New Zealand

Closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

Public holidays in 2023:

• Monday, October 23rd: Labour Day
• Monday, December 25th: Christmas Day
• Tuesday, December 26th: Boxing Day

Security information:

When you visit the French Embassy, you must not bring any weapons or dangerous items with you. Security checks will be performed before you are admitted to the premises.

Practical Informations on the unwound of the appointment:

Personal appearance: Visa applicants must submit their visa application in person to the French Embassy.

Remember to bring the following:

• The appointment conformation letter (printed out); the passport number must be identical to the passport number indicated on the appointment confirmation letter;
• The file containing all the required documents presented in the same order as on the list of required documents;
• EFTPOS card for the payment of the visa fees.

Reception:

At reception (comprising several windows), a visa officer will check whether your application is complete i.e. you have all the documents on the list provided by the French consular authorities.

If your visa application is incomplete (i.e. missing documents), you may choose not to submit your application until you have all the required documents and come back to the Centre at a later date and after making a new appointment. You will not have to pay any visa processing fees if you decide not to submit your application at this time.

However, if you do decide to submit an incomplete application, you will be asked to sign a document indicating that your application is incomplete and that certain documents are missing.
Submitting a complete application does not guarantee that the consular authorities will issue you with a visa.
Applicants who attend without a complete application (form + supporting documents) will not be attended to and will subsequently have to book another appointment.
Applicants who arrive late except force majeure won't be attended to and will have to book another appointment.

Courier service:

The visa agent will ask how you want your passport retuned:

• Collected by you at the Embassy
• Sent back to you by the post

The pre-paid envelope for return of documents must be correctly filled out by the applicant (the applicant should keep the tracking number).

Paying for your visa:

All payments will be made in person at the Embassy on the day of your appointment (ONLY by EFTPOS card). You will be given a receipt. You must keep this receipt carefully as you will be asked to produce it when you collect your passport i.e. after it has been processed by the consular services.

Biometrics:

In the biometrics booth, your photograph and fingerprints will be taken.

Children under 12 years of age are not required to provide the biometric data; the application must be submitted by the child’s parent/legal guardian. The photograph in the ISO/IEC format (pdf) of the child will be scanned.

As the application process includes taking a photo and the ten fingerprints of each applicant, it is not possible to send in a visa application via the post. This also applies to residents of Samoa and the Cook Islands.

Collecting your passport:

You can collect your passport yourself in the daytime and at the hour which was communicated to you. It can be also sent back to you by post within the enveloppe you have provided the day of the appointment.

Official passports

Holders of official passports have to contact by email the visa service of the Embassy of France at Wellington.

Visas issued to holders of a Diplomatic or Service passport in the prospect of their official duties are free of charge, provided a verbal note is presented to the visa section.

Visas for New Caledonia, French Polynesia and Wallis and Futuna

Short stay visas:

• New Zealand passport holders and citizens of the countries and territories listed in the article "Do you need a visa ? " do NOT require a visa for a stay of up to 90 days.

If you do not fall into the categories listed above, you require a short stay visa for the French Territory that you are planning on visiting. If you have any doubts about whether or not you need a visa, please use Visa Wizard.

Long stay visas:

Applicants who wish to stay in New Caledonia and/or French Polynesia for more than three months require a long stay visa.

The procedure requires the local authorities’ approval hence the processing time can be significantly impacted.

Visa for Greece, Portugal and Monaco

Greece and Portugal:

The French Consulate in Wellington represents Greece and Portugal for the issuing of short-stay Schengen visas (duration of up to 90 days). Please note that the representation agreement only applies for Schengen visas (duration of up to 90 days).

Long stay visa applications are processed at the applicant’s nearest Greek or Portuguese consulate.

Monaco:

• If you wish to spend less than 90 days in Monaco, you will need to apply for a Schengen visa.
• If you wish to spend more than 90 days in Monaco, you will need to apply for a visa for Monaco. The Consulate of France accepts and transfers visa applications for Monaco to the authorities in Monaco.
• We highly recommend that applicants contact the authorities in Monaco beforehand in order to check the admissibility of their application: https://ambassade-en-france.gouv.mc/en/Information-and-Services/Settling-in-Monaco

Visa for represented African countries

The French Consulate in Wellington is authorized to issue short stay visas only on behalf of the following African countries (Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Gabon, Mauritania) and for tourism purposes only, as long as they do not have an Embassy or a Consulate in NZ. If applicable, please contact us.

For any other purposes (religious mission, work-related trip, business trip and meetings, lectures, charity work, etc.) or for spending more than the allowed number of days, you must contact the immigration authorities of the relevant country directly.

Relationship with a French National (Partner, De-facto « PACS »)

Unlike marriage, the PACS does not grant any particular rights to stay in France. However, a long-stay "visitor" visa can be lodged in order to apply for a temporary "private and family" residence permit at the Prefecture after living together in France for one year and subject to meeting the required conditions (see here).

In this case, the "visitor" long-stay visa application must contain a recent PACS certificate (see here), as well as all the supporting documents required for a long-stay visitor visa with the exception of medical coverage.

Please note that the "visitor" long-stay visa does not allow you to work. If applicable, you must apply for a long-stay work visa.

Young traveller (Working Holiday Visa)

A New-Zealand national passport holder between 18 and 30 years of age may be able to benefit from the working holiday programme.

A NZ national can be issued this visa only once.

The application must be submitted in New-Zealand.

For more information :

• Young travelers
• https://nz.ambafrance.org/Working-holidays-visas

If you encounter any issues with your visa application, please contact the French Embassy for assistance by email.