Brits moving to New Zealand should never get too excited about a new life down under until they’ve thought about visas – their whole emigration plans hinge on gaining one.

The type of visa you should apply for will depend largely on your personal situation and your plans when you reach New Zealand. The options can initially be bewildering but if you sit down and work your way through the process methodically, it’s really not so bad. You can find out what your options are by going to the Government website www.immigration.govt.nz and going through the Find a Visa questionnaire. For most Brits, it’s often either a Skilled Migrant visa or, if you have a partner or family who are NZ citizens or residents, you might be eligible for the Family category.

“The exact process varies depending on the category of visa you’re applying for,” said Pattie Pegler author of NewZealandBuyingGuide.com. “I applied to come to New Zealand under the family category as my partner is an NZ citizen. As well as completing a lengthy form I had to provide evidence of my partner’s citizenship, my own birth certificate, police certificates for me and my partner saying that we didn’t have a criminal record in the UK and a medical certificate.

“In addition, I had to provide proof of our relationship. I did this by sending in copies of joint bank accounts, rental agreements for our flat, photographs of us on holiday together and so on. With all my papers together I sent everything off to the New Zealand immigration office in London and within about four weeks I had my residence visa. It was really pretty smooth.”

You should also keep in mind that the application process isn’t free. You will have to pay for the visa service and this varies according to what category of visa you are applying for.

“When I applied for my family category visa back in 2008 I paid around £500,” continues Pattie. “You also have to pay for the medical. I found a doctor on the list provided by New Zealand immigration at a hospital in West London. Be sure to check what payment types they accept. I was asked for cash – the fee was around £200 as I recall – and I had to go to the cash machine in the hospital foyer whilst wearing one of those hospital gowns. I suppose they thought if they let me get dressed I might do a runner!”

In general the visa application for New Zealand is relatively easy to manage yourself but if in any doubt, it’s worth paying to employ a registered migration agent to oversee your application.

For details of property for sale in New Zealand, visit the NZ listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying in NZ is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into dollars to complete the purchase of your property. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in New Zealand, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘New Zealand Property Buying Guide’