Air New Zealand Air Points - NZ passport fees

Been away and in a rush right now, so apologies if this has already been posted.

Coming not long after the passport validity was halved from 10 to 5 years it seems the fees are being more than doubled for the new electronic versions. From $71 to $150.

:(

Yep, this is the one with the new e-chips on the cover.

Me, I renewed just after they slashed the 10-year expiry date but at least I got let off the hefty cost hike to appease the Americans. Really, that's why they're doing it. :rolleyes:

Coming not long after the passport validity was halved from 10 to 5 years it seems the fees are being more than doubled for the new electronic versions. From $71 to $150.

:(


5 years ! what use is that ? When did that come in , it was still 10 when I left New Zealand in March

I didnt notice at the time, but seems can no longer add pages to passport :(

Yep, all for improved security.... From Internal affairs website:

As of 4 November 2005 the fees for New Zealand passports and travel documents have changed.


and

The Passports Amendment Act 2005 came into effect on 21 April 2005. As a result of this legislation there have been some important changes to the New Zealand passport:

* All newly issued passports will have a maximum validity of five years
* We can no longer print name endorsements in a passport.

...the dodging...

Why was there no notice of the new fee? Isn't this a breach of usual practice?
The Department of Internal Affairs did not provide advance notice of the fees review because analysis indicated that this would create unmanageable demand for passports. This would have seriously compromised our ability to deliver passports for those people who had already arranged, booked and paid for their travel.

While we usually give some notice of fee changes, there is provision for new fees to come into force the day after their notification in the Gazette, which in this case was 3 November 2005.

and from the NZ Embassy in Bangkok website (but not found on DIA website):

From July 1 extra visa pages will NO LONGER be inserted.
The Department of Internal Affairs is introducing biometric passport technology in the second half of 2005, and extra visa pages are NOT compatible with the book construction.


There you go...!

I sent my passport up to Sydney to get extra pages put into it, in the middle of last year.

They called me and said the passport is slightly damaged on the photo page, so they will give me a new one at no cost - but with same expiry date as the original passport - 2009.

Even returned the NZ$30 as they weren't putting in the extra pages. ^

Pretty happy about that - the extra pages would have only lasted 2 years, but with the empty passport I might almost make it to 2009 if I don't get too many more visa's (why do they have to take up the whole page?)

So I just checked my new one since I thought it was good for 10 years. No... only 5 now. My new US one is still good for 10, and without the new chip the US is requireing for other countries. On the plus side I will not have to get extra pages in the NZ one since it is 48 pages and between US and NZ I never get any stamps since I use my NZ one entering NZ and my US one entering the US.

Yep, this is the one with the new e-chips on the cover.

Actually the e-chip is in the last page (which is really thick).

On the plus side I will not have to get extra pages in the NZ one since it is 48 pages and between US and NZ I never get any stamps since I use my NZ one entering NZ and my US one entering the US.Is it possible to do that - leave NZ on one passport and enter the US on another ?

Yes, but it is potentially messy. I have Thai friends who live in NZ and hold NZ passports as well as thier Thai PP. They depart NZ on NZ PP and enter Thailand on Thai PP to avoid having to get a visa, especially if on a long stay.

The entry immigration folk could rightly ask why there is no departure stamp and, more importantly for the US, why the API (Advance Passenger Information I think) is different to the departure API ('coz PP numbers would be different, even though all else is that same).

Yes, but it is potentially messy. I have Thai friends who live in NZ and hold NZ passports as well as thier Thai PP. They depart NZ on NZ PP and enter Thailand on Thai PP to avoid having to get a visa, especially if on a long stay.

The entry immigration folk could rightly ask why there is no departure stamp and, more importantly for the US, why the API (Advance Passenger Information I think) is different to the departure API ('coz PP numbers would be different, even though all else is that same).

I just tell the NZ checkin staff what I am doing and they put the US passport number through the API system. The government people at AKL departures don't seem to have any problem with this. They do it all the time and know how to make it all work. As for the stamps, that doesn't matter as some countries (I can think of Cuba offhand) do not stamp passports.

Is it possible to do that - leave NZ on one passport and enter the US on another ?

Not only possible but compulsory if you have both US & NZ passports. As with most countries, if you have a local passport you must use that one to enter and exit.

So in theory it's possible to depart from New Zealand on a NZ passport and fly all the way around the world stopping in several countries with a different one and then re-enter the country on a New Zealand passport - no questions asked ?

Probably questions will be asked. But there is nothing wrong in having dual passports as long as you satisfy the requirements of both countries.

Not only possible but compulsory if you have both US & NZ passports. As with most countries, if you have a local passport you must use that one to enter and exit.

On the forms though they have a box for "New Zealand citizen traveling on another passport" or something like that, and I've done that myself before after I let my NZ one expire and got it redone in NZ after I entered the country on my US passport. I think I did have to leave on the US passport that time. Also my brother uses his US passport to enter NZ all the time and just checks that box.

Kiwiflyer, I don't belive that it is compulsory to enter any particular country using that country's passport if departing on your NZ (or other passport). Although perhaps there are variations by country.

For instance, if my wife wants to travel to Thailand on her NZ passport (but is also a Thai PP holder), there is no requirement for her to use her Thai PP. She will be entering Thailand as a NZ citizen and would need to meet all the immigration requirements set by Thai Govt for NZers for entry. If she chose to enter using her Thai PP, the she would enter as a Thai citizen and be subject to applicable regulations affecting Thai nationals.

I should hope it's not compulsory, otherwise I've been flouting the law for some time. I do know though that a dual citizen cannot claim protection by one country from another.

unitedTS do you happen to know if with that box checked you then present both sets of documents; or does one just enter on their other passport, as a citizen of that country ?

unitedTS do you happen to know if with that box checked you then present both sets of documents; or does one just enter on their other passport, as a citizen of that country ?

No need to show both, just the one you're using. The immigration people just tell you that if you're using a non-NZ passport you are subject to immigration requirements, etc.

Perhaps NZ doesnt require you to enter & exit on NZ passport, but for example US does (on US passport), as does Australia and UK. I'm sure they're not the only countries that require this.

This is a very interesting dicussion - I'll have to use both passports on my next trip around the world.

Incidentially does anyone know if these new passport chips are coded, or the distance from which they can be read ?

Perhaps NZ doesnt require you to enter & exit on NZ passport, but for example US does (on US passport), as does Australia and UK. I'm sure they're not the only countries that require this.

as a former TA I can confirm that we have had problems in the past with Australian born NZ passport holders trying to enter Australia - a number of them have been refused entry because their NZ passport shows place of birth in Australia and therefore they "should be entering on their Aussie passport " - in some cases the pax left Australia at a young age and no longer have Aussie passports - but immigration can be very pigheaded ( although not always consistent ) about it

I have seen the new NZ enhanced PassPort. The last internal page consists of a single thick inflexible plastic sheet the same size as a regular paper page but about 1mm thick (about the same as a credit card) that holds all the data. It uses a proximity system like many office access cards.

You can no longer put your passport in your back pocket and sit down, because you'll risk breaking the page!

You can no longer put your passport in your back pocket and sit down, because you'll risk breaking the page!


please please please tell me that you never ever ever used to stick your passport in your back pocket ( also known as the "pickpockets delight")

...that'd be telling!!!! Never lost a PP yet...but came close to losing a wallet (front deep pocket) to a very skilled pickpocket in Philippines in 1986 - luckily my colleague noted what was happening.....

Seriously, the new PP 'chip insert' looks...er...fairly...um...'gash'!

If it uses a proximity system I'm thinking that the information could be copied from a quite a range with the appropriate reciever (as they have so you don't need to put your window down to wave your card when stopped to drive through gates).

I too was quite suprised to find that the chip wasn't part of the back cover. I've taken a picture here (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a14/ntddevsys/DSCF1351.jpg) of the new passport chip page if you haven't seen it.

Do any other countries have these chips in their newly issued passports ?

I'd be surprised if they'd put any particularly long range circuitry in. Most proximity cards (atleast almost all the ones I've worked with) are the close to contact type, which typically means a 1" to 1.5" range at most.

You can go longer (out to 8-10" is the furthest I've seen) with specific readers. These are useful if you're putting them into the walls, so you just wave your card at the wall.

I can't imagine they'd put overly complex circuitry into a passport for long range... and surely their security people would've thought of this, right? Right? Right? Oh well....

I'm counting my lucky stars, my NZ passport expires in 2012.
I not sure why the govt changed the rules with regards to the life of a passport. I have not got my SAR passport from Hong Kong as I do prefer to travel on my NZ passport. (The agents in BKK seems to process my passport quicker). Plus visa waived for US is the most important.
My problem is that I do want to enter Hong Kong under NZ passport some times for duty free reasons, but they seems to reject my call to use it, they only offer a date stamp on it. God knows why they don't allow me to use.

Most of these changes are done to meet requirements from the US. This includes, I think, the reduced life of a passport.

Most of these changes are done to meet requirements from the US. This includes, I think, the reduced life of a passport.I don't think the reduced life was a specific US requirement - rather that NZ (the country) wanted to keep up with the security technology, so as to avoid in the future another occurance of things like the Mossad passport scandal, to ensure the "NZ passport is very well regarded" - "We intend to make ourselves a very hard target" and all that la de da..

I would have thought ajnz that the circuitry in the card didn't matter, it was the reader ? I remember there was some controvesy in the US about their new chipped passports to roll out soon (well they already have for Diplomatic holders/by October for the rest I would think - after all that's when the US requires every other country to have it done by :rolleyes: ) - the vendor IIRC Infineon embedded a thin-metallic anti-skimming shield in the passport to try and prevent eavesdropping. They also have some system where the data on the 64kb chip is encrypted, with the unique code to decrypt the info located on the existing "machine-readable" panel of the passport, and done on the fly by border computers.

..regarding life of passports, a cynic might wonder about revenue gathering. Remember the old NZ 'lifetime' driving license........?

I would have thought ajnz that the circuitry in the card didn't matter, it was the reader ?
This is largely true. I've used in-wall readers in the past which would excite a regular card, but I seem to recall there are cards rated for better distance as well.

I'm pretty sure though that ISO 14443 specifies a reasonably short distance [actually, just checked, and it specifies 10cm].

There are other techniques for limiting range by using timeout periods, and nesting your transmission just within those.

I'm not an RF (or passport, actually) expert though, so take it with a grain of salt. I have had to follow security and ISO standards for a while. :(

You are correct though, with regards to the foil lining. Although I wonder if there might be some ways to circumvent that.....

I'm just happy that I renewed my passport at the beginning of last year, so I have til 2015.

Does it take any longer for the new passports to be issued? I'm possibly going to need a new one this year (depending on how well I can convince various immigration officials to stamp over existing stamps). Think I need to work out a suitable time between trips to do it. Just sending away for some visas was a headache to squeeze in.

Does it take any longer for the new passports to be issued?

The answer seems to be 'no'.

http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Passports-ePassport-Frequently-Asked-Questions?OpenDocument

Most of these changes are done to meet requirements from the US. This includes, I think, the reduced life of a passport.

The UK are also about to change to a biometric passport, with chip etc. The validity period remains at 10 years.