Getting Ready

Hi All!

I have been working hard to complete the paperwork required before my flight on November 9th.  And let me tell you... get your paperwork done long before you even book your flight if you are going to be staying in Tonga for an extended time as it has been a very confusing endeavor so far.

So, according to all the websites to obtain a Business Visa you will find this little sentence

• All applications by foreign nationals to transfer a visitor’s visa to a business visa, whilst the applicant is in the Kingdom shall be declined by the Immigration Division, UNLESS WRITTEN PERMISSION BY THE PRINCIPAL IMMIGRATION OFFICER HAS BEEN GRANTED TO THE FOREIGN NATIONAL TO TRANSFER, PRIOR TO ENTRY INTO THE KINGDOM.

 This sentence can be found on the Business Visa Checklist and on the Tonga Consulate Website.

 http://tongaconsul.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=92&Itemid=54

This statement is NOT TRUE.

Also, if you are planning on moving to Tonga permanently and you want to use a one way ticket to go to Tonga you will find this sentence on the Tonga Consulate website:

Copy of U.S. Passport (must be valid for 6 months from date of travel)
 USD$34.50 money order payable to Tonga Consulate General
 Self-stamped return envelope (if apply through the mail)
 Itinerary
 If departing to Tonga on a boat or cruise ship, please submit a letter with
details of the ship/boat name and the date of departure from Tonga.
Please note
 The one-way letters are only valid for one entry into Tonga.
 Holders of one-way letter are required to apply for appropriate visa upon arrival into
Tonga.

http://tongaconsul.com/images/PDFs/2011/oneway%20checklist.pdf

This also so far is NOT TRUE.

Even though the information is available on the websites it seems that either the websites are wrong or the Consulate and Immigration people do not know their own rules.

And please keep in mind that on the Business Visa Checklist is NOT COMPLETE so I found out yesterday.

So a month or so ago I contacted Immigration about applying for a One Way Letter so that I could go to Tonga to start the process of building my house in Cocomo Village and determine what business I would open and where exactly as this information is required to complete the Business Visa Application according to the Checklist.  I was informed at that time by Immigration that I needed to send in a copy of my ticket, my valid passport and request the letter and I would be contacted once the letter was ready.

Imagine my excitement that the process was that easy!!  Wrong .....

At the same time I sent a letter to Tonga Consulate requesting permission to allow me to change a Visitors Visa to a Business Visa after arrival as I could not complete the application until after I arrived in Vava'u to solidify the business plan requirement.  As getting the One Way Ticket authorization was so easy I did not wait for an answer and went ahead and bought my ticket to Tonga.  That was my first mistake.  I should have waited.

After I bought my ticket and sent in my requests for the waiver and one way ticket authorization I did not get a reply for over a week.  I contacted the Immigration office to find out where the one way letter was and was promptly informed that I would not receive it until my business visa application was approved.  I explained to the person via email that I applied for the waiver and was told that the waiver did not exist and I would not get the one way letter until the business application was submitted and approved.

Well now I really started to panic as I have already bought my non-refundable ticket and do not have time to complete the business visa process in time to get the one way ticket letter.

So I called Robert Bryce crying .....

Robert contacted the Governor of Vava'u and he asked his wife Helen to help me out.

Helen has been very patient and helpful throughout this process. Without her I would have no chance of getting to Tonga. So after determining that I need to complete the business visa application first Helen suggested that we apply for a holding company so that we do not need to have a detailed business plan to complete the application.  I sent her all the required paperwork and the fees to submit the application.  Immigration had also agreed to give me the one way letter upon acceptance of the application.  Things are looking better to finish the paperwork on time. But when Helen took in the application she was told that because I am not Tongan I would need to get a Foreign Investment Certificate before the business  visa could be processed.

Now so far I had asked both the Consulate and Immigration multiple times if I needed to do anything else and was told I was doing everything correctly and there was nothing else to do. Now I need to complete a foreign investment application which, according to the website, we know how reliable those are, it takes 4 weeks to complete. If I had known that I would not have even bought the ticket to begin with but it is not part of the business visa checklist nor is it listed anywhere as a requirement except for the one website on "how to open a business in Tonga". Something I was not even looking at yet as I am not entirely sure what business I want to open until I see what is needed.

So now here I am in a pickle again until Helen suggested that we could bypass the foreign investment requirement by partnering with a Tongan in the new business. I figured that she already has all my information and my money so I will trust her enough to go into business with her and trust that she will not rip me off. And besides, the property the I am leasing is owned by her husband the Honourable Lord Fulivai Governor of Vava'u. If I can't trust the government who can I trust!

So yesterday I sent Helen the new paperwork that shows her as the majority shareholder and am now waiting to hear back from her whether the paperwork is sufficient or if anything more is need.  As I am only 12 days away from my departure date all I can do is pray and hope that I get my one way letter before my time is up.

So if you want to move to Tonga to open a business or retire please do yourself a favor and make sure your paperwork is complete before you book your flight.

As always I am available to answer any questions you may have.

if you don't do it now... then when?

Char