Australian Resident Visa
If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident you can visit, work and live in New Zealand. You can only apply for this visa when you arrive in New Zealand. If you are an Australian permanent resident, you will need an NZeTA.
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Length of stay
Live, work and study
indefinitely
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Processing time
Visa granted at
New Zealand border
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Cost
NZD $0
To apply you must:
- be an Australian citizen, or a permanent resident with an NZeTA
- have arrived in New Zealand — you cannot apply for this visa before you travel
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- live, work and study in New Zealand.
Australian temporary residents cannot get this visa.
If you are an Australian permanent resident, you must hold a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before you travel.
You do not pay the International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL).
New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA)
If you leave New Zealand your resident visa expires, you can apply for a variation of travel conditions allowing you to travel for up to 24 months without it affecting your New Zealand residence status.
How long you can stay
An Australian Resident Visa lets you stay in New Zealand indefinitely.
Who can apply
Check the information below to see if you are eligible for this visa, and what you will need to do to meet the requirements.
Identity
You must provide proof of your identity.
We will use your passport details to check your identity.
Australian immigration status
You must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
We will use your passport to check your Australian citizenship or immigration status.
If you have a valid Australian passport, use it to travel to New Zealand.
Otherwise, you can use a foreign passport that confirms you are an Australian permanent resident, and hold either:
- a valid Australian Permanent Resident Visa, or
- a valid Australian Resident Return Visa.
Note
Australia temporary residents are not eligible for this visa.
If your Australian Permanent Resident or Resident Return Visa has been issued electronically, check your visa is linked to the passport you will be travelling on. You can do this by contacting the Australian immigration authorities.
Character
You must be of good character.
When you complete your arrival card, you will be asked some questions about your character.
You may not meet our good character requirements if any of the following applies:
- you have a criminal conviction
- you have been deported, removed or excluded from another country
- we have reason to believe you may be a risk to New Zealand’s security, public order or public interest.
Anyone applying for a New Zealand visa must meet the character requirements. When you apply, you must tell us about any issues or activities, both current and in your past, that could affect our decision, including whether you have been: If there is an issue, we may: You can request a character waiver or special direction when you apply. If your request is approved, we can give you a visa if your application meets all other requirements. Visas are given by special direction only in rare circumstances. You may need to provide us with police certificates to show your good character. Whether you need to give these certificates depends on how long you plan to stay in New Zealand and the visa you are applying for.
Character requirements for New Zealand visas
To be given a New Zealand visa, you must be of good character. If you have a criminal history, have provided false or misleading information, or could be a risk to New Zealand, we can decline your application.
Being of good character
Providing police certificates
Note
People who may be considered a risk to New Zealand’s security, public order or public interest, include those who are registered sex offenders or associated with a gang.
What to do
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Step 1: Check you meet the requirements for visa waiver travel
To be granted a visa when you arrive in New Zealand, you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and be of good character.
Alert
If you do not meet our requirements for good character, we can stop you from travelling to New Zealand at check-in or refuse you entry permission when you arrive.
If you are not sure you meet our requirements for good character, apply for a visa before you travel to New Zealand.
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Step 2: Check if you need to request an NZeTA
If you are a permanent resident of Australia, you must hold an NZeTA before you travel, but you do not need to pay the International Visitor Levy (IVL).
New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA)
Australian citizens do not need to hold an NZeTA or pay the IVL.
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Step 3: Apply for a resident visa on arrival
On your way to New Zealand, you will be given an arrival card to complete. This will include questions about your character and intentions.
When you arrive, we will check your arrival card. If we can confirm you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, and meet our requirements for good character, we will give you a New Zealand resident visa.
No immigration fees
There are no fees to pay when you are given a resident visa as an Australian citizen or permanent resident, on arriving in New Zealand.
When you arrive
Entry permission
You must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. You do this by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.
You can start your digital declaration any time, but the earliest you can submit it is 24 hours before starting your travel to New Zealand.
A paper declaration form is available for travellers who cannot complete it online.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration
New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.
Note
You can be refused entry permission if you:
- do not meet our character requirements
- refuse to let us to take your photo or to provide us with your fingerprints or an iris scan, if asked for them
- provide false or misleading information in a visa application, to an immigration officer or on any part of your arrival card.
When you travel to New Zealand on a temporary visa, your intentions must be genuine. This means that you: We use all the information we have, including the information you give us in your application, to confirm that you have genuine intentions. Alert You must answer truthfully when you complete your visa application or NZTD. If you are travelling on a visitor visa or visiting from a
If you have a visitor visa for a specific reason, you must be coming to New Zealand for that reason. For example, if you have a Medical Treatment Visitor Visa, your reason for visiting must be getting medical treatment. If you are travelling on a student visa, you must have genuine intentions to study in New Zealand. You can only work if the conditions of your student visa allow you to. If you are travelling to New Zealand to work, you must have a visa that will allow you to. Unless your visa allows you to work in any job, you must plan to work in the job, for the employer, and in the location specified in your visa. You may be asked to provide evidence of your genuine intentions: Here are some examples of evidence to show that you have genuine intentions in coming to New Zealand. To show your travel history, you could show a copy of your current and recent passports, including: If you live in a country that is not your country of citizenship, provide a copy of the visa allowing you to live in that country. If you have ever had a visa application declined by any other country, provide: If you plan to visit family or friends in New Zealand, provide their: Evidence of your travel plans while in New Zealand could include copies of: You may also need to show that you have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay. This evidence could include: If you are applying for a student visa, you could provide evidence that you have: If you do not need to pay tuition fees, or if you can pay by instalment — where you make smaller payments over a period of time — you must provide confirmation from your education provider. You can also write a cover letter or statement of purpose explaining why you want to study in New Zealand. This will help us decide if you are a genuine student. If you are using an education agent or licensed immigration adviser, they cannot write the letter for you. Examples of things you could write about in your letter or statement include: If you plan to apply for another visa — for example, a work visa — after you finish your studies, include this in your cover letter or statement of purpose.
To show that you have genuine intentions to work, you will in most cases need to provide: If your visa requires you to have enough money to live on during your stay, you will need to provide evidence. This could include: Depending on your situation, you may need to provide: We consider each application based on the information and evidence we receive. If you do not provide enough evidence, it may take us longer to process your application, or we may decline your application. You must provide genuine evidence. If you or your agent provide evidence that is false or misleading, we may also decline your application. False, misleading or withheld information in visa applications Check the translation requirements for the visa you are applying for. All non-English documents must be translated when you apply for visitor and resident visas. Providing English translations of supporting documents If you are applying online, make sure your evidence is in an acceptable file format. To decide if your intentions are genuine, we look at: We look at evidence you provide with your application to check that it: When we consider information about your personal circumstances, we look at: We also look at information from your previous applications and travel to New Zealand. This can show us if you have: We might not give you a visa or allow you to enter New Zealand if we:
Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in New Zealand
Before you can get a visa or enter New Zealand to visit, work or study, we check that your reasons for coming here are genuine.
What it means to have 'genuine intentions'
Visitor visas
Student visas
Work visas
Evidence to show you have genuine intentions
Evidence of your travel history
If you live in a different country to your citizenship
Declined visa applications
Evidence you are visiting family or friends
Evidence of your travel plans
Evidence of your study plans
Evidence of your work plans
Evidence you have enough money
Evidence of your home country circumstances
evidence of your relationships with close relatives in your home country
Providing good-quality evidence
How we decide if your intentions are genuine
Evidence you provide with your application
Your personal circumstances
Your previous applications
If we decide your intentions are not genuine
What might stop you from being allowed to enter New Zealand
Together with your airline or other carrier, we can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if you do not meet our entry requirements. For example, if you cannot provide evidence that you can meet the conditions of your visa.
If you have been refused entry to New Zealand and you still want to travel to here, contact the Customer Service Centre for advice.
You may need to apply for a visa before you travel here again.
Why we stop you travelling to or entering New Zealand
Together with your airline or other carrier, we can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if you do not meet our entry requirements — for example, if you cannot provide evidence that you can meet the conditions of your visa. When you arrive we check your identity and other information again before we give you
Alert
Having a visa does not guarantee that you will be allowed to enter New Zealand.
Your airline or other carrier can be fined if they let you board an aircraft or ship after we have let them know that you cannot travel.
Your identity and travel documents
We can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if:
- we cannot confirm your identity
- the passport or travel document you are travelling on has expired, is damaged or has been reported lost or stolen, or has been invalidated
- you need a visa to travel to or transit through New Zealand and you do not have one
- your eVisa is not in the passport you use to travel to New Zealand, or
- your onward travel arrangements are to a country you do not have the right to enter.
Information you provide to us
We can stop you travelling to New Zealand or entering the country if you:
- provide false or misleading information in your visa application or to an immigration officer
- possess a forged, fraudulent or altered identity document or any other official document.
Meeting the conditions of your visa
We can also refuse to let you travel to or enter New Zealand if you cannot show us evidence to support the conditions of your visa. For example, you cannot show us evidence that you:
- have enough money to live on while you are here
- have made arrangements to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay
- are coming to New Zealand for a lawful and genuine reason.
Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ
If your circumstances have changed and you can no longer meet the conditions of your visa we can also refuse to let you enter New Zealand. For example, if your work visa is based on a job offer that has since been withdrawn you will not be allowed to travel to New Zealand on that visa.
Your character and health
You cannot come to New Zealand if you do not meet our health and character requirements. For example, you can be refused entry if:
- we believe you might be a risk to New Zealand’s security, public order or public interest — for example, you have been associated with a gang or registered sex offenders
- we think you might commit an offence that would result in you going to prison, or
- you have been deported, excluded or removed from another country.
Arriving in New Zealand
You could be refused entry to New Zealand if you:
- refuse to complete a New Zealand traveller declaration
- provide false or misleading information on any part of your New Zealand traveller declaration
- refuse to let an immigration officer take your photo, fingerprints or an iris scan
- possess controlled or prohibited substances, or plan to import them, without proper authority
- do not follow instructions given by us or other border agencies including the New Zealand Customs Service, Biosecurity New Zealand or the New Zealand Police.
While you are in New Zealand
These are the conditions you must meet once you have your visa.
Travel
You can travel to and from New Zealand as often as you wish, but each time you leave New Zealand your resident visa will expire.
Work
You can work in any occupation for any employer in New Zealand.
Study
You can study in New Zealand.