The rules on immigration to Italy can vary based on the duration of stay and the nationality of the applicant. For the latter, differences can appear based on the existence (or the lack, thereof) of agreements between Italy and other countries, therefore rules can vary when one will immigrate to Italy from New Zealand compared to the relocation from another place.
Additionally, it must be noted that the immigration law differentiates between passport holders of New Zealand and persons who live in New Zealand as residents. Therefore, if you want to move to Italy from New Zealand, we invite you to find out in-depth details, tailored according to your personal circumstances, from our immigration lawyers in Italy.
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Are New Zealanders exempt from visa formalities in Italy?
It is possible to immigrate to Italy as a New Zealander without having to apply for a visa, as long as the duration of the stay is of maximum 90 days. New Zealand is one of the third-party states with which Italy has a visa waiver for short-term visits.
Persons who arrive from New Zealand in Italy can travel visa-free to other European countries because Italy is part of the Schengen area, which grants the right to free movement of persons, and this also includes foreigners arrived here for leisure activities. However, it is important to be aware of the fact that one can relocate to Italy from New Zealand visa-free only as a New Zealand passport holder.
For persons who are residents of New Zealand, the rules of their home country will apply. In other words, even if they immigrate to Italy from New Zealand, they may need to apply for a short stay visa if the bilateral agreements between Italy and their home country established this legal framework.
Are long-term visas imposed to New Zealanders?
Yes, persons who plan to move to Italy, regardless of their nationality, have to apply for a long-term visa (issued when the duration of the stay is of at least 90 days) and this applies to New Zealanders as well.
New Zealanders can apply for a variety of visas, such as Study visa, School Exchange program visa, Working Holiday visa, Dependent Work visa and many others. With the help of our immigration lawyers in Italy, you can discover all visa options available for New Zealanders. Concerning the application for a long-term visa, we present the following:
- applications must be initiated with the Italian embassy working in Wellington and they can take around 15 to 30 days to be processed;
- those who hold a long-term visa in Italy can travel to any other Schengen state for up to 90 days in a period of 6 months;
- upon arrival in Italy, it is necessary to apply for a residency permit in a period of maximum 8 days;
- the long-term stay visa is issued for a period of 1 year.
What are the characteristics of the Working Holiday program for New Zealanders?
The Working Holiday program allows foreigners to relocate to a country for work, study and tourism. Although the program provides similar conditions for most applicants, variations can appear from one nationality to another based on the agreements established by the 2 countries. For young persons who move to Italy from New Zealand, the following are available:
- immigration to Italy is possible for a period of 12 months, out of which 6 months can be used for study/training;
- the program is addressed to New Zealanders with an age of 18-30 years old;
- regarding employment, it must be observed that a person can’t work for more than 3 months for the same employer;
- applicants must pay a processing fee of NZD$420 and the applications are generally processed in a period of 3 weeks (80% of them).
New Zealanders who plan to permanently relocate here, for the purpose of obtaining citizenship in Italy, must explore other visa options that allow permanent residency (the Working Holiday program can’t be used as a way to relocate to Italy from New Zealand for this purpose).
We invite you to address our team of immigration lawyers in Italy for any other question concerning relocation to this country from New Zealand, including ways in which you can apply for a golden visa in Italy.