Tonga is one of the countries that not so many people have ever heard of it. Located in the central Pacific Ocean, called Polynesia, it is an archipelago country that consists of 169 islands. Out of 169 islands, only 32 are inhabited. These islands, which make up a total area of 750 square kilometers, are scattered over 700,000 square kilometers. One of the interesting things about the country is that it is ruled by a monarchy. After some time passing, Tongans managed to distinguish themselves with characteristic features unique to them. They speak Tongan and have their holidays, beliefs, cultures, etc. But it is a constitutional monarchy. Every year around 100 000 people visit Tonga to see its beauty. Although the country is not rich, it is blessed with beautiful landscapes, pristine beaches, rich coral reefs, volcanic landscapes, unique nature, etc. It is a hot tourist destination, especially for people from Australia, New Zealand, etc. It is easier to reach Tonga through these countries. People often travel to Tonga to avoid the stress of daily life a little bit. Here they can enjoy what these islands offer. Some people find these islands so special that they can not keep themselves from visiting again. To experience wonders in Tonga, one may need a visa to Tonga. To be more explicit, people who are not from tonga visa free countries will certainly need a visa to visit Tonga. Pickvisa offers the best visa services to help you realize your travel to Tonga. You can get acquainted with our services by clicking on the services section at the top of our website.
Scattered over an extended area, Tonga has all different attractions. As geography changes, so do the climate, landscape, nature. A country is an excellent place for honeymoons as well. Newly wedded couples can have the most romantic and precious times in Tonga. Any ideas about what would make it even better? Living in Tonga permanently. If that sounds interesting to you, then you are in the right place at the right time. Because for this article, we are mainly going to have a look at the resident visa to Tonga. We will make things more clearly so that no questions are left behind. Prior to the visa, we will cover the Tonga visa policy. We believe it is important to have basic knowledge of the visa policy of a particular country.
Tonga Visa Policy
You may wonder and ask, "do I need a visa for tonga?”.According to the visa policy of Tonga, countries are labeled differently. They are either visa-free countries or Tonga visa-required countries. To find an answer to the question of do I need a visa for tonga, you can check the following list of countries:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates.
These were the Tonga visa free countries and if you are not from these countries, you will need to apply for a visa type corresponding to your travel reason. You may hesitate to choose the right visa type. There are many visa types for Tonga. But they can be labeled as long-term and short-term visas. As we already mentioned, we are going to look at the residency visa for this article.
What is Tonga Residency Visa?
Anyone who wants to live in Tonga for a long time without having any entry visa can apply for a residency visa. It is a long-term visa that allows you to remain in the country for an extended period. To do that, you have to apply from your country. If you want to permanently live in Tonga then you have to be a legal resident of the country. You can either be a national of Tonga by birth or through naturalization. To benefit from the latter, you have to show good qualities, character, interest in the Tongan language and have resided for at least five years in Tonga. If you are married to a Tongan citizen, then you have to take an oath of allegiance to become a citizen of Tonga. You can be a resident of Tonga if at least one of your parents has Tongan nationality. Persons who are deemed to have a humanitarian need for nationality can also be a resident of the country. All of these are regulated by Tongan nationality law.
Tonga Visa Requirement
To apply for a residency visa to Tonga, you will need to apply it to an embassy, consulate, or a foreign representative of Tonga. Before that, you will need to contact them in order to make an appointment. There may be no foreign representatives of Tonga in your country. You might ask what to do then. You need to find the nearest one to your country and then apply it. To complete the procedure, you have to meet the following Tonga visa requirements:
- You have to fill out the Tonga visa application form. You should also sign it and date it on your own.
- You should present two recently taken (within the last 6 months) photos. These photos should be taken against a white background, whereas the nominal size for the photos should be 3.5 x 4.5. Your head should make up around 70-80 percent of the whole photo. Your eye line should meet the camera, and you should avoid showing any facial expression. Try not to wear colors matching the background.
- You should present a valid passport with two blank pages. Your passport should stay valid even after six months of your departure from Tonga. Along with your passport, you should present a copy of your ID card.
- In case you are an applicant from a country that you are not a citizen of, you have to prove your status. You can either present a residence permit or visa.
- If you are married to a Tongan citizen, a marriage certificate is needed. If you have Tongan ancestry, then your birth certificate is needed.
- You should prove that you can financially sustain yourself in Tonga. You can do it by presenting your funding or sponsor. If you have a sponsor, the sponsor should show medical and accommodation support. In case you have your own funding, you have to show sufficient funding available.
What is the Cost for a Tonga Visa?
When you present your application, you will need to pay a visa fee. Therefore, you may ask what is the cost for a Tonga visa. It is important to note that, figures can vary as the tariffs may change depending on the applicant's nationality. But generally, 54 US dollars will be required if you are under 18, and 115 US dollars will be a requirement if you are over 18 years old. But again, these are not precise, and it is better to ask if from embassies, or consulates of Tonga.
What is the Processing time for a Tonga Visa?
Another important question is about the processing time. There is no deadline or standard timeline for the processing and it is mostly dependent on the embassy or consulate you are applying to, but usually, it does not exceed a month. Some events such as holidays, the workload can lengthen the procedure though. You can inquire the embassy regarding processing time too.
What is the Best time to apply for a Tonga Visa?
Applying for a Tonga visa may take a month, and you may get stressed out by the procedure. A particular thing for you to do so as to make sure you are not behind your schedule is to apply for a visa well before your planned trip. It can be two or even three months.
Can I extend My Tonga Visa?
The answer is yes. You can extend the validity of your visa by contacting the immigration department in Tonga. Upon request, your visa can be extended for a maximum of 6 months.
To wrap up today's topic, we can say that Tonga is an unusual place to visit. It can be considered a travel paradise with natural beauties and tourist resorts. It is desirable for retired people as they can live in peace for the rest of their life in Tonga. Each person is going to find something to do in this exotic country. You will have more than 30 options of islands to live in the country. To realize your plans in Tonga, you should first secure a visa to Tonga. It is exactly where Pickvisa can be most helpful. Pickvisa, with its professional team, will handle all your visa workload and make sure that you have your visa at the right time. With Pickvisa handling your visa procedure, the only thing you are left with will be to plan your trip.
