You are going to New Zealand. For me, for you and for all citizens of the Russian Federation and the CIS, it is necessary to obtain a pre-issued visa to enter the territory of this country. See the official source of information here.
The most common type of visa: visitor or tourist up to 3 months (180 days stay) for one or two tourists (there is also a special type of visa - group, but restrictions on the length of stay no more than 1 calendar month). This is what my visa looked like, for example.
A few highlights:
- start date: in fact, you can enter the country from the specified date, it may not coincide with the one you requested in the application form, this is normal;
- number of entries: number of entries/border crossings, traditionally in tourism this is one entry;
- first entry before: that is, before this date you must cross the New Zealand border, otherwise the visa will be cancelled;
- expiry date travel/visa expiry: the day on which you must leave New Zealand, otherwise you will be illegally in the country, and this will already entail administrative and criminal penalties (force majeure will also need to be proven very long and carefully through a lawyer).
But first things first.
New Zealand visa types
Following changes in UK immigration policy, New Zealand (as a loyal subject) has also made significant adjustments to the documents accompanying the visa request, and the types of visas themselves, as well as to the acquired rights/responsibilities when receiving the coveted sticker in the passport:
- Visitor visa . It combines all previous short-term visas and limits your presence in the country to 3 months (while already in NZ on this type of visa, you can extend it without leaving for 3 or 6 months, so as not to exceed a total of 9 months of stay): student ( short-term training courses),
- business (attending conferences, holding negotiations, etc.),
- tourist,
- visiting family members, relatives and friends; they issue a letter of invitation to visit New Zealand and a letter of sponsorship confirming travel expenses, if necessary,
- sports visas (participation in competitions).
Important : children under 18 years old can travel only if accompanied by an adult!
This could be a parent or a legal guardian (aunt, uncle, teacher, etc.). For such cases, the child must have consent to leave. It is prepared on the notary’s letterhead (very easily completed by any practicing notary). The original notarized consent for the departure of a minor and its translation (of course, also notarized), if the main document is not in English, must be in the hands of the child when submitting documents, as well as when crossing the New Zealand border. The exit consent must clearly indicate the destination – “to New Zealand”, and the period of validity of the document must coincide with the duration of the trip; In addition, information about the accompanying person is required: last name, first name, patronymic and passport details.
Processing times for a visa application to New Zealand
According to the Immigration New Zealand website, the processing time for a visa application is:
| Online | Paper application |
| up to 20 working days from the date of submission of the online request (i.e. excluding weekends and holidays). The recommended deadline for submitting visa applications is at least 4.5 weeks before the intended trip. | up to 25 working days from the date of submission of documents (i.e. excluding weekends and holidays) |
| In practice, the processing time for online requests is around 4 weeks (subject to the provision of all documents). | In practice, the processing time for online requests is around 5 weeks (subject to the provision of all documents). |
It is worth noting that a representative of the immigration service may send an applicant a request for additional comments/documents on the application form (the request contains an indication by what date the comment/document must be provided), which may increase the processing time of the visa request. We recommend that you approach filling out the New Zealand visa application very seriously and carefully.
Visa center in Russia
In the Russian Federation at the moment there is only one official center for receiving documents for visas to New Zealand. It is located at: 127018, Moscow, st. Suschevsky Val, 31/1.
Except for public holidays, it operates according to the following schedule:
- Visa center from 09.00 to 16.00.
- Applications are accepted from 09.00 to 16.00.
- Issuance of passports from 09.00 to 16.00.
Help desk number: +7 (499) 703 4527, +7 (499) 704 3462. Email address
There are usually no queues, and the workers are not in a particular hurry. It seems to me that people in this place are generally relaxed in life. Service takes place on a first-come-first-serve basis, without prior registration.
Until recently, a visa center in Vladivostok was also available, but unfortunately it closed on April 30, 2021.
How to obtain a visa to New Zealand through a visa application center?
The New Zealand visa center is located only in Moscow.
Before you apply for a visa to New Zealand yourself, you need to familiarize yourself with two methods:
- the first is to send the papers yourself through the visa center,
- and the second is in submitting documents via the Internet (eVisa).
If you want to deal with this issue yourself, you need to go to the visa center, which is located in Moscow on Sushchevsky Val Street, 31/1. Previously, there was a visa center in Vladivostok, but it closed.
The procedure for obtaining a visa consists of several stages:
- filling out an application form for an entry document;
- preparing a package of documentation that will be indicated in the checklist;
- submitting an application at the visa center, paying the fee;
- waiting for notification by mail (electronic) about the completion of consideration of the application;
- obtaining a stamped foreign passport.
Typically, paperwork takes no more than 2 weeks. If documents are sent from one city to another, this process may take two months.
Note! Along with the originals, a translation into English must be provided.
More detailed information about obtaining a visa to New Zealand is presented on the visa center website - https://www.vfsglobal.com/NewZealand/Russia/.
A New Zealand visa can be issued at the consular section of the embassy or at visa centers.
Planning your stay
It is necessary to decide as early as possible on the length of stay (date of entry and exit) and the intended route of travel.
This will help you save money by purchasing cheaper tickets ahead of time, correctly filling out all the necessary documents and submitting them to the embassy on time. If you have chosen the period of the classic New Year and Christmas holidays, the processing time increases (from 14 days). Important! You can submit your application no earlier than 6 months before your planned entry into the country.
How to overcome this barrier
A foreigner can work in New Zealand on a student visa, which is easy to obtain when enrolling in any educational program: undergraduate - three years, post-graduate education - one year, or just English language courses in New Zealand from 14 weeks. Moreover, when enrolling in higher education in New Zealand, some institutes offer free English language training for up to 24 weeks for specialists in the IT sector, hotel business and other in-demand professions.
All of these programs, including English language courses of 14 weeks or more, provide opportunities for employment and New Zealand citizenship. An important point: New Zealand is a member of the British Commonwealth and its citizens are subsequently given the opportunity to find easy employment in the UK, USA, Australia and other countries.
New Zealand provides many educational opportunities:
- Bachelor's programs - three years for those who have just graduated from school or college in Russia;
- post-higher professional education or master's degree - one year for those who already have higher or incomplete higher education;
- long-term English language courses of 14 weeks, which are also highly rated among local employers, especially in the tourism and hotel business.
Cost of a visa to New Zealand
Holders of a passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation, when submitting an application on the territory of Russia, a tourist visa is issued free of charge! But, of course, you will need to pay some amount for working on your application. So:
- 0 rubles consular fee (when submitting documents at the visa center) +1,900 rubles — visa center service fee for one application. Payment by card or cash in rubles.
- 0 NZD (if applying online from outside New Zealand).
- 1,425 rubles delivery of the passport to the embassy, if you cannot get there on your own and give the document for a visa.
- If you cannot pick up your passport from the embassy yourself, there is no charge for sending it back to the visa center (what if they open somewhere else besides Moscow), but if you need to deliver it to a specific address, then this service will be paid additionally according to the price list of transport companies . Information about additional services here.
BUT! The first two conditions are available only to residents of the Russian Federation according to a special agreement between the two countries.
Cost of a visa to New Zealand - how much does a visa to New Zealand cost?
| Online | Paper application |
| 0 rub. for consideration of the Visitor Visa type | 0 rub. for consideration of the Visitor Visa type |
| RUB 1,640 — visa center service fee | RUB 2,180 — visa center service fee |
- The consular fee may vary depending on the nationality of the applicant, as well as the type of visa; Find official information about New Zealand visa fees here.
- When applying for a visa to New Zealand online, a bank commission may be charged.
Standard package of documents (both for on-line submission and for mere mortals)
As a rule, there is a single package of documents for submitting for all types of visas; it is only slightly modified depending on the purpose of the trip. So, you will need:
- Completely completed INZ 1017 application form (download here). It is noteworthy that if you are traveling with a family (husband and wife and a child under 20 years old), the form can be filled out by two people, for example, the husband separately, the wife and child together.
- Two color matte photographs (taken, as usual, no earlier than 6 months before submission) for each applicant, measuring 35x45 mm.
- Original or certified copy of passport for each applicant. The passport is valid for at least 3 months from the date of visa expiration.
- Visa center service fee and payment for return delivery of documents: read the information here. Delivery of documents is not required if the passport is obtained at the visa center.
- You must demonstrate financial viability. The logic of the visa officer: if he doesn’t have enough money, he will go looking for work, and since tourists do not have a work permit, this is +1 immigrant. And already in the head of the CC employee there is a black picture of fraud, robbery and robberies. Therefore, we very thoroughly confirm that there is money for both ourselves and our partner. This can be one of the documents or all at once: a credit card statement no older than a month indicating the available limit, an open deposit, etc. (approximate calculation of at least 1000 NZD (~ 645 EUR) per person for the entire duration of the trip);
- Sponsorship Form INZ 1025, completed, signed and certified in New Zealand, if your trip is being paid for by a NZ citizen, an accredited NZ organization or the NZ Government;
- trip itinerary (we describe by day, where and for how long we are going, the cost of entrance tickets, and so on in any form), including ticket reservation (you can ask to do it at any agency or on the airline’s website.
- Taking out medical insurance is not included in the list of mandatory documents, but is strongly recommended.
- Any other information demonstrating your personal, financial, work or other incentives to return to your country of residence, such as:
- a certificate of employment on company letterhead with company details indicating the applicant’s position, length of service and salary, certified by the manager’s signature and seal; it is advisable that the salary exceed 1000 NZD (~ 645 EUR), so that the officer does not think that you have not eaten for three years just to save up for a one-way trip;
- other.
certificate from the place of study;
All documents must be in English or have a certified translation (translator's signature, agency seal and contact information are required). Original documents must have a copy, which will be collected when submitting your application. Please note that if something is not a duplicate, employees will take the original for themselves without returning it!
We collect this entire package of documents (you can directly check the boxes here), send it to the address of the visa center or carry it yourself.
How and where visas are issued
The entry rules for foreigners have been clarified, and you can begin to consider options for submitting an application. You can do this yourself or ask a travel agency for help. It must be accredited, so find out this fact before submitting. If you live far from Moscow, you can use the services of couriers and postal services.
You can submit documents only in one place - the New Zealand Visa Center, which is located in Moscow on Sadovnicheskaya Street 25. You can pay the fees through a bank or by card.
Visa to New Zealand online
Milford Bay.
The picturesque New Zealand fjord Milford Sound, located on the South Island, was formed as a result of the melting of a glacier moving from the mountains towards the Tasman Sea. The process of obtaining visitor and other visas to New Zealand has become significantly easier in recent years. Now you just need to go to www.immigration.govt.nz and apply for a New Zealand visa online. It describes detailed instructions on how to create a personal account, fill out a form, upload a photograph and all the required documents. Remember that all attached files must be in PDF format and no larger than 10 megabytes in size.
Visa processing times
Applications for a visa to New Zealand take quite a long time to be processed, so try to calculate this period in advance and take it into account when preparing documents. You should have a few days to spare, as a delay could disrupt your vacation plans. In this case, you will lose the tickets you have already purchased and will not be able to get a refund for them. Visa processing may be delayed if additional documents are required. On average, the time it takes to obtain a visa ranges from two weeks to one month.
Auckland International Airport. The airport in the country's largest city, Auckland, serves as New Zealand's main air gateway. In recent years, Auckland Airport has consistently been included in lists of the best airports on the planet.
Consular fee
How much a visa to New Zealand costs is presented in the table:
| Visa | Consular fee (in rubles) |
| Entry | absent |
| Transit | 4200 |
| Working | 8100 |
| Student | 8100 |
| Permanent Resident Visa | 5400 |
Large natural arch.
The church-like arch, or “Cathedral Cave,” is located on the Coromandel Peninsula near the resort town of Hahei. You are required to submit documents and pay the consular fee at an accredited TTServices visa center. You will also have to pay a service fee costing 1,320 rubles. In some cases, authorities require a deposit, which is returned upon arrival in the Russian Federation.
Valid term of a visa
The entry visa type is valid for 30 days in the country. The long-term type is issued for an average of one year, but can be extended after a while. To live in the country for more than two years, you will need to attach medical examination data. The group type allows you to stay on the island for no more than 30 days.
Submission of documents on-line
Good news: now you can submit documents for consideration on-line from anywhere in the country, but the visa will be affixed directly to your passport.
Therefore, after receiving approval of your application, you have options: either bring your passport to the visa center in person, or send it by express mail.
You do not hand over your passport when applying
In terms of the visa application process, New Zealand is encouraging, since you submit only documents confirming the purpose of your trip, the original passport remains in your hands!
After reviewing the application, the visa officer makes his decision, informs you by email, and if the answer is positive, asks you to bring the original passport to affix the visa itself. In fact, during the review, you can travel or even submit your passport for a second visa (for example, to Australia, as many do, combining trips to Oceania). One of the main sources of income for New Zealand is tourism, so you need to try not to get a tourist visa.
Actions for on-line submission of documents
First, create an account on Realme.
—
A confirmation will be sent to the email you provided, then enter your contact information.
When you have created your account, everything will open as in the standard list of documents:
- questionnaire;
- uploading photos;
- uploading certificates, documents, routes, etc.;
- payment of service and other fees online.
After some time, both when submitting documents as standard and when submitting on-line, you receive a “letter of happiness”. The visa officer has made a decision on your case and, if the circumstances are successful, asks you to provide your passport to affix a visa!
For me personally, in comparison with obtaining numerous visas to the UK, Schengen countries and the USA, processing documents to New Zealand was one of the simplest and fastest (despite the previous refusal received from the Australian Embassy).
Do Russians need a visa to New Zealand in 2021?
Yes, all citizens of the Russian Federation and the CIS need it without exception. When going to a distant island, get ready to face a number of difficulties. The island state has fairly strict requirements for tourists and other citizens who decide to visit it. In terms of the complexity of obtaining a visa, the country can be compared with the United States of America or the UK.
If you doubt your own knowledge of English and whether you can fill out the application form in it without making a single mistake, you can always contact a travel agency or visa center for help. Then you will be sure that all documentation is completed correctly.
At the same time, citizens of some countries are exempt from obtaining visas. These include Australia, Great Britain, the USA and 58 other countries.
If your visa is refused
Cases are quite rare, but they do happen. The worst case scenario: you provided deliberately false/forged documents and they caught you in this. In this case, they can put a BAN for several years on the possibility of submitting a new visa application, that is, any requests will receive an automatic refusal until the period specified in the explanation for the reason for the first refusal (individually according to the deadline). Therefore, I strongly recommend that you present only REAL or at least not fake documents, because once you get through it, but the third time you will get it in full: BAN for 10 years.
If everything is in order with your documents, but for the most common reason (lack of funds in your account to secure your trip) you were refused, everything is simple here, and you should not panic. We reassemble the package of documents, especially carefully study the requirements for financial guarantees, write a mini-letter explaining why the “elephant was not noticed” the first time and submit again.
Visa officers are people too and understand that you can simply overlook things. If on the second visit you collected all the documents correctly, prepared everything beautifully and attached the maximum possible evidence of your wealth, you will be given a visa 100%. Each new application is considered as if from scratch (with the exception of illegal documents, of course).
New Zealand Visa Types
New Zealand visas are divided into several types:
Transit - a standard kit is assembled. The requirements are the same as for other types. Stay – 72 hours. A copy of tickets for the entire route is added.
“Visitor” - issued for guests, tourists and studies for a short period of time. Can be either a one-time or multiple visit to the country. Allows you to stay up to 90 days with the right to extend for another 90/180 without leaving your home country. The total time should not exceed 9 months over a period of one and a half years. You cannot carry out labor or commercial activities.
Get a visa
For groups – convenient for tourists and representatives of organizations traveling in a group of 4 to 14 people. Only the leader receives permission; the rest of the travelers fill out a special form. Their ID cards are stamped with entry and exit stamps. The document has serious time restrictions; only one-time entry is possible.
You may be interested in: How to apply for a visa yourself? Step by step guide 2021!
Find out more
“Student” – for long-term students. Issued upon availability of police clearance certificates, admission to a local university, and payment receipts for the first semester. Valid from 6 months to 5 years.
Get a student visa
“Work” – the category includes several subtypes of employment. Starting from 2021, some changes are being introduced to the application process, about which you should first inquire at the Embassy or get advice from specialists from the International Fund for Exhibition Center.
Everything is being introduced gradually, and the final version is planned to be reached in 2021. In particular, in 2021, the conditions for a work visa through accredited employers have changed: it will be given for 2 years without the possibility of obtaining New Zealand citizenship with a salary of more than $90,000 per year. The remaining subtypes are currently issued for the period of the concluded contract.
Get a work visa
“Join or bring family” - reunification with family. For close relatives (except brothers and sisters) of a New Zealand citizen, as well as the bride/groom who have been in a civil relationship for more than a year. A motivation letter and a certificate of good conduct are added. Having a higher education, good income and housing, it is easy to become a resident.
Get help with registration
“Start a business or invest” – for investors. There are two programs. The first one is to deposit more than NZ$10,000,000 for 3 years. For the second, you need to deposit NZ$3,000,000 and take part in a competitive selection. 300 candidates will receive a stamp for 1 year.
To get a consultation
The subtleties of crossing the New Zealand border
You must be very careful when going through customs and passport control. Many fruits, vegetables, herbs, and so on are prohibited from being imported into the country. If prohibited items are found in your suitcase, they are usually confiscated or, in extreme cases, denied entry into the country. We read carefully what can and cannot be transported here.
The visa officers at the border posts are quite friendly, but in my opinion this is a scam. They will ask you any questions, inspect your luggage for any amount of time until they are sure of the purpose of the trip (in your case, it’s just tourism). Therefore, we answer quickly, correctly and with a smile. There is no need to give rise to additional questions, everything is clear and to the point.
Remember, having a visa in your passport is not a 100% guarantee of your entry into the land of the hobbits.
Subtleties of border crossing
Nugget Point Lighthouse.
The lighthouse got its name thanks to the small rocky islands near the coast - “nuggets”, shaped like gold nuggets. The lighthouse has been open since 1870. The lighthouse building is built from local stone quarried in the area. The import of foreign currency into the country is not limited. Customs authorities carefully inspect each guest, including luggage. In addition to standard electronic detectors and manual inspections, the airport has dogs to search for prohibited goods.
It is allowed to import up to 200 cigarettes and 50 cigars, as well as up to 4.5 liters of wine and 1 liter of strong alcoholic beverage. Personal items must not cost more than NZ$700. At the same time, it is prohibited to import any food, weapons, plants, or tranquilizers.
Getting a visa to picturesque New Zealand is not so easy, but you will succeed if you approach the process of collecting documents responsibly and carefully.
Do I need a visa to New Zealand and which one should I choose?
Like visas of other countries, a visa to New Zealand has several types: a visa for tourism and a limited visa intended for entering the country for a specific purpose. This could be a business trip, study in New Zealand, etc. When applying for a visa, you should take into account the time it takes to consider the application and not cause inconvenience to the consulates with an incorrect or incomplete package of documents.
Regular entry visa
The so-called Visitor's Visa allows you to stay in New Zealand for one purpose: tourism. A visitor visa falls into this category: the applicant provides an invitation from a New Zealander and confirms friendly or family ties with him. Working on such a visa is prohibited.
Group visa
Serves as an excellent alternative to a tourist or business visa for 4-15 people with one purpose and duration of travel. These can be people from the same company or individual travelers with similar plans.
When crossing the border, a stamp is affixed to one person, the chosen leader, but the rest will not have marks about crossing the border. A special form will be issued to all group members on which they will be indicated.
A group visa allows travel participants to cross the border into New Zealand only once.
Transit visa
A transit visa to New Zealand is required for tourists whose flight has a connecting flight in New Zealand. Using the airport space in New Zealand requires obtaining a visa, and you will need to bother with it no less than with an ordinary one.
Long-term visas
People need them for the purpose of subsequently moving to New Zealand in case of employment, study, obtaining a residence permit, marriage or marriage to a resident of the country.
Open work visa to New Zealand for partners:
citizens of New Zealand,
New Zealand residents (permanent residence),
foreign workers,
postgraduate students (master's degree or higher),
partners/spouses of those who are studying for a profession that is on the list of demand (bachelor's and postgraduate degrees)
In all cases, partners/spouses can apply for an open work visa. Children under 18 years of age can come on student visas and study in public schools for free from the age of five (like local students). If a child is under five years old, he can go to kindergarten. For children under five years of age, a visitor visa is issued, which coincides with the terms of the parent’s visa. Kindergartens in New Zealand are free for everyone. For this category, you need to provide documents that show kinship and family relationships. In addition to the application forms themselves, additional forms for partner visas must be completed. In addition, you must provide convincing evidence of partnership/matrimony.
