Personal Documents - New Zealand

Personal Documentation

For every visa application it is necessary to supply various personal documents to meet the mandatory requirements for submission of an application.

Some of these documents prove your identity and if applicable, your relationship with any dependent children included in the visa application process.
To confirm, the items listed below are mandatory and must be available before a visa application can be submitted.

Due to the difficulty in accessing these documents and the amount of time it takes for them to be provided, it is important to take note of the below and make applications for any outstanding items as soon as possible.

These documents are available at your local South African Home Affairs department. Contact 0800 60 11 90 for your nearest department location. Feel free to utilize the services of any company or attorney who may assist you in accessing these.

If you were born outside of South Africa, the same timing must be considered.

Passport Photos

For both the initial temporary class visa and Residency process, the process is electronic, where each person must provide an electronic passport photo. This photo must be provided in JPEG format and meet the instructions as per Immigration New Zealand:

https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/tools-and-information/acceptable-photos

In both stages, these photos must have been taken within the 6 months preceding the application being made.

Passports

Each person applying for a visa must hold a valid passport, issued by the relevant country authority. For a temporary visa application, the passport must be valid for:

• at least 3 months beyond the date you intend to depart New Zealand; or
• 1 month beyond the date you intend to depart, if the issuing government has consular representation in New Zealand that is able to issue and renew travel documents.

Please be aware of the processing time when renewing South African passports via the South African High Commission in New Zealand. As this can take up to a year, it is strongly recommended that you ensure your passport is renewed when you begin this process, in order to allow for the maximum validity period before migrating.

Unabridged / Full Birth Certificate

It is a mandatory requirement for each person applying for a residence class visa to provide their full birth certificate (ALL applicants, including adults).

This certificate reflects both the child and parent’s details, including identity numbers. Children included in this process will need to provide this certificate when applying for their temporary class visa, to prove their relationship with the parents.

If you do not have this document, please make sure you apply immediately. You do not need to wait for this document to be available to move onto the next step. We are simply making sure you have made the application as soon as possible.

If you have applied to the Department of Home Affairs for this document some time ago, please keep record of the application and all written attempts to follow up on progress.

As this is a mandatory document, if you cannot access it, you must be able to prove you have taken extensive steps to attempt to access it.

Unabridged / Full Marriage Certificate

This certificate will have been issued by the Department of Home Affairs and reflects the following details:

• both parties’ full names.
• ID numbers.
• marital status before the marriage.
• the date, place and name of the marriage officer/celebrant who solemnized the marriage.

If you do not have this document, please make sure you apply immediately. You do not need to wait for this document to be available in order to move onto the next step. We are simply making sure you have made the application as soon as possible.

Death Certificate

A death certificate will be necessary should the applicant be a widow/widower and you are remarried. When minor child/children are included in the visa processing and one parent is deceased, this document will also be required in order to show proof the parent has the right to remove the child from their country of residence.

Traveling with a minor child / children

Requirements introduced by the South African Department of Home Affairs from 1 June 2015, specify that all minors (children under 18 years) are required to produce, in addition to their passport, an Unabridged/Full Birth Certificate which shows the details of both parents for all international travel to and from South Africa.

Further documentation will be required if the child/children are travelling with only one parent. The parent not travelling must have given permission for the child/children to travel without them.

Please refer to the web links below for additional information:

http://www.dha.gov.za/
http://www.dha.gov.za/files/ParentalConsentAffidavit.pdf

Children under 16 years whose parents are separated or divorced

Children aged under 16 years who are included in the visa application process must provide evidence that both parents are aware of and agree to the application, particularly when only one parent is participating in this process.

Where legal custody has been granted to the migrating parent, evidence of the right to remove the child from the country in which rights of custody or visitation have been granted must include:

• legal documents showing that the applicant has custody of the child and the sole right to determine the place of residence of the child, without rights of visitation by the other parent; or

• a court order permitting the applicant to remove the child from its country of residence; or

• legal documents showing that the applicant has custody of the child and a signed statement from the other parent, witnessed in accordance with local practice or law, agreeing to allow the child to live in New Zealand if the application is approved.

The parent who is not included in this process must provide written consent for the child/children to be included in the migration process and for the child/children to travel with the migrating parent outside of their country of residence. This is a legal document which must be witnessed by an attorney and include a copy of the parent’s identity documents (ID and/or passport).

The parent who is not included in this process must provide written consent for the child/children to be included in the migration process and for the child/children to travel with the migrating parent outside of their country of residence. This is a legal document which must be witnessed by an attorney and include a copy of the parent’s identity documents (ID and/or passport).
A juvenile consent form will need to be completed in this instance.

Please contact your File Manager if you will require this.

Immigration New Zealand reserves the right to make direct contact with the non-migrating parent to confirm the written consent provided is a valid document and that they have indeed given their consent. If this is not possible, INZ will not grant the visa.

It is recommended that divorce documentation is provided, where applicable. This can be applied for at the Magistrates court in which the divorce decree was issued.

Children 19 years and older

For dependent children over the age of 19 years, will require evidence of dependency on their parent/s in the form of:

• Evidence they reside with you or in accommodation paid for by you;

• Evidence that you provide for daily living expenses, i.e. food, schooling, clothing, etc. This can be in the form of money paid into their account for day-to-day living expenses;

• Declaration from you, the parent(s), that your child/ren are dependent on you as they are single, do not earn a substantial income and cannot provide for themselves;

• Declaration from your child stating they are single, resides with you, that they are dependent upon you and that they have no dependents of their own

Recommended 3rd party specialists

For assistance in making applications for some of the above documents, please refer to the below contacts:

Passports4u – http://www.passports4u.co.za/

Doc Assist – http://www.docassist.co.za/

Bunny Hop – https://bunnyhop.co.za/

Looking for more Information?

We’d love to take your call if you have any questions regarding your migration journey, or about our offerings.

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