How To Apply For New Zealand Tourist Visa From The Philippines

We cannot deny that New Zealand is filled with top-rated tourist destinations. New Zealand has beautiful landscapes and coastlines and it serves as a perfect destination for nature lovers. Apart from a sightseeing tour, adrenaline junkies can also enjoy New Zealand with its adventure and sports activities like bungee jumping, caving, skydiving, rafting, zip lining, and a lot more. Fortunately, it is easy for us Filipino travelers to enter New Zealand and experience an adventure of a lifetime with a free and hassle-free tourist visa application for New Zealand.

But before anything else, here are the things that you have to know about the New Zealand tourist visa.

Just like other countries, New Zealand offers different types of visa for different travel reasons. However, the tourist/ visitor visa for New Zealand can legally allow you to apply for jobs and attend job interviews. It can even allow you to enroll in a short-course (less than 3 months) study program in New Zealand! Furthermore, the duration of the visa can also be up to 9 months in an 18 months period. Isn’t it interesting? So without further adieu, here’s how you can apply for a New Zealand tourist visa if you are a Filipino citizen.

Apply For a New Zealand Visa in Three Ways

There are three ways on how to apply for a tourist visa in New Zealand. The following are:

1. Counter Application

Personally or by an  authorized representative, you can submit the documents to the VFS New Zealand Application Centers in Manila or Cebu with the following locations below.

New Zealand Application Center in Manila

VFS Global Services Philippines Private Inc.,
Mezzanine Floor Unit M01, Ecoplaza Building,
2305 Chino Roces Avenue Extension Makati City, Metro Manila 1231
Office hours: 8:00 – 4:00 pm

New Zealand Application Center in Cebu

VFS Global Services Philippines Private Inc.,
9th Floor, Keppel Center, Unit 905, Samar Loop
cor. Cardinal Rosales Avenue,
Cebu Business Park, Cebu City 6000
Office hours: 8:00 – 2:00 pm

Before you go, be sure to check if the office is open through their public holiday list. If someone is submitting your requirements on your behalf, they have to bring an authorization letter, your ID, and the representative’s ID.

2. Postal Application

If you can’t go and no one on your behalf can submit the documents to the Application Center, you can send your application through your trusted courier company or through the NZVAC courier services. The New Zealand Visa Application Center (NZVAC) courier service will pick up your documents from your doorstep to the Visa Application Center (VAC) at a fee of PHP 380 for a one way delivery and PHP 600 for both ways.

Note: Your visa application will not be processed if the courier fees are not yet paid.

3. Online Application

This is the easiest and the most convenient way to apply. You simply have to register on NZVAC website and make your application from there. You also only have to attach your supporting documents upon submission and will only send your passport upon the “go-signal” of the visa-issuing authority. Along with your passport, you also have to submit the confirmation page or the online application reference number which can be found at the end of your online application.

Requirements For New Zealand Visa

1. Valid passport – it is already given that your Philippine passport must not be expired and must have enough blank pages for the visa and entry/exit stamps.
2. Visa photos that meet the embassy’s standard – By rule of thumb, visa photos must show your face clearly, colored, and must be professionally taken.
3. Proof of financial capacity – usually, the embassy will require at least NZD 1,000 per month of stay. If you already have a paid accommodation, it lowers down to NZD 400 per month. Proof of prepaid accommodation which can be proven by receipts or vouchers. Other proof of financial capacity could be the following:

• Bank statements
• Credit card statements
• Traveller’s cheques
• Sponsorship letter and supporting  documents of the sponsor

4. Health insurance – it is highly encouraged that visitors will provide a health insurance that is valid during their stay in New Zealand. If not, you have to declare in your application that you will pay for any medical costs acquired during the visit.
5. Flight itinerary – you have to prove that you have sufficient means to leave the country by the end of your trip. This can be any of the following:

• Flight tickets
• Proof that you have enough money to buy a plane ticket (accommodation and pocket money not included)
• Sponsorship

6. Visa Application Form

You can access the application form here.

Note: One of the requirements explicitly stated on their website is a proof of “good character”. This means that you may have to submit a Police or NBI Clearance along with your application.

Is The Visa Application Really Free Of Charge?

Yes, it is but only if you are staying for less than 59 days. More than that, the visa fee will cost NZD 165. One more thing, since the visa applications are lodged to the application centers (VAC), they act as the middle-man between the applicant and the embassy. Therefore, applicants still have to pay for their services.

Application Fees

Application Lodgement                                                – PHP 760 per application

Passport Handling (for Online Application)                     – PHP 570 per application

Courier Return                                                            – PHP 380 per application

SMS (for updates regarding application status)              – PHP 110 per application

If you are going to deliver and pick-up your passport from the application center, you don’t have to pay for the courier services.

What is the mode of payment?

There are three ways to pay the fees. See below for the modes of payment.

• Cash
• Credit Card
• Bank Transfer

Note: The application center only accepts payments in Philippine peso. For more information regarding the payment mode details, kindly refer to the VFS New Zealand website.

How long Should I Wait For the New Zealand Visa To Be Processed?

Visa processing usually takes 20 business days but if you have been issued a visa from the first-world countries before, you might get the results within 3 to 5 days already. You can track your application through their tracking facility here. They send updates via email or SMS too.

So, that’s how you can easily apply for a New Zealand tourist visa if you’re in the Philippines. Please bear in mind that even though the application process is easier than other countries, there are still chances that your application will not be approved. Only the visa-issuing authority can guarantee the fate of your application– of course, depending on the documents that you submitted.

So good luck on your visa application and I hope to see you enjoying New Zealand pretty soon!

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