So, wanting to visit New Zealand for a holiday popped into my head last month. Family stuff, you know? Figured a visitor visa was the way to go.
Starting Point Confusion
First, I Googled “New Zealand visitor visa” – boom, official immigration site popped up. Took five minutes just figuring out which visa category fit my trip. Tourist visa? Visiting family? Didn’t even know they called it a “Visitor Visa” officially. Felt like a noob.
Document Hunt Begins
Grabbed coffee, made a checklist:
- Passport: Mine had like four empty pages. Good.
- Bank statements: Printed three months’ worth. Felt weird showing money moves.
- Employment proof: Asked HR for a letter confirming my job exists. Took two follow-up emails.
- Invitation letter: Cousin in Auckland wrote one saying I’d sleep on his sofa.
Biggest headache? Travel itinerary. Had to fake-book refundable flights just for proof. Waste of time.
Online Application War
Created an account on the immigration portal. Form felt endless:
- Every trip abroad in 10 years? Forgot half.
- Typed “unemployed” accidentally for 2008 (oops), had to restart whole section.
- Uploading PDFs? JPGs got rejected twice for dumb size limits. Screamed at laptop.
Spent three evenings hunched over that thing.
Payment Panic
Clicked “PAY NOW” – visa fee plus small service charge. Credit card declined twice. Heart dropped. Called bank – flagged as “suspicious foreign transaction”. Sorted after 15 minutes on hold.
Waiting Game
Confirmation email said processing takes 20 days. Checked status every morning like a crazy person. Day 18: New email ding! Visa approved PDF attached. Did a happy dance in pajamas.
Whole process cost me:
- Visa fee: around $200 USD
- Sanity points: priceless
Pro tip? Double-check dates everywhere. And screenshot every form page before submitting.
