NEW ZEALAND VISA INFO

Visiting New Zealand

You may need to apply for a visitor visa or permit if you intend to stay temporarily in New Zealand, but you don't intend to study or work. When you are granted a permit, you can stay in New Zealand for up to nine months.

Visitors to New Zealand

Some people need a visa to enter New Zealand, and some don't. If you are not from a visa-free country, you will need to apply for a visitor visa before you come to New Zealand.

Requirements

When you apply for a visitor visa, we want to know that:

• you are in good health
• you are of good character; and
• the visa you are applying for matches your intentions for your visit.

Your passport

You will have to show us your passport. This must be valid for at least three months past the date you are to leave New Zealand.

Proof that you plan to leave New Zealand

You will need to show us proof that you have plans and the means to leave within the period of your permit. Suitable proof may include:

• actual travel tickets (confirmed or open-dated) out of New Zealand to a country which you have the right to enter; or
• written confirmation from an airline or travel agency that onward travel has been booked and paid for.

Evidence of funds

You will also need to show us proof that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay. This means you have a minimum of:

• NZ$1000 per person per month of the visit, or
• NZ$400 per person per month if accommodation has already been paid for – we will require proof of prepayment, such as hotel prepaid vouchers.

Acceptable evidence of sufficient funds can be demonstrated in the form of:

• cash
• travellers' cheques
• bank drafts
• recognised credit cards with sufficient credit available – it is recommended that visitors have an up-to-date credit card statement.

Other acceptable evidence is a declaration by a New Zealand sponsor that they will pay for your accommodation and maintenance. See the Sponsorship Form for Visiting New Zealand (NZIS 1025) PDF.

Who cannot get a visa?

As well as people who don't meet the basic requirements listed above, some people who have committed serious crimes will not be allowed into New Zealand at all. Section 7(1) of the Immigration Act outlines what disqualifies an applicant in these terms.

If your application is incomplete when you lodge it, you submit false information or you don't meet our requirements we may refuse or deny your application.

How long can I stay?

The maximum stay under a visitor visa is nine months. As visa-free conditions only last for three months (or six if you are from the United Kingdom), you will need a visa for any longer stay.

We only allow visitors to come for nine months in any 18-month period. This means, for example, if you visited for five months a year ago, you could only stay for another four months on a trip now.

What about my family?

Your application can cover your partner, and any dependent children up to the age of 19. Children over 20, and non-dependants, will need to make their own application.

Special cases

There are other requirements for people who visit under one of our special visitor categories.

We may ask some applicants to pay a bond, or offer them a limited purpose visa.

Medical insurance

We recommend that you have comprehensive medical insurance for the duration of your visit. If you are from the United Kingdom or Australia, you will get the same immediate medical coverage as a New Zealand citizen or resident, thanks to our Reciprocal Health Agreements.

After you arrive

If you are granted a visitor’s permit you need to meet certain conditions during your stay:

• You may not work while you are in New Zealand (unless you apply for and are granted a work permit).
• You may not study for more than three months while you are in New Zealand (unless you apply for and are granted a student permit).
• You must keep within New Zealand’s laws.
• You must only stay in New Zealand for the time allowed by your permit.

If you break any of these conditions we may require you to leave the country immediately.

How to apply

Once you are familiar with our rules and requirements, you can begin the process of applying.

I'm accepted

Got your visa or permit? Here are some things you might like to know.

Studying in New Zealand

If you want to study in New Zealand, at school or tertiary level, you may need a study visa or permit.

New Zealand study opportunities

Find out about where you can study, what qualifications you can gain – all about the opportunities for students in New Zealand.

Our requirement

To get a visa or permit to study in New Zealand you must meet our requirements for international students. The course you intend to undertake must also meet our requirements.

Offer of a place

To get a student visa, you need to have an offer of a place from a New Zealand education provider. The offer must include:

• the name of the course and the minimum time required for completing it, and
• proof that the course and course provider meet New Zealand’s requirements for international students, and
• the amount of the fee for the complete course, or if the course is longer than one year, the annual fee, and
• whether you have to pay course fees and whether the fees are domestic or foreign fees, and
• whether you are studying full-time or part-time.

Your course must be approved by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

Primary and secondary schools

Two main kinds of primary and secondary schools in New Zealand can offer places to international students. The main difference between the two is the way they are funded, which affects their ability to offer courses to international students.

• State or integrated primary and secondary schools are funded by the New Zealand government. Schools accredited by New Zealand’s Ministry of Education can offer places to full fee-paying international students after all New Zealand domestic and NZAID scholarship students are placed.
• Private primary and secondary schools are schools funded mainly through student fees. Provided they are accredited by the Ministry of Education, these schools can offer places equally to international students and New Zealand students.

Tertiary education providers

Tertiary education providers can offer courses to international students if they meet certain conditions:

• Private training establishments (PTEs) can only offer international students approved courses that are longer than three months and registered with the NZQA. The PTE must be accredited by the NZQA to offer the course.
• Institutions including universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and wananga can only offer approved courses that are longer than three months and registered with the NZQA. The institution must be accredited to offer the course. The enrolment of an international student must not prevent a New Zealand student or an NZAID student from gaining a place at the same institution.

Guardians

You may have to be accompanied by a guardian (your parent or legal guardian), who will come to New Zealand with you. You need a guardian if you are enrolled in years 1 to 8 of a school, or a student aged 13 or under and enrolled in a private training establishment

Health and character

You have to meet our health and character requirements and prove to us that your intent is genuine.

Some people who have committed serious crimes will not be allowed into New Zealand at all. See section 7(1) of the Immigration Act.

Evidence of funds to support yourself

To gain a student visa or permit we want to see that you are able to meet your living costs during your stay.

Evidence may include:

• enough money held in New Zealand by you, or on your behalf,
• an undertaking by another person to cover your accommodation and living costs (we’ll want to see this before you leave for New Zealand),
• an undertaking by a New Zealand sponsor to cover your accommodation and living costs, or
• financial assistance available to you under aid programmes operated in New Zealand by a government agency.

Courses less than nine months

If the course you intend to study lasts less than nine months you’ll need to show us you have access to:

• NZ$1000 for each month of your stay,
• NZ$400 for each month, if your accommodation is already paid for (you will need to show us that you’ve paid), or
• a letter from your education provider saying that your accommodation and other living costs are included in the package you’ve already paid for.

Courses more than nine months

If the course you intend to study lasts more than nine months you’ll need to show us you have access to:

• NZ$10,000 per year to cover your costs during your stay in New Zealand, or
• if you are a citizen of Samoa or Tonga, a written guarantee from a relative who is a New Zealand citizen or resident that they will cover your living costs.

Evidence of funds may be in the form of cash, travellers' cheques, bank drafts, or a recognised credit card with enough credit.

Proof that you plan to leave

So that we are sure that you will leave New Zealand when you have finished your course of study, we will need evidence of how you will leave New Zealand. For example, we may want to see travel tickets out of New Zealand to a country you are allowed to enter, or evidence of enough money held in New Zealand, additional to the funds you’ll need for your living expenses.

For full details, see U3.25 of our Operational Manual.

Passport

You must have a passport that is valid for at least three months past the end of your intended stay.

Permit requirements

Once you have a student permit, you must meet certain conditions during your stay:

• You must attend the place of study noted in your permit. However, you can apply to us to change your course or institution.
• If you have to be accompanied by a guardian, you must live with that person.
• You must be able to show that you are passing your course.
• You may only undertake work allowed by your student permit.
• You must obey New Zealand’s laws.
• You must only stay in New Zealand for the time allowed by your permit.

If you break any of these conditions we may revoke your permit.

All about visas and permits

Having a visa and permit for study in New Zealand means you can study in New Zealand for a set time at a specified institution as a fulltime student.

Length of stay

You can only stay in New Zealand on a student permit for a limited time. In most cases we issue a one-year, renewable permit. If your course is longer than one year you need to reapply for each year of study.

If your course is based on the New Zealand academic year, and you’ve paid your fees for the year, we may grant you a student permit that expires the following year. For example:

• If you are a tertiary student your permit may expire on 31 March of the following year.
• If you are a primary or secondary student your permit may expire on 28 February of the following year.

In some circumstances you can stay a little longer in New Zealand, but you need to apply for permission to change your permit. For example, you need to apply for a new student permit if you:

• want to undertake further study so you can meet the requirements for membership to a professional association, or
• are about to complete your course of study and you’d like to remain in New Zealand for your graduation.

If you're not undertaking further study, you'll need to apply for a visitor or work permit.

Accompanying parents or guardians

If you are enrolled in years 1 to 8 of a school, or you are a student aged 13 or under and enrolled in a private training establishment, your parent or legal guardian must apply for a special visitor’s visa known as a guardian visa. A guardian visa allows your parent or legal guardian to live with and care for you in New Zealand.

However, your parent or legal guardian won’t have to accompany you if you are:

• a domestic student, or
• enrolled in a school hostel approved by the Code Administrator at the Ministry of Education, or
• in years 7 or 8 of a school, or aged 11 to 13 years and enrolled in any other provider which has approval from the Code Administrator at the Ministry of Education.

If you are aged 14 to 17 years (inclusive), or you are enrolling in school years 9 to 13, your parent or legal guardian can apply for a special visitor’s visa – a guardian visa – to live with and care for you in New Zealand, but it is not compulsory.

If you are granted a student permit on the condition that you live with a parent or legal guardian in New Zealand, your permit and your parent or legal guardian’s permit may be revoked if you do not meet this condition. You will then both be required to leave New Zealand.

Part-time study

Ordinarily, you need to be studying full time to be eligible for a student permit. However, we may allow you to study part time on a student permit if you are:

• coming to New Zealand to study for at least three years and the course requires you to gain practical work experience as part of your study
  or
• coming to New Zealand to study for a maximum of nine months, your course meets New Zealand's foreign student policy requirements, you can show us that you have paid the course fees, and you meet our visitor requirements.
  or
• in the final semester of a course of study in New Zealand, resulting in a New Zealand qualification that would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant Category.

Working while studying

You can work part time while studying full time, under certain circumstances:

• to meet course requirements for practical work experience, or
• during the Christmas and New Year holiday period if you are in a full-time course of study lasting 12 months or longer, and/or
• for up to 20 hours in any given week during the academic year if you are in full-time study:
  • at a private training establishment or tertiary institution and taking at least two academic years to complete, or
  • culminating in a New Zealand qualification that would qualify for points under the Skilled Migrant Category, or
  • at a secondary school full year course of study in years 12 or 13, provided you have written permission from your school and written consent from your parent, or
  • in a full-time study course lasting at least six months, at a private training establishment or tertiary institution. Your visa or immigration officer has to be satisfied that the main purpose of your course of study is to develop English language skills, and, you have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) overall band score of 5.0 or above (General or Academic Module), or
  • at a tertiary level of at least one academic year duration as part of an approved tertiary student exchange scheme.
    

Please note: New Zealand law prohibits any person on a temporary permit, including a student permit, from providing commercial sexual services or operating or investing in a business which provides such services.

In order to work, you will need to have the conditions of your permit changed. Find out how to apply for a change in permit conditions.

If you want to work in New Zealand after you have completed your studies, you need to apply under the Study to Work Policy.

Our fees

When you apply for a student visa, you will need to pay a fee. Go to our fees finder to find out what you will need to pay.

People on visit or work permits who want to study

If you’re here on a visitor or work permit and you want to study full time for longer than three months, you need to apply for a student permit.

If you are here on a visitor or work permit and you want to study part time for longer than three months, you can apply for a Variation of Conditions to your current permit.

You cannot undertake that study before we grant you a student permit.

Partners and children of students

If your partner or children want to come to New Zealand with you, they will need to apply for a visitor visa, or if they will also be studying, their own student visa.

Medical insurance

You must have appropriate and current medical and travel insurance while you're studying in New Zealand (a requirement of the Ministry of Education's Code of Practice).

Student permit holders are generally not eligible for publicly funded health and disability services. People covered by New Zealand’s reciprocal health agreements with Australia and United Kingdom are entitled to publicly funded health care for immediately necessary medical treatment only.

Students sitting exams in New Zealand for a distance learning course

If you’ve been studying by distance learning with a New Zealand education provider, they may require you to come to New Zealand to undertake practical study, sit exams, or to meet other requirements.

If you need to stay longer than three months you’ll need a student visa. If your stay is for less than three months you can apply for a visitor visa. For either application we’ll need to see proof that:

• you are a distance education student, and
• you have an offer of a place at an educational institution, and
• you have paid the course fees.

Who cannot get a student visa/permit

Most people can be considered for a visa or permit to study in New Zealand. However, to protect the interests of New Zealanders we do not issue visas to people who don't meet certain requirements, or who are involved in certain activities.

If an immigration of visa officer believes you have not made a genuine application for a visa or permit, or that you do not intend to meet the conditions of the visa or permit, we will not issue it to you.

You can be refused a visa or permit if:

• you are not eligible for a visa or permit under section 7(1) of the Immigration Act 1987,
• you are in New Zealand unlawfully when you apply,
• you do not meet our health or character requirements, or
• we believe you are likely to stay in New Zealand unlawfully or you would break the conditions of your visa or permit.

Limited purpose visas

If we are unsure whether you will meet the requirements of your visa, you may need to apply for a limited purpose visa.

NZAID students

We have a different policy for NZAID-supported students (or the partners or dependent children of NZAID-supported students). You will need written approval from NZAID if you want a visa or permit for New Zealand in the two-year period after the end of the NZAID student’s scholarship.

This policy does not apply to any work visas or permits that we give you to complete your course requirements or to any short-term visitor visas or permits.

If you are not sure whether these conditions apply to you, see our examples of eligibility, or, to see the wording of the policy, go to the Operations Manual.

Why we would revoke a student permit

If you fail to meet our conditions of studying in New Zealand we may revoke your student permit. We will do this if:

• you do not attend your course
• you work outside our restrictions
• you stop attending the course for which you were granted the permit and enrol in one we have not approved. You may be able to change courses or providers once you are here but you must first contact us so that we can either change your permit conditions or consider your application for a new student permit
• your NZAID funding stops, or
• you are required to live with your parent or legal guardian and you do not live with your parent or legal guardian. Your parent or legal guardian’s permit may also be revoked in this case.

Once your permit is revoked you will no longer be lawfully in New Zealand and will have to leave.

Applying for a student visa

The application process below is for people who want to apply for a student visa or permit. This may include people who want to travel to New Zealand to study, people who want to stay temporarily in New Zealand to study, and people already here on another permit who want to study in New Zealand full time.

The application steps

Complete the form

Print and complete the form Student Visa/Permit Application (INZ 1012) PDF. Also available is the Student Visa/Permit Guide (INZ 1013) PDF, which will assist you in applying. If you cannot print the form and guide, they are available from your nearest Immigration New Zealand branch.

Make sure you submit everything we require, including the fee

Along with your completed (and signed) application form you will also need to provide all the information listed at the back of the application form and the correct fee. If you do not submit the required information with your application we cannot accept it for processing.

Make sure you meet our health requirements

What you have to provide us with depends on how long you will be staying in New Zealand.

Studying in New Zealand for between six months and one year?

You may also need to provide a completed Temporary Entry X-ray Certificate (NZIS 1096) PDF to show you have been screened for tuberculosis (TB).

Studying in New Zealand for more than one year?

You will need to complete a medical examination and a medical and X-ray certificate.

Pregnant women and children under the age of 11 years are not required to submit X-ray certificates unless a special report is required.

For full details on our health requirements, see the Health Requirements Leaflet (NZIS 1121) PDF.

Make sure your meet our character requirements

If you are studying in New Zealand for more than two years you will also have to provide a police certificate, less than six months old, from your country of citizenship and from any country in which you have lived for five or more years since reaching 17 years of age.

Lodge your application

If you are applying from outside of New Zealand, your application must be made and approved before you are able to travel to New Zealand. Find out where to send your application.

If you are in New Zealand, please send your student application direct to:

Student Processing Unit

Immigration New Zealand

P O Box 1049

Palmerston North 4440

Student applications may also be placed in the branch student drop box (Auckland Branches only) and will be forwarded to the Student Processing Unit in Palmerston North.

If your education provider is certified with Students Online you can make your application at your nearest certified educational institute.

To help you make sure you have everything you need to apply for your visa or permit, use our checklist.

Already here?

If you need to renew your permit to complete your course of study, you will still need to go through the application process. However, if your education institution is on our Students Online list of certified educators, they will be able to process your student permit on campus. Find out which institutes are with Students Online.

Or you may want to change the conditions of your permit if you:

• are on another permit type and wish to study part time
• are on a student permit and want to change courses or course providers, or
• want to work while studying.

Investing and business in New Zealand

We’re pleased you’re thinking of New Zealand, and welcome people who would like to invest or operate a business here.

This section of the website gives information on the requirements that you need to meet under our policies for investors, entrepreneurs, and business people, and shows you how to apply under these policies. If you're still deciding whether New Zealand is the place for you and your business, take a look at our Discover and Decide section.

Long-Term Business Visa

Under our Long-Term Business Visa (LTBV) policy you can apply for a three-year work visa to give you enough time to move to New Zealand and start your business before you apply for residence. See the LTBV pages.

Entrepreneurs

After running your business for two years you may be eligible to apply for residence as an entrepreneur. See the entrepreneur pages.

Active Investor Migrant Policy

Our Active Investor Migrant Policy is for investors who want to gain residence in New Zealand. See the Active Investor pages.

Investor Category prior to 26 November 2007

The Active Investor Migrant Policy has replaced our previous Investor Category. We are no longer accepting Expressions of Interest under this policy, but if you are an investor who has an application in progress, or has been granted residence already, see the Investor Category pages.

Employer accreditation

Business Migration Branch also deals with applications from New Zealand employers who want to to gain accreditation, so they can offer employment to overseas workers. See the employer accreditation pages.

If you are an accredited employer whose employee has been working in New Zealand for at least two years, they can apply under our Residence from Work Policy.

Links

If you are interested in general information on starting a business or investing in New Zealand, or links to other useful websites, take a look at the Business Migration Branch's useful links page.

Working in New Zealand

Take a look at our Discover and Decide section if you are still deciding whether to come to New Zealand.

Our Living in New Zealand guide has a work opportunities section to help you find a job in New Zealand.

Work and live permanently in New Zealand

If you want to live and work in New Zealand permanently, there are a number of options available.

Skilled Migrant Category

The Skilled Migrant Category is for people who have the skills, qualifications and experience we need, and who want to live and work permanently in New Zealand.

Work to Residence

The Work to Residence category allows you to get a temporary work visa and/or permit as a step towards gaining permanent residence. Applicants may be qualified in occupations that are in demand in New Zealand, or may have exceptional talent in sports or the arts.

Residence from Work

The Residence from Work category is for people who are already in New Zealand on a Work to Residence permit, and want to apply for residence.

Employee of a Relocating Company

If you are a key employee of a business that is relocating its operations to New Zealand, you can apply for a work permit and later a residence permit under our Employee of a Relocating Company category.

Work temporarily in New Zealand

Temporary work

We grant temporary work visas and permits to people who have a job offer from a New Zealand employer, people skilled in occupations that are in demand here, people coming here for a particular purpose or event, and people who want to gain work experience or work after studying in New Zealand.

Working holiday

If you’re aged between 18 and 30 years you may be eligible to experience life in New Zealand on a working holiday.

Seasonal work in the horticulture and viticulture Industries

We have several different policies for people who want to do seasonal work planting, maintaining, harvesting or packing crops in the horticulture and viticulture industries.

More about applying for a visa or permit

This section has information to help you if you are applying for a visa and/or permit, and want to find out more about dealing with Immigration New Zealand, what the process involves, what you need to do to get your documents together, and what you can do if there is a problem, or the processing of your application is delayed

I'm accepted – tell me more

This section has information for you if you have been granted a visa and want to find out what to do to prepare for your departure, and what to expect when you arrive in New Zealand. We have also provided some information and advice on settling in New Zealand long term.

Living in New Zealand

New Zealand welcomes new migrants – people who will contribute to our country by bringing valuable skills or qualifications, setting up a business, or making a financial investment. We also offer opportunities for family reunification by allowing residents and citizens to sponsor family members for residence.

Skilled Migrant Category

The Skilled Migrant Category is the main path to residence in New Zealand. It is designed to make sure that people migrating to New Zealand have the skills the country needs. This category works on a points system. Points are earned on the basis of your qualifications, work experience and job, or job offer, in New Zealand.

Business and Investment Category

If you’re thinking of investing or establishing a business in New Zealand, we can offer business advantages and an environment that you’ll enjoy as well.

Family Categories

Many people already settled in New Zealand wish their close family to join them, and family members, often alone, wish to come to New Zealand to be close to relatives. We have a range of family policies facilitating partners, dependent children, parents, siblings or adult children of New Zealand citizens or residents to come to live in New Zealand.

Samoan Quota

We have a special relationship with our Samoan neighbours. As part of this special relationship, each year we invite a number of Samoan citizens to apply for residence under our Samoan Quota Scheme.

Pacific Access Category

If you are from Kiribati, Tuvalu or Tonga we offer a number of opportunities each year under the Pacific Access Category for people to move here to live.

Zimbabwe Residence

The Special Zimbabwe Residence Policy is for Zimbabwean nationals who arrived in New Zealand on or before 23 September 2004, and who are not eligible for residence under existing residence policies. Applications under this policy closed on 28 February 2007.

Refugee Family Support Category

The Refugee Family Support Category allows New Zealanders who were granted residence as refugees to sponsor a family member and that person's partner and dependent children for New Zealand residence. Each year there are 300 places available.

Other opportunities

You may like to consider other ways you can apply to come to New Zealand for a short time to visit or study or to come here to live or work.

More about applying for a visa or permit

This section has information to help you if you are applying for a visa and/or permit, and want to find out more about dealing with Immigration New Zealand, what the process involves, what you need to do to get your documents together, and what you can do if there is a problem, or the processing of your application is delayed.

I'm accepted – tell me more

This section has information for you if you have been granted a visa and want to find out what to do to prepare for your departure, and what to expect when you arrive in New Zealand. We have also provided some information and advice on settling in New Zealand long term.