When I started planning for New Zealand trip, the first action was to look at the process of getting the visa. With a bit of search in internet, I found the following:
- New Zealand had two embassies in India – Mumbai and Delhi
- In India, they have outsourced the process to TTS —> https://www.ttsnzvisa.com/in-en/Home
- TTS had Offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Hyderabad.
- Online application was available but it was not an option if we are applying as family.
I visited TTS office in the month of December to enquire about the process and documentation needed. The lady at the counter was very helpful and she quickly provided all necessary details. Basically, I needed to provide the following documents.
- Filled Visa application form. TTS sent me the soft copy of the application form to my email.
- 2 passport size photos
- Itinerary which I created on my own.
- Six months Bank statement with bank seal. Need to show NZD 1000 for one month of stay.
- Leave letter from my company or school. This was optional.
- Copy of the first and last page of the passport.
- Covering letter. Standard format.
- Original passport
There was no need to provide the flight ticket or hotel bookings. The cost of New Zealand visa was around Rs 9050 + TTS service charge of Rs 950. But there was a pleasant surprise.
New Zealand allows family (Husband, Wife and max 2 children) can apply together in a single form. All of them get separate visa in their passports but they only charge Rs 10,000 in total. That saved me Rs 20,000!! My Mother’s application still had to go separately but the supporting documentation (Ex: Bank statement) was shared.
I must say that the support of TTS personnel was exceptional. I called them few times while filling the form and their support was always prompt.
I went to TTS office again at the end of January with all the necessary documents. There was no need of physical appearance for all people. No appointments were needed. It took about 45 minutes to process, make the payment (credit cards are accepted) and get acknowledgement. There was an option of either getting passport directly to Home or to TTS Office.
It was told that the Embassy would take 10 working days to process the application. Exactly after 10 working days, I got the mail that the visa was processed and a day later I got a call from TTS to collect the passport.
Shrinidhi Hande
How long the visa is valid? Multiple entry?
aravindgj
Srinidhi,
Multiple entry but only valid for 4 months.