian Federation as a home attachment. A visitor visa is issued for 9 months, a tourist visa is issued for 1 – 6 months. Student visas are issued for the duration of your studies.
Tourist
When planning to explore the local beauty or visit relatives, you need to apply for a visa in New Zealand, the documents required from tourists. The right to work is not provided. When collecting the necessary forms, you should remember that each document has a limited validity period. Package of documents:
- a valid international passport and a photocopy of the first page from it;
- 2 photos 35x45. It is advisable to take color photographs on a white background. On the back write your last name and first name;
- questionnaire. The form depends on the purpose of the trip. Tourists fill out form INZ1189, guests fill out form INZ1017. Questionnaires must be filled out in print or on a computer. English language. For minors, the papers are filled out by parents or authorized representatives;
- tickets in both directions;
- confirmation of solvency (more than 1 thousand dollars) in the form of a bank statement;
- letter of sponsorship from a resident (INZ 1025);
- photocopy of pages from Russian passports filled with information;
- certificate from work about length of service, position, salary;
- birth certificate for the child. If traveling with one of the parents, permission from the other and a marriage (divorce) registration certificate are required;
- an invitation from a resident and other papers confirming family ties, financial guarantees;
- hotel room reservation for tourists, travel program.
If the service employees reviewing the submitted papers have suspicions, they can offer this option: the tourist leaves a cash deposit as a guarantee of returning home. The amount is no more than 5 thousand New Zealand dollars per visitor.
Typically, single-entry visas for Russians are issued for a period of 1–6 months, and for good reason – for 1 year. Those who plan to stay will have to obtain a residence permit.
Transit
If you do not plan to stay in the country for a long time, it is enough to apply for a transit visa to New Zealand. Judging by the reviews, you will need the following papers:
- international passport with a valid expiration date, photocopy of the first page;
- two new color photos 35x45 (full name indicated on the back);
- completed application form INZ1019 in English;
- tickets in originals and copies;
- visa to the country of destination.
When a flight to the destination country is expected in 12 hours or more, you must book a hotel room and have a confirmation with stamps and signatures on hand. Sometimes they call you for an interview where you need to give truthful answers.
Working
In addition to the standard papers, those wishing to get a job here must apply for a visa to New Zealand with the obligatory submission of a new police clearance certificate and diplomas of relevant education, and a full medical examination.
Student
For students, standard documents for a visa to New Zealand are supplemented by a financial guarantee, a notification of enrollment in a university in the country, and a certificate of English language proficiency. Additionally, you need to confirm the availability of housing (hotel room, rented apartment, hostel). Persons over 17 years of age present a certificate of good conduct and a statement from the parents that they are not against the child’s education or his travel outside the borders of Russia.
Visa for children
If you are planning to obtain a visa to New Zealand on your own for the purpose of holidaying with children, you need to prepare their foreign passports, copies of Russian passports and originals, birth certificates (originals). If only one parent accompanies a child on a trip, permission to leave the Russian Federation will be required from the other. Additionally, you will need a copy of the student's document or notification from the school.
How much does a New Zealand visa cost?
Russians do not need to pay for a guest visa. This rule does not exempt the applicant from paying for visa center services (if documents are submitted to the VC) in the amount of a service fee of 2120 rubles per application, regardless of the type of visa requested.
Wellington, New Zealand
VFS Global recommends checking the cost of the consular fee for other categories of New Zealand visas on the New Zealand Immigration Service website here.
How to get a visa to New Zealand yourself?
After the applicant has determined the type of visa required, collected a package of documents, filled out the application form, you need to submit the papers to the New Zealand Embassy in Moscow. You can do this in one of the following ways:
- Go to the diplomatic mission in person;
- Provide documents through another person for whom a notarized power of attorney has been issued to perform this procedure;
- Send documents by mail.
When planning a trip abroad, you should make sure that there is no ban on traveling abroad on the website nevylet.rf.
Obtaining a visa through a visa center
Applying for a visa by applying to the Visa Center frees the applicant from a personal visit to the New Zealand Embassy (a package of papers is handed over to the diplomatic mission by the Visa Center staff). You will need to provide documents according to the same list as when requesting a visa at the diplomatic mission, and also sign a consent to the processing of personal data. The applicant also has the right to order additional services: assistance in filling out the application form, delivery of the passport by courier, photo services, SMS notifications.
The official representative in Russia authorized to accept visa applications to New Zealand is the international outsourcing company VFS Global.
Graduate visa
To obtain this type of permit, you must find a job in the specialty you received at the university. The validity period of such a document is longer – 24 months. It is no coincidence that graduates are given so much time: young specialists gain experience in their profession. A graduate visa allows its holder to apply for permanent residence under the category of skilled migrants. This category is called Skilled Migrant.
Watch the video: new requirements for a New Zealand visa category.
If a graduate has received a specialty that is in demand in the country and has some experience working in it, then finding an employer willing to employ him will not cause any particular difficulties. This means that obtaining a visa to New Zealand to fill a position in the list of in-demand professions will not be difficult.
But the applicant needs to pay special attention to the documents. For each specialty, this list specifies certain requirements: the level of knowledge acquired, work experience, etc.
If the documents do not correspond to at least one point, for example, a couple of months are missing for the required work experience, then the visa application will not even be accepted for consideration.
An employer who hires a foreign citizen who has a specialty from the list of in demand does not experience any problems with the law. But everything happens differently if a company hires a citizen of another state whose specialty is not in demand.
The employer will have to prove that he was looking for an employee with this specialty among citizens and residents of the country, but did not find one. Moreover, it must be proven quite seriously: how he searched, whether he advertised the vacancy, whether there were responses to the advertisement, and if there were, then why the employer refused those who responded. All this leads to the fact that employers do not want to get involved with the employment of those foreign citizens who do not have a specialty in demand in the country.
We advise you to look at: options for moving to New Zealand, and what professions are most in demand in this country.
Documents for New Zealand visa
Regardless of the method of submitting a visa application (through the Embassy, VC or other intermediary organization), the applicant must prepare a set of documents according to the standard list and additional papers, the content of which is determined by the stated purpose of the visit. Russian-language versions of documents must be accompanied by an official translation into English.
Christchurch, New Zealand
It is preferable to fill out the data in the form electronically on the New Zealand Immigration Service website, but filling it out on paper is also acceptable.
Standard list
During a visit to the Embassy or VC, the applicant must provide the following documents to obtain a visa to New Zealand:
- A completed application form in paper or electronic form;
- Two photographs of the applicant;
- Original and copy of a valid foreign passport. The travel document is valid for at least 3 months from the date of intended departure from New Zealand. Also copies of previous passports, provided that they contain a visa to any Schengen country, USA, Canada, UK or Australia;
- Copies of all information pages of the applicant’s internal passport;
- Reservation of round-trip tickets, confirmation of the availability of a place of residence in New Zealand for the entire period of travel (reservation of a hotel, house, other accommodation);
- Documentary confirmation of the visitor’s financial condition: bank account statement, certificate from place of employment indicating monthly salary, confirmation of credit card balance. Calculation – at least 1,000 New Zealand dollars per month of residence in the country.
If employees of a diplomatic mission have doubts about a particular applicant’s intention to return to his homeland, then in this case, such a citizen is offered to pay a refundable deposit.
Despite the fairly extensive and informative list of documents, the requirement to have a health insurance policy in it is more of a recommendation than a mandatory one. Meanwhile, the vast majority of citizens cannot imagine traveling abroad without health insurance. After all, no one wants to be in a foreign country and not have guarantees of timely medical care, if necessary.
A modern, reliable and convenient way to obtain insurance valid abroad is to use the services of the well-known instant insurance website Cherehapa.
Filling out the form online
Initially, the applicant must register on the New Zealand Immigration website using the link (click Apply now at the bottom of the page). After entering your registration data and creating a password, go to another page to fill out the form. There is a separate application form for different visa categories.
You must enter your personal information only in English. Estimated filling time is 20-30 minutes. You should prepare a digital photograph and all necessary documents in scanned form in advance.
New Zealand
Visa photo
The photo requirements when applying for a New Zealand visa are:
- quantity – 2 pcs.;
- size: 3.5x4.5 cm;
- image: color, clear, on a light background;
- the face is shot in close-up from the front, without a smile or other facial expressions;
- The “age” of the photograph is no more than six months.
On the back of the photo you need to write the traveler's first and last name.
Documents for children
When traveling with children, you will need to attach the following documents to the main package of papers:
- birth certificate;
- international passport in the name of the child;
- a student’s certificate from a school or other educational institution, a copy of a student ID (for students);
- consent for the child to travel abroad from the parents, if the child is traveling without them (with a third party) or from one remaining parent. The document is drawn up in the presence of a notary.
To apply for a New Zealand child visa, a minor must have their own foreign passport.
Documents for other types of visas
Guestbook
The applicant will need to provide, in addition to the basic package of papers, a letter of invitation from a resident of New Zealand, which indicates his personal data, residential address, and the duration of the guest visit; confirmation of the financial solvency of the inviting person. The invitation is accompanied by documents and certificates proving family or friendly ties between a Russian and a New Zealander.
Working
Those wishing to obtain a visa to work in a local company must prepare the following documents:
- An invitation, a certificate of employment and a letter of authorization from the New Zealand employing company;
- Confirmation of the absence of a criminal record, as well as violations of the visa regime during foreign travel in any country;
- Diploma of education corresponding to the future position held, proof of work experience;
- Certificate and letter of recommendation from previous place of work.
Student
Russian citizens who have entered New Zealand educational institutions to receive an education additionally provide:
- a certificate from the university where the applicant plans to study. The document must contain the following data: name of the educational institution, name of the faculty and specialty, period of study;
- a receipt for advance payment of tuition or evidence of financial ability to do this later;
- a certificate of placement in a hostel or papers confirming the availability of other housing for the period of study in New Zealand;
- a document indicating the absence of criminal or administrative prosecution;
- chest x-ray (for those students whose studies will last longer than six months).
Transit
To obtain a transit visa, the applicant needs to attach the following documents to the main list of papers: tickets to a third country and a visa permit to enter this country, if there is a visa regime with the Russian Federation.
Nature of New Zealand
Work visa for the general working category Essential Skills
is applied for a position that is not included in the lists of in-demand professions and does not fit the Talent category. In this case, the employer provides information about how he looked for a candidate for an open vacancy. What was done to find local specialists. Why local applicants were not hired. To do this, they fill out a form for employers, also write letters and attach copies of advertisements. In addition, an analysis of all applications received for this position must be attached.
The employer does not need to show immigration efforts to find a candidate if:
the company has special permission to hire foreign specialists,
the applicant has already been invited to submit a full application for a residence visa,
The applicant is required to provide proof of work experience and education. Here you can read about how to look for work in New Zealand
Is IELTS required for a work visa?
From experience I can say that the question may arise. There is no IELTS requirement as such for work visas. The immigration officer may have doubts if the work can be done efficiently without knowledge of the language. He has the right to do so. So keep this in mind when preparing your application.
Are there visa refusals?
Visa refusals happen quite often. The main reasons for which failure is obvious are:
- absence of any document from the required list;
- errors in filling out the questionnaire;
- providing false information;
- the validity of the passport has expired or is insufficient for the planned period of residence in New Zealand;
- concealment of important biographical facts (for example, criminal record).
New Zealanders can also apply for a visa in these cases:
- Less than 3 months have passed since your previous trip to Australia or New Zealand;
- violations of the immigration regime by the applicant in other countries have been recorded;
- the applicant has already had his or her New Zealand visa application rejected.
However, a responsible approach to collecting documents, truthful provision of information, and careful compliance with all requirements of the diplomatic mission are the basis for obtaining a visa, and not refusing to issue it.
Simple work visa
Almost all young people who have graduated from New Zealand schools and universities can obtain such a residence permit in the country if they have found a company that has agreed to employ them. A simple work visa can be obtained for employment in any specialty and regardless of the position in the employer’s staffing table. Even if a graduate studied a completely different profession, he can still count on receiving it.
This visa has one limitation - its validity period. It is issued for only a year. This period is given to the graduate specifically so that he can find a job in the specialty he received at the educational institution.
Watch the video: how to get to New Zealand on a work visa.
Next, there are 2 options. Within 12 months, the graduate finds a job in New Zealand in the specialty listed in the education document. He has the opportunity to apply for a resident visa. This takes some time, but the citizen will be completely legal in the territory of the state on the open visa he has.
If the year allotted for searching for a job in a specialty in demand in the country has passed, and the graduate has not been able to find a job, he can apply for another working type visa - a graduate. But it is issued for a specific workplace, and the graduate does not have the right to work under such a permit in a specialty other than the one received at the educational institution.
