Among all countries most Filipinos wish to visit, New Zealand is one of it because of its diversity and organization. Don’t get me wrong because we still need a VISA for it. The good news is for Philippine-passport holders, New Zealand is waiving the application fee for visitors of less than 60 days.
The big question is: How do you apply for this “waived” VISA?
Firstly, we need to take little steps to get to what we want.
Complete the visa application form. If you do not have a visa application form, you can download it from here. However, if you already have the duly accomplished visa application form, you may check if it’s still valid from here.
Applicants or their representatives in person can submit their application at the counter of the New Zealand Visa Application Centre in Manila (VFS). The times or schedules would be between 8 AM – 4 PM and in Cebu between 8 AM – 2 PM (Monday – Friday). Exceptions are the holidays mentioned in the Public Holiday List. In addition to that, the New Zealand Visa Application Center accepts all payments in Peso currency only.
Requirements
For the requirements, you need to present the following supporting documents for your application:
- Valid passport
- 2 pieces of passport sized photos (with your name at the back) attached on your visa application form.
- Bank Statements to prove that you can support your finances in New Zealand
- Certificate of Employment IF you are an Employee
- Business Permit; SEC doc; and Bank Certificates IF you are a Business Owner
Furthermore, you need to bring photocopies of the said documents. They won’t return the documents after submitting and processing can take up to 3 weeks.
The Visa Fees and VFS Global Service Fee are applicable per application. The visa fee can be paid together or separately as per applicant’s requirements. Visa Fee is waived for Philippine-passport holders, which means you don’t have to pay Php 6,260.00 if you’re visiting the country in less than 60 days.
You can pay the following fees in:
- VFS Cash
- Credit Card
- Bank Transfer
| APPLICATION FEE | |
|---|---|
| Application Lodgement | Php 760 per application |
| Passport Handling – Online Application | Php 570 per application |
| Courier Return | Php 380 per application |
| SMS | Php 110 per application |
After that, you can submit your completed Visa Application form along with all the required supporting documents in-person or via a representative at the New Zealand Visa Application Center from the given schedules above or you can send them through a courier service.
Read: Requirements and procedure for Visa Application in Canada
After you’ve accomplished all of these, you can track your application here. In this link, you can also choose whether to pick it up yourself from the application center or get it delivered to you via courier.
Important notes to remember:
- The waiver is ONLY applicable to Philippine-passport holders who are to travel in less than 60 days.
- If you’re not currently in the Philippines, you are still eligible for the visa waiver
- Appointment is not required
- Double-check your documents before pushing through with the application to avoid going back
- Double-check your application form as well
- Travel insurance is not a requirement but a must for peace of mind
This really is good news especially for Filipinos who love to travel. If you do not pass the first time you apply, do not feel discouraged. There is always next time and remember to be strong in the VISA application.
Read Also: How to set an Appointment for US Visa application
Source: VFS Manila
Featured image from Wikipedia