Travelling with a NZ Passport
You will need a current passport – with more than 6 months validity from the date of departure of the last returning flight – for each person travelling internationally (and yep, that includes from here to Aussie.)
If your passport is going to expire in the next 12 months it’s a good idea to get it renewed just in case, there’s nothing worse than stressing over a last minute passport renewal just before you go on holiday.
If you’re leaving in the next few days and you’ve just thought “oh, where the heck is my passport and do i even have a current one?” then now is the time to allow yourself a small panic. Ransack the house (check the side pocket of the bag you last travelled with, and subsequently lent to your aunty) and if you still can’t find it then click on this link for urgent passport applications and renewals. Chances are you’re a male (like me) so if you can arrange the replacement and hide the rather large fee without letting the significant female in your life knowing then you should consider that a success. Enjoy the holiday.
Do you need a Visa?
You’ll need a Visa for travel to some countries. We can help arrange visas and ensure you have the right documentation. Some national Consular Sections are not based in New Zealand so if you are going to need Visas please allow sufficient time so we can organise these for you. We’re experts on this stuff and we also work with a couple of 3rd party specialists for the really obscure Visas (no not like Tasmania – that’s not a country.) Fees do apply for these services – but we’ll let you know beforehand.
We can store your Passport and Visa information on your Travel Profile so we know what you’ve got and when it expires – it saves time next time you travel. Send us a scanned image if you like, it’s not strictly necessary but we do get a kick out of looking at your photo.
Keep a copy somewhere safe
Once you have all your documents together (and before you go) scan them and even your drivers license (the key pages with your photo / details) and save the images to a safe online place like Evernote or Dropbox or an online email account like Yahoo or Gmail. If you do lose the real things while you’re travelling having access to the stored images can speed up the replacement process. If scanning and saving things is all Greek to you then ask us – we’re happy to help. In fact, we’ll do it for you if you can send us the images (another flimsy attempt to cop a look at your photo.)
If that all sounds a bit high-tech then just stick with the advice from the official Passport people:
Make a note of your passport number, take a photocopy of the personal details page, and keep this separately from the passport.
- keep your passport in a secure place
- don’t carry your passport in your pocket
- have an additional means of photo identification to carry with you
- never hand your passport over as a guarantee
- if your passport is lost or stolen overseas, report it to the police and then contact the nearest New Zealand Embassy.
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