Sort your visa or entry status before you arrive

Visa and entry requirements for New Zealand depend on your nationality and circumstances, not just which country you're moving from -- this varies enough between individual cases that a general guide can't safely tell you which visa category applies to you.

How to do it

1. Start with Immigration New Zealand's own tool. Their visa options finder at immigration.govt.nz is built specifically to match your situation to the right visa category -- start there, not with general advice from a moving guide.
2. Check processing times for your specific visa category, not just a general estimate -- these vary widely by category and can change with demand.
3. If your situation is genuinely complex -- multiple visa options, a partner or dependent visa, a past immigration issue -- a licensed immigration adviser is worth the cost. Immigration advice is a licensed profession in NZ for a reason; get it from a real adviser, not a general guide.

Common mistakes

• Assuming a visa that worked for someone else moving from your country applies to your situation -- eligibility depends on your own circumstances, not just your nationality
• Leaving this until close to your move date -- some visa categories take months, not weeks
• Not checking your visa's specific work rights before assuming you can start a job on arrival

Related tasks

If your visa outcome affects your move date, hold off finalising other time-sensitive bookings (shipping, temporary accommodation) until it's confirmed.