As a Spanish citizen who will immigrate to New Zealand from Spain, it is necessary to be the holder of a visa in order to have the right to visit/work/study in this country.
The obligation to have a visa is also imposed for short-term stays that have the purpose of visiting New Zealand. This can be done through the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA).
Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can present the process of obtaining the NZeTA, as well as any other visas that can be obtained in this country by Spanish passport holders.
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What is the NZeTA?
NZeTA is a type of visitor visa, which is not the traditional visitor visa, but rather a simple electronic document with very basic immigration formalities. This document can be obtained only by nationals of countries which are included in the visa waiver system.
Although this is a simple visa formality, please be aware that it is mandatory to obtain this document prior to the arrival in the country. Each nationality has its own rules and regulations to follow, for instance, a person moving from USA to New Zealand may need to comply with other rules.
Regarding the NZeTA, Spanish passport holders should know the following:
- the document can be used only for stays with a duration of maximum 90 days, which do not imply complying with rules for residency in New Zealand;
- the document is valid for a period of 12 months and Spanish nationals can use the same document for re-entry on the New Zealand territory;
- overall, they can migrate to New Zealand for a period of maximum 6 months;
- this document is necessary regardless if the Spanish national arrives here for 1 day or for the maximum allowed, of 90 days;
- the NZeTA is imposed in New Zealand for visa waiver states since 2009.
Can Spanish nationals obtain the Work Holiday visa in New Zealand?
Persons who immigrate to New Zealand from Spain can apply for the Work Holiday program, a program that is open for certain nationalities and which has certain characteristics that vary from one nationality to another.
This visa program can be used as a way to residency in New Zealand for a period of up to 12 months. It is addressed only to Spanish nationals who have an age of 18 to 30 years old and all applicants are required to pay a processing fee.
According to the New Zealand Immigration, the current fee is of NZD$420 and the authorities can issue 2,000 such visas to Spanish passport holders.
Please know that the yearly quota can vary, therefore persons who will immigrate from USA to New Zealand may have different regulations concerning this aspect.
With this visa, a Spanish national who will migrate to New Zealand can work here 12 months, and out of these, 6 months can be used for study or training. In most of the cases, applications can be processed in around 1 month (90% of them are processed in 36 days).
This is why you should initiate the application procedure as soon as possible, so that you can make sure your application is amongst the 2,000 yearly applications and that you can complete the visa issuance in due time for your arrival in this country.
Our immigration lawyer in New Zealand can offer further information on other requirements that can apply in this case.
If you want to relocate to New Zealand on a long-term basis, other visas have to be explored, as per the purpose of your stay and your qualifications for the respective purpose.
For instance, if you arrive here for employment, there are many visas that are available for work, but you will be able to apply only for certain categories of visas, in accordance with your work experience and education.
You can contact our immigration lawyer in New Zealand if you want to apply for a work visa and you can obtain the necessary legal support.
Many work visas grant the right to permanent residency, and this can be obtained, in most cases, after 2 years of residence in New Zealand. If you will apply for the Permanent Residency Visa, you need to pay a processing fee of NZD $240.
