Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

Because a UK passport costs about $350nz!!!!!!!! A kiwi one $150!! When you have 5 to buy its 'bye bye UK passport'. We are applying for citizenship now. They say 4 months process time..anyone got it sooner. We need our shiny new PPs for travel end of November. By the way if you need a UK passport you can now apply from a main Postshop in NZ. We got our PR on 6th June 2005..one assumes you can submit the paperwork a few weeks before the event seeing as they take ages to process? By the way they will and can drop the five year period up to 450 days for extenuating circumstances..what ever they may be.

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

We have just downloaded the forms and filling them in now, sadly I can't remember the year of my dads birth, and he is no longer with us

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

Might be worth adding

Cost of Grant of NZ Citizenship Adult $460
Cost of Grant of NZ Citizenship Child $230 (under 16)



Always good to gain citizenship of the country you intend to work, rest & play for the rest of your days IMO

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

You can find this from the UK BMD records Dubstar or calculate from his death cert.

I subscribe to a BMD on-line search website. If you wish, I can try to find this for you but I would need some details.

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

Please may I ask have you 'done' the 5 years exactly or are you applying a wee bit early like us?

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

Thanks Bev,

I worked it out he was 53 when he died in 2000 :( I think the question just caught me off guard

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

well we arrived in Sept 04 on a "talent" visa :rofl: and applied for residency in April 05 got it on 18 may 05, so we are between the devil and deep blue sea, we missed the 3 year application by 3 weeks, so putting it in now and see what happens,

Just hoping they don't keep our money and refuse us saying we are too early :)

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

There is actually very little difference in price if you compare cost/year and want a current passport that would enable you to travel at short notice-only about $2/yr per passport. NZ one is cheaper if you can wait until the end of the 5yr period before renewing [about $4/year cheaper assuming no price increase]. Though for 5 passports the cost would start to add up over 10years...

The NZ passport only lasts for 5 years and the UK one for 10 years. If you renew a UK passport before it has expired then the time remaining is added onto your new passport [up to 9months] so you do get the full 10 years. This isn't done when you apply for a NZ passport, it runs 5y from the date of application. Since many countries require you to have at least 6m remaining on your passport when you travel this cuts down its length to under 4.5y if you want to be able to use the passport during this time. Even less time if you add in application time and in some cases holiday time:( Something to bear in mind if you want a couple of nights in say Singapore on the way to or from the UK
So NZ is cheaper if you avoid certain countries and/or don't travel within 8m or so of your NZ passport expiring:p

I had way too much time on my hands when Mr Sue got his new NZ passport last month and decided to work out whether it was cheaper:rofl:

Good luck with the citizenship Genesis, where are you off to?

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

It shouldn't be about whether it's cheaper or not. It's about whether you want to belong to New Zealand or remain a foreigner.

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

That's not quite how I meant it! I will look at becoming a citizen when my time comes:D. Got a few years yet.
Merely pointing out that the cost is not really that different between the two passports even though it may appear to be at first glance.

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

I'll get my coat..I thought they were both a standard 10 years. So the UK passport looks waaaay better aye for a fraction more cost wise? Maybe I will just get a UK one and have done with it. Plenty of time to become a citizen aye? Thanks for pointing that out Sue. Going to hopefully as follows. Kates taking 8 weeks unpaid and we start with Hawaii for 5 days, Devon/Bath for 4 weeks, an apartment in London for 1 week and ditto Paris for Eurodisney et al. Was going to do a stop over on the way back in Singapore but frankly I think with three under 10s in tow its best to repair to Palmy ASAP apres gay Paris.

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

Cost of passports is trivial compared to the cost of travel overall, so I find it amusing to see how some people get worked up about this.

It is the case that getting a British passport overseas now involves a lot of hassle (plenty of horror stories on forums about applications returned on a whim, long processing times, premium rate so-called "helplines" that don't offer meaningful information, etc ... )

By all means keep a British passport as a backup but those who do become New Zealand citizens should usually find the process of obtaining a New Zealand passport (in NZ) a lot less stressful.

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

I suppose I only know they only last 5 years because of Mr Sue. I feel such a nerd for actually bothering to work out the costs but I was out of work at the time and had way too much free time:lol: It was more to relieve boredom and never thought it would actually come in useful...
Not sure that the UK one is better, you just wouldn't need to apply so often and the addition of remaining time does mean you get 10y. Mr Sue's passport usually only lasts for 4y and about 2-3m since he needs one in case he has to travel at short notice. He's jealous as mine is current for 10y9m in total:rofl:.

Sounds like you've got a great holiday planned, any room for me? I'd fit in a suitcase, I'm only little:D
Singapore is lovely though might be a little hot for the little ones perhaps?

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

I was annoyed that it looked like a Uk passport was twice the $ of an NZ one..Sue has clearly pointed out this is not the case and I got my coat!! Getting a UK passport in NZ is easy as now as I mentioned earlier they can be applied for over a post office counter.

Re: Why become a kiwi citizen?
 

Sue its the kind of thing I work out too..got to make those pennies go as far as possible aye? I will let you know of any cubic inches free in our luggage!! As for Singapore agree with you on that front..3 tired little ones, excessive heat AND humidity do not bode well!!!