Dutch nationals can immigrate to New Zealand from Netherlands by following the same regulations that are established by the New Zealand authorities for all EU (European Union) nationals. EU citizens benefit from the same immigration rights, regardless of the EU country where they have residency/citizenship.
Just like in the case of all other nationalities, EU or otherwise, the law on immigration in New Zealand distinguishes between 2 categories of stays: 1) short-term stays, with a duration of maximum 90 days, and 2) long-term stays, with a duration of minimum 90 days.
The duration of stay is very important, as in the 2nd case, all foreign nationals will be asked to comply with procedures for residency in New Zealand. If you want to obtain a residence permit, our immigration lawyer in New Zealand remains at your service.
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How can a Dutch citizen arrive in New Zealand for short stays?
For short stays, Dutch nationals who will immigrate to New Zealand from Netherlands must comply with very simple immigration formalities. The Netherlands is part of a simpler immigration program for short stays, under the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) system.
The NZeTA is a simple form of the Visitor visa, which must generally be obtained by most foreign nationals following the traditional application route. This system is available only for certain countries, including the EU states, as a part of the visa waiver program.
Persons moving from USA to New Zealand also benefit from this system, for example. The advantage of this visa type is that it can be obtained very easily, via e-mail. The NZeTA has the following characteristics:
- it can be obtained only by persons who have an age of minimum 18 years old;
- it can be used to immigrate to New Zealand from Netherlands for maximum 90 days;
- the visa waiver program was initiated in 2009;
- with this document, a Dutch citizen can stay in New Zealand for 3 months in a 6 months period and, overall, for 6 months in a 12 months period;
- the registration formalities are very simple, applicants can obtain the document in less than 1 day.
Please know that all persons who will migrate to New Zealand as Dutch passport holders are required to obtain the document prior to their arrival in the country and that this document is mandatory, even if foreigners will stay here just for 1 day.
Are there any programs for young Dutch citizens?
Yes, young Dutch citizens can immigrate to New Zealand from Netherlands for work and study (known as work holiday program) or simply for studying here. Regardless, they will need to apply for residency in New Zealand, as these visa programs are created for stays of minimum 1 year.
Dutch passport holders can apply for the Netherlands Working Holiday visa; we invite you to discover below some of its characteristics:
- according to the New Zealand Immigration Office, the visa grants the right to stay here for 12 months;
- it is addressed to Dutch passport holders (only citizens, not permanent residents) with an age of 18 to 30 years old;
- the applicants are required to pay a processing fee of NZ $420;
- the visa processing time is rather reduced compared to many other visas (it takes around 24 days to process it);
- most of the applications are processed in the 24 days period (90% of them).
If you want to participate in this program, you can learn more from our immigration lawyer in New Zealand.
What are the visa options for business purposes in New Zealand?
Dutch citizens can also arrive here for other purposes than visiting the country, working or participating in study programs. They can arrive here for the purpose of developing a business or making an investment.
For this, there are several immigration programs, such as:
- Entrepreneur Resident Visa;
- Global Impact Permanent Residence Visa;
- Global Impact Work Visa;
- Entrepreneur Work Visa.
We invite you to contact our immigration lawyer in New Zealand if you want to start your visa application process for a business venture.
