Immigration New Zealand - Bangkok has recently undertaken a review of our passport handling procedures. The result of this is that we have made some changes to the way will handle passports in group applications. The changes are designed to improve our customer service and tighten passport security.

These changes apply to all applications that are lodged at this office on or after Thursday 18 December.

• We will only accept a group application if ALL passports are included. You may not submit a mix of passports and photocopies. If (for example) you have a group of 15 clients but only 12 passports we will not accept the application.
• We will not return individual passports from a group. The passports must be received and returned as a group. Please take this in to account before you lodge the application, especially if someone needs to apply for a visa for another country. 
• When the agent or messenger picks up the passports they will need to match the passports against the list on the group visa before they sign for the passports.

If someone needs their passport because they are travelling to a different country before they travel to New Zealand they can lodge an application as an individual before they depart.

Tighter controls around passports mean that no one is disappointed by a delay in getting their visa which could mean they have to postpone their trip to New Zealand.