Preparing For Your Move

A student visa is required for a course of longer than 12 weeks duration. If you are studying a 10 week English course, you may enter New Zealand on a visitor’s visa. Any other course will require you to obtain a student visa before you leave home, or a student visa once you are in New Zealand.

You will need to apply for your visa through Immigration New Zealand once you have received an offer of study from your new institution or school. Go to the Immigration NZ website to find the forms and information you need. Contact us if you have any problems.

Check your Student Visa conditions before you leave your country. If you do not have “outward passage waiver” written on your visa, you must have a return air ticket when you come to New Zealand.  Note: if you do not have a return ticket, you will be asked to buy an air ticket upon your arrival which would be very expensive. 

Apply for your visa here.

When you apply for a Student Visa, you will need a number of documents.

You will also need to show some of your documents to immigration officers when you arrive at the airport in New Zealand. Some of the important documents you will need include:

• Valid Passport (valid for at least 3 months past the date you plan to leave NZ)
• Conditional Offer of Place at your New Zealand education provider
• Financial evidence to show you can pay for your school fees and living expenses
• Return plane tickets
• Academic transcripts and certificates
• Police certificate
• Passenger Arrival Card (issued on the plane)

A comprehensive travel and medical insurance cover is required by every student under the NZ Ministry of Education Code of Practice. Proof of purchase will be required. It is highly recommended that you purchase the insurance after consulting your education provider since your insurance has to meet a set of requirements set by your provider.

Be aware that pre-existing medical conditions are not automatically covered by insurance. Check with the insurance provider what conditions will be covered under your plan. 

While most medications are available in NZ, if you need anything specific you should bring enough with you to last for the first month. Remember to bring your Doctor’s prescription as you may need to prove you are allowed that medication and it should help when you need to visit a doctor for a repeat prescription. Remember to check NZ Customs website for more information about bringing medications to NZ.

If you need to transfer fees to your institution or accommodation provider, you will need to require the following information of your institution:

• New Zealand bank account name
• New Zealand bank account number and swift code
• Address of the bank the receiving account is with

If you already have a New Zealand bank account, you can check with your bank for detailed information about sending money from overseas.

Some trusted New Zealand banks are:

• ANZ
• BNZ
• Kiwibank
• Westpac

NauMaiNZ can help you prepare well for your departure. Below are just a few things we would like to point out and highlight.  

New Zealand has four seasons that require you to bring a range of clothing over the year and especially in Christchurch you can sometimes expect 4 seasons in one day.  

Spring/Summer clothing should include:

• Swimwear 
• Sunhat 
• Sunglasses 
• Sunscreen 
• Shorts, skirts 
• T-shirts 
• Jumpers/sweatshirts 
• Light raincoat (something that will keep you dry) 
• Open (ie sandal) and closed (ie covered toes) shoes 

Autumn/Winter clothing should include:

• Warm waterproof jacket 
• Sweaters/jumpers 
• Long trousers/jeans 
• Long sleeve shirts 
• Polyprop/merino wool to wear as underclothing 
• Scarf, hat, gloves 
• Good weatherproof shoes 

Cultural and Sports Equipment:

• You may want to bring your specific sports equipment or a traditional or national costume with you for any cultural festivals 

There are some items that cannot be brought into New Zealand, including fresh fruit and plant and animal products. Find more information here.

Be sure to pack an adapter that will fit with flat three or two-pin plugs. Electricity is supplied throughout New Zealand at 230 / 240 volts, 50 hertz.