紐西蘭觀光簽證改為線上申請
People wanting to visit New Zealand can no longer apply for most types of visitor visa on paper.
From the first of October, Immigration New Zealand stopped accepting paper application forms for 24 kinds of visitor visa, as well as transit visas. These include ordinary visitor visas, business visitor visas, and the special visa for parents and grandparents coming to see their families. Applicants now have to use the department's online system instead.
Paper applications that were already sent in before the deadline will still be processed as normal. In exceptional cases, such as when someone has no way of applying online, paper forms may still be accepted, but applicants have to contact the department first.
A few categories, including some partner and child visitor visas, are not affected for now. However, officials say these may also move online in the future.
The department says applying online has several advantages. Instead of posting copies of documents, applicants can simply upload them. They can check the progress of their application at any time, and the system can read passport details automatically, which reduces mistakes.
The move is part of a wider push by governments around the world to make immigration paperless. For travellers, the message is simple: start your application early, and make sure you use the official website.
想來紐西蘭的人，現在大部分種類的觀光簽證，已經不能再用紙本表格申請了。
從 10 月 1 日起，紐西蘭移民局不再受理 24 種訪客簽證和過境簽證的紙本申請，其中包括一般訪客簽證、商務訪客簽證，以及專門給來探親的父母和祖父母的簽證。申請人現在必須使用移民局的線上系統。
在截止日前已經寄出的紙本申請，仍會照常處理。在特殊情況下，例如申請人完全沒辦法上網申請，紙本表格還是有可能被接受，但必須先和移民局聯絡。
少數類別，包括部分伴侶和子女的訪客簽證，暫時不受影響。不過官方表示，這些簽證未來也可能改成線上申請。
移民局說，線上申請有不少好處：不用再郵寄文件影本，直接上傳就好；申請人隨時都能查詢進度；系統也能自動讀取護照資料，減少填錯的情況。
這項改變是全球各國政府推動移民手續無紙化的一部分。對旅客來說，只要記住一件事：早點開始申請，而且一定要用官方網站。