Financial difficulties

 

If you find yourself in financial difficulties overseas, you can:

• contact the issuing agency to notify lost or stolen credit cards and travellers cheques.  Most main banks have a website with advice and international free phone numbers
• ask your credit card company if they can advance funds temporarily
• arrange a funds transfer through your bank
• ask family, friends or your employer to transfer money to you.

Check your bank's website for international free calling numbers to report losses and seek assistance.

ANZ - www.anz.co.nz or call collect + 64 9 522 3010

NBNZ - www.nationalbank.co.nz (for a full list of phone numbers) or
call collect + 44 1733 294 470 (Thoroughbred Cards)
call collect + 44 1733 294 440 (all other National Bank cards)

ASB - www.asb.co.nz or call collect/reverse charge + 64 9 306 3000

BNZ - www.bnz.co.nz

Kiwibank - www.kiwibank.co.nz

WBC - www.westpac.co.nz

TSB - www.tsb.co.nz

The easiest and quickest way to have money transferred is through one of the commercial agencies, such as Western Union.

www.westernunion.co.nz or if calling in NZ, free phone 0800 270 000.

Remember that if you lose your money and passport in a remote location you are likely to experience difficulties or delays in accessing funds from home.  This is one of the risks of travelling to remote locations in the world and travellers should be prepared.

We can help by:

• assisting you to contact family or friends to help you in transferring funds
• transferring funds through the Ministry or via one of our embassies when there is no other option. There is a transfer fee of NZ$40.

What we can't do:

• pay your hotel, travel or other bills, legal or medical expenses or costs of returning a body to New Zealand
• provide you with financial assistance, except in a real emergency and subject to very strict conditions.

As a New Zealand citizen overseas, you have no right/claim to financial assistance from the New Zealand Government. In very exceptional cases, limited assistance may be provided but this depends on the circumstances of the case, and is at our discretion. You are expected to repay any advance within 30 days.  If funds are not repaid, this will be pursued through a debt collection agency.

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Page last updated: Tuesday, 05 March 2013, 11:41 NZDT