Ria_

I arrived in NZ with my resident visa in my passport, but it felt a little anti-climactic upon arrival. I wasn't exactly expecting a song and dance, but thought there would at least be one or two questions to answer at immigration or even just a stamp in my passport. But I feel like he barely looked at my passport at all from behind the desk. Is that normal? Is my visa automatically "activated"?

And now I am trying to apply for my IRD online as "If you're a permanent migrant or visa holder and Customs New Zealand verified your passport when you came into New Zealand you can apply for your IRD number online". But I keep getting the error "Your identity could not be verified." despite my name, date of birth, passport number, passport country, and visa application number all being entered correctly.

Is there a way to be double check that Customs New Zealand definitely verified my passport when I came into NZ, or am I just being silly? Is this all perfectly normal?

escapedtonz

Yeah there's no song and dance about it so in that respect completely normal although I'm sure the Immigration officer who activated our visas mentioned about us being here to stay and "Welcome to New Zealand and your new home" etc.
Sounds like your visa may not have been activated ?
Did you go through the correct terminal at Immigration ? You should have used the one for Resident Visa holders and not just for people here as visitors etc.
You should probably take yourself and your passport off to the nearest Immigration office to confirm your status. Did you apply online....what does it say on your Immigration account ?

Ria_

Arrived in Wellington from Sydney, and were gestured toward the e-gates. I mentioned that my chip is broken so it won't be read, he tried anyway then pointed us to the desk instead where I gave my passport. Last year on a holiday to NZ, I got a holiday visa stamp though but didn't get one this time round. Other than the visa sticker in your passport, is there any other visible sign of you having arrived?

My resident visa application couldn't be done online, so was a very lengthy snail mail process.

MrsCakey

Welcome! Glad you made it
I couldn't order my IRD number online either even though my letter said I could. In the end I went into the post office with proof of address, passport and filled in a form.
do you have your blue sticker in your passport because it really is that anticlimactic at passport control!

Ria_

Getting myself down to the post shop tomorrow while setting up a joint account with Kiwibank, so I guess we'll soon find out! It does seem quite a common case for online IRD applications. I definitely have the full page blue resident visa sticker in my passport, with no other stamp on any other pages, so I think all is okay... I'd be more worried if I noticed a new tourist visa stamped in my passport!

I've otherwise had a pretty non-eventful, lazy first couple days in Wellington

valleygurl

Just go to your local IRD office and you can grtnit there and then

Sect172

May not help in your case, but ID checks are significantly speeded up when you have an NZ Drivers Licence... these can be arranged really easily face to face at specific AA offices, and will get your ID "into the system" as such

nikkijane88