Dependent Child Student Visa
Apply for this visa to bring your dependent children to study at primary or secondary school in New Zealand. You must have an appropriate work or student visa.
Apply online-
Length of stay
Same duration as
the parent's visa
-
Cost
From
NZD $750
-
Processing time
80% within
7 weeks
-
Age range
19 years or younger
To apply you must:
- have an appropriate work or student visa
- have a dependent child who will be studying at a primary or secondary school in New Zealand
- have a dependent child who is aged 19 or younger
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- bring your dependent child to New Zealand to join you
- have your dependent child study at a primary or secondary school in New Zealand.
Your child may be treated as a
If your child wants to study at tertiary level, they will need to apply for a Fee Paying Student Visa instead.
Children entering New Zealand for adoption may be able to apply for this visa.
How long you can stay
Your dependent child can only stay in New Zealand as long as you, the supporting parent, can.
The expiry date of this visa will normally be the same as the expiry date of the supporting parent’s visa.
Who can apply
To apply for a Dependent Child Student Visa for your child, you must:
- be the dependent child’s parent
- have the legal right to remove your child from their home country
- have an appropriate work or student visa
- earn a minimum income, for certain work visas
- have enough money to pay for your child’s living expenses during their stay, or have an acceptable sponsor or guarantor
- agree to pay your child’s health care costs, if they are not eligible for public health care
- have enough money for your child to leave New Zealand, if you have a work visa.
Your child must:
- be aged 19 or younger
- be in good health
- be of good character
- have a genuine reason for coming to New Zealand
- be intending to study at a primary or secondary school
- be
on you or your partner.
Dependent child
Your child must be
We will consider your child dependent if they rely on you for financial support, and they are aged:
- 17 or younger, or
- 18 or 19 with no children of their own.
If your child is 17 or younger, we will consider they rely on you for financial support and you will not need to provide any evidence of this.
If your child is 18 or 19 with no children of their own, we may ask you to provide supporting evidence, such as:
- school receipts showing you are paying daily expenses, like mobile phone, clothes or food
- bank account details showing you are paying your child an allowance
- receipts for big purchases and travel for your child.
There are 2 ways that dependent children can apply for a visa. Note The definition of dependent children depends on age and whether they are applying for a resident visa or a temporary visa. Your child is dependent if they are: If they are 18 or over they must not have children of their own. If they are aged 21 to 24 they must also rely on you or another adult for financial support (depending on which visa they have applied for). Your child is dependent if they: If they are 18 or 19 they must not have children of their own. If your children are 20 or older: If they want to join you in New Zealand they need to apply for their own visa. If your children are aged 20 to 24 they may still be dependent if: Your children must have applied for, or have been included in your application for one of the following residence visas:
Bringing children
How to apply for visas for dependent children.
How your children apply for a visa
Dependent children are not eligible for work visas.
How we define dependent children
Resident visas for dependent children
Temporary visas for dependent children
Primary or secondary student visas and visitor visas
Child of a New Zealander or Worker visitor visas
Eligible residence visas
Note
If your dependent child is younger than 5, and you are applying 6 months or more before they start school, we may not be able to give them a Dependent Child Student Visitor — children cannot go to school in New Zealand if they are younger than 5. We may give them a Visitor Visa instead.
Relationship with your child
You must provide evidence that confirms you are the dependent child's parent. This can include:
- a birth certificate
- adoption papers
- any other documents that confirm the relationship.
If the child is entering New Zealand for adoption, you must include a cover letter explaining this. To get this visa, you must provide evidence that:
- their adoption application is before the New Zealand Family Court and is supported by Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children
- the New Zealand Family Court has granted an Interim Order for their adoption, or
- their adoption application is through an intercountry adoption process under the Hague Convention and is supported by Oranga Tamariki—Ministry for Children, and at least one of the adoptive parents is a New Zealand citizen or resident.
Custody of children aged 15 or younger
You must have the legal right to take your dependent child out of their home country.
If you are separated or divorced, you must provide legal documents that show:
- you have the sole right to decide where your child lives
- you have the right to take your child out of their home country, or
- you have custody of the child and your child’s other parent agrees they can move to New Zealand if their application is approved.
If your child’s other parent has died, you must provide their death certificate.
Note
If you have a statutory right to the custody of your child and it is not possible to get legal documents to confirm this right, we will assess your right to remove the children on a case-by-case basis.
Your visa
You must have an appropriate student or work visa.
If you have a student visa, your child will only be able to get a Dependent Child Student Visa if you:
- are in New Zealand for a New Zealand Government-approved student exchange scheme
- are enrolled in a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programme in a New Zealand university, or
- have a Manaaki New Zealand Scholarship.
Your child cannot get a Dependent Child Student Visa if you have one of the following work visas:
- Fishing Crew Work Visa
- Recognised Seasonal Employer Visa
- Supplementary Seasonal Employment Work Visa
- a Skilled Migrant Job Search Visa
- a working holiday visa, or
- you are domestic staff of diplomatic, consular or official staff, or
- you are a seasonal worker under the specific purpose or event work visa instructions.
Bringing family if you have a work visa
If you have an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV), your child may be able to get this visa depending on how much you earn, what your job is or if you supported them for a visa on or before 26 June 2024.
Bringing family if you have an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV)
We will use our records to check what kind of visa you have.
Note
It is okay to apply for a Dependent Child Student Visa for your child at the same time you apply for your own student or work visa.
Minimum income for certain work visas
If you have a Religious Worker Work Visa, an Essential Skills Work Visa or an Accredited Employer Work Visa, you must provide evidence that you earn at least NZD $55,844 a year before tax, or have an acceptable sponsor if you have a Religious Worker Work Visa.
Evidence can include:
- documents that show the amount you earn in salary or wages such as pay slips, employment agreements or tax records, or
- if you are a Religious Worker work visa holder, a ‘Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry’ form completed by the religious organisation that is sponsoring you.
If you earn at least NZD $43,322.76 a year, you can support a Dependent Child Student Visa if, on or before 9 March 2025:
- your dependent child had been approved for a visa, or had applied for a visa based on their relationship to you, and
- you had an AEWV, ESWV or Religious Worker Work Visa or had applied for one that was later approved.
If you have an AEWV you must also have time remaining in the total time you can stay in New Zealand on 1 or more AEWVs (your maximum continuous stay).
Bringing family if you have a work visa
How long you can stay on an AEWV
Note
If both parents have an Essential Skills Work Visa or Accredited Employer Work Visa, their income may be combined to meet the minimum income threshold.
Children of diplomatic, consular or official staff
Dependent children of diplomatic, consular or official staff must have approval to study.
You must provide a letter from New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Protocol Division confirming that your child has their approval to study in New Zealand.
Note
If your posting ends in the middle of a school year, your child will need to apply for another student visa to finish the school year in New Zealand.
Enough money to live on
You must have enough money for your child to live on while they are in New Zealand, or your child can have an acceptable sponsor or guarantor.
If you are paying for your child
Evidence can include:
- proof that you have NZD $17,000 for a full year of study or NZD $1,417 for every month your child will be in New Zealand
- proof that the child’s living costs have already been paid.
Note
If you have a work visa and have provided evidence with your work visa application that shows you earn enough income to support your dependent child's accommodation and/or maintenance, we may waive this requirement.
If your child has a sponsor
The sponsor is responsible for your child's accommodation and living costs while they are in New Zealand — they can be an organisation or an individual.
While a visa holder you sponsor is in New Zealand you must make sure they have: You must also pay the cost of their return travel to their home country, if they do not intend to pay for it themselves. If they are to be
Alert Who can sponsor a visa applicant You can also sponsor the partner and dependent children of someone you are sponsoring. If you do this, you must cover the same costs for them. Including family in your visa application If the person you sponsor has a visa with
Your responsibilities as a sponsor begin from the date the person you sponsor arrives in New Zealand. If they are already in New Zealand, your sponsorship begins on the date their visa is granted. Your sponsorship responsibilities end on the date the person you are sponsoring: Alert The person you sponsor can be
If you have not paid the costs you are responsible for, and they are paid by a third party or the New Zealand Government, that amount becomes your debt. If you do not pay, we can take you to court to recover the debt even if the person you are sponsoring:
Your responsibilities as a sponsor
If you sponsor a visa holder, you are responsible for them while they are in New Zealand on that visa.
Support you must provide
Even if the person you sponsor has agreed to pay for some or all their expenses, you are still legally responsible for those expensesSponsoring a visa applicant's family members
If the person you sponsor travels in and out of NZ
When your sponsorship begins and ends
You cannot withdraw your sponsorship. It continues even if the person you sponsor stays in New Zealand without a valid visa.
If you do not meet your obligations
Sponsorship process for a visa
The sponsor must complete a Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry.
The sponsor can provide supporting documents including:
- recent bank statements
- pay slips
- their employment agreement
- ownership papers for your accommodation or receipts for rent payments.
Note
If your child’s visa label or letter does not say ‘Financial evidence not required’ or ‘The holder of this visa is sponsored’, we may ask for evidence of funds when they arrive in New Zealand.
If your child has a guarantor
Before your child arrives in New Zealand, a third party or guarantor can agree to provide financial support for your child while they are in New Zealand. The guarantor can be an organisation or an individual — if an individual, they must be a relative or friend of the child.
The guarantor must:
- complete a ‘Financial Undertaking for a Student’ form
- provide evidence that they have money that is their own and not loaned, such as recent bank statements or confirmation from the bank.
Paying for health care
You must declare in your visa application that you or the sponsor will pay for any health care or medical assistance your child may need in New Zealand.
We recommend your child has full medical insurance for the length of their visit.
Health
Your child must be in good health.
We may ask that your child has a chest X-ray and a medical examination as proof of their good health.
If your child is staying less than:
- 6 months, they do not normally need a chest X-ray
- 12 months, they do not normally need a medical certificate.
When you apply, you must answer questions about your child’s health. This will help to decide if you need to provide evidence of a chest X-ray or medical examination. Even if your child does not need these when you apply, we may ask for them when we process your application.
Check the situations where we may ask your child to have a chest X-ray or medical examination.
To get a New Zealand visa, applicants must be in good health. To show us that you have an acceptable standard of health, you may need to have a medical examination, chest X-ray or both. If you do, you will need to include a medical certificate or an eMedical reference number in your application. Why you need to provide evidence of your good health How to get an X-ray or medical examination There are 3 types of medical certificate: What you need to provide depends on the type of visa you are applying for, how long you intend to stay in New Zealand, what country you are from, and whether you have provided a medical certificate to us with an earlier application. Children under 11 years of age and pregnant women do not need to have a chest X-ray unless a special report is needed. If you will be staying in New Zealand between 6 and 12 months, you must have a chest X-ray if: Countries with a low incidence of tuberculosis If you will be staying for more than 12 months, you must have a chest X-ray no matter where you are from. If you apply for another visa while in New Zealand, the time you have already spent here counts towards the 12 months. Different rules apply if you are: Information for asylum seekers If you are applying to stay in New Zealand permanently, and do not already have a resident visa, you must have a chest X-ray no matter where you are from. You do not need to get a chest X-ray if you are applying for a student visa and staying for less than 6 months. You must have a chest X-ray if you are applying for a student visa and: You do not need to get a chest X-ray if you are staying for more than 6 months as a foreign fee-paying student, and you are: You do not need to provide a chest X-ray certificate if you are: If you are from a country that does not have a low incidence of TB, you must have a chest X-ray no matter how long you will stay in New Zealand. You must send us another X-ray if: You do not need to send us another chest X-ray if you provided a chest X-ray with an earlier visa application and you are applying for a visa on or after 5 August 2021 based on your relationship to an existing Essential Skills Work Visa holder (that is, you are their partner or dependent child). Once you have made your application, we may come back to you and ask for medical documents. If you have already obtained an X-ray certificate for your visa application, you can choose to still submit it. If you are applying for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, you must provide a chest X-ray certificate with your application. Find out if you need to include a medical certificate with your application. If you will stay in New Zealand for up to 12 months, you normally do not need to have a medical examination unless the visa you apply for will allow you to stay for more than 12 months, or we ask you to have one. You must have a medical examination if you will stay in New Zealand for more than 12 months. If you are already in New Zealand, the time you have already spent here will count towards the 12 months. There are different rules when applying for a student visa. If you are applying to stay in New Zealand permanently, and do not already have a resident visa, you must have a medical examination no matter where you are from. If you stay for more than 12 months, you must have a medical examination if you: If you are applying for a Fee-Paying Student Visa or Pathway Student Visa, you do not need to have a medical examination, no matter how long you are staying in New Zealand, unless: Even if you had a medical examination with an earlier visa application, you need to have another medical examination if: You do not need to send us another medical examination if you provided a medical examination with an earlier visa application and you are applying for a visa on or after 5 August 2021, based on your relationship to an existing Essential Skills Work Visa holder (that is, you are their partner or dependent child). Once you have made your application, we may come back to you and ask for medical documents if these are required to process your application. If you have already obtained a medical certificate for your visa application, you can choose to still submit it. If you are a woman over 45 you may need to have a physical breast examination. Your physician will tell you if you need one. If you are applying for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, you must provide a general medical certificate and chest X-ray certificate. If you need to have a medical examination or a chest X-ray, you must use a
Panel physicians are doctors and radiologists who are approved to complete medical examinations and chest X-rays for New Zealand visa applications.
Who needs an X-ray or medical examination
If you are applying for a visa, you may need a chest X-ray or medical examination as evidence of your good health.
Proving you are in good health
Types of medical certificate
Who needs a chest X-ray
If you will be staying between 6 and 12 months
If you will be staying for more than 12 months
If you are applying to stay in New Zealand permanently
If you are applying for a student visa
Foreign fee-paying students
If you are applying for a Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa
If you had a chest X-ray for an earlier visa application
If you are applying for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa
Who needs a medical examination
If you will be staying up to 12 months
If you will be staying for more than 12 months
If you are applying to stay in New Zealand permanently
If you are applying for a student visa
If you had a medical examination for an earlier visa application
If you are a woman over 45
If you are applying for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa
Arranging an examination or X-ray
Visa health requirements, which we call the acceptable standard of health criteria, help us to decide if we should approve or decline your application. We check if: Ongoing Resource Scheme — Ministry of Education When we decide if you meet the visa's health requirements, we cannot consider: Note If you, or someone else in your visa application, need to enter New Zealand for medical treatment or consultation, the visa health requirements may not apply. You may need to get a medical examination as part of your application. We will use this to determine if you meet the visa's health requirements. Who needs a chest X-ray or medical examination Your medical examination results may mean we either: If we ask the medical assessor for their opinion, we may then: We may decline your temporary visa application if we think during your stay you are likely, because of your health, to need: We may also decline your temporary visa if you are assessed as having a severe developmental or cognitive condition that will need significant support. The conditions include, but are not limited to: The visas this requirement applies to: Child of a Worker Visitor Visa Child of Military Visitor Visa Child of a Student Visitor Visa You are included in the additional health requirement if you are under 20 and applying for a student or visitor visa as the dependent of a work, student or military visa holder. We may decline your application for a resident visa if you, or somebody else in your application, have any of these conditions: We may also decline your visa application if the medical assessor thinks that your health services costs are likely to be more than NZ$81,000 (NZ$41,000 if you applied for a visa before 4 September 2022).
Why you may need to provide evidence you are in good health
Before we can approve your visa application, we check that you meet the visa's health requirements.
Health requirements for visas
How we assess your health
Meeting health requirements for temporary visas
Meeting health requirements for resident visas
Note You can check the situations where you need an X-ray or medical examination, and the different types of examinations. Who needs an X-ray or medical examination If you need a medical examination, you normally get a 'general medical examination' unless you need a limited medical examination. A general medical examination is sometimes called a 'full medical examination'. For some visas, you must have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both before you apply. For an Accredited Employer Work Visa or a Visitor Visa, we will let you know after you submit your application if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination. If you need a chest X-ray or medical examination, you must visit a doctor or radiologist from our list of 'panel physicians' — unless there are no panel physicians in your country. Panel physicians are doctors and radiologists approved to complete chest X-rays and medical examinations for New Zealand visa applications. Check if there is a panel physician in your country. Doctors who can do examinations You must visit a panel physician. You can use any registered doctor. You must visit a panel medical clinic who will refer you to a panel radiology clinic. Note If there are other people on your application, they will each need an appointment. If you are menstruating (having a period), you need to wait until your period finishes before having your medical examination. You cannot have your medical examination during your period because the blood can affect your urine test. For an Accredited Employer Work Visa or Visitor Visa, if we need you to have a chest X-ray or medical examination, we give you an Immigration New Zealand health case reference number (NZHR). Give the NZHR to the clinic when you make your appointment. Finding your eMedical and INZ health case reference numbers You can bring a family member, support person or interpreter to your appointment. Let the clinic know when you make your appointment if you are bringing someone with you. If you are having a physical examination, you can ask the clinic for a chaperone. The clinic must have chaperones available. Have the following ready to bring to your appointment: Identity documents for X-rays and medical examinations Note If you are 17 years or under, you need your parent or legal guardian to come with you. If you are visiting any registered doctor because there are no panel physicians in your country, you need to also bring: Get the medical certificate form you need:
You need to also bring a completed 'Immigration Adviser Details' form to give to the clinic.
At your medical appointment, you must sign a form to allow the doctor to send your medical information to us. If you are 17 or younger, your parent or guardian must sign the form for you. If your doctor is using eMedical, they will give you an eMedical client consent and declaration form to sign. You can read the form before your appointment:
There are 3 parts to the medical examination: The doctor checks your height, weight, mental state, hearing and vision, listens to your heart and lungs, feels your abdomen and checks your reflexes and other parts of your nervous system. A nurse or health care assistant may complete parts of the examination. You will need to: You must pay any costs related to your X-ray and medical examinations. Note Ask the clinic about the costs when you make your appointment. In your visa application, you need to provide evidence of your X-ray or examination results. To show you had an examination you can either: To get a copy of your results you can ask the doctor when you have your examination, or any time afterwards. You can ask for email notifications. If you do, you will receive an email when your physician sends us your results. You cannot reply to this email. If you have any questions about your results, discuss these with your doctor. You can ask the clinic for a copy of your medical examination results. Once we receive your results you can also contact us if you want a copy of them. If you have an immigration adviser, and would like them to be able to see and ask questions about your medical information, you need to:
The panel physicians who use eMedical must agree to protect your personal information to meet New Zealand privacy laws. Your information is sent to us using a secure online channel and is available only to us and the clinic where you were examined. If you have any privacy concerns, you can contact us.
How to get an X-ray or medical examination
If you need a chest X-ray or medical examination for your visa application, you will need to make a doctor's appointment and take any relevant documents with you. You will need to provide evidence of your medical results in your application.
Process overview
Your chest X-ray and medical examination results must be no more than 3 months old when we get your application.
1. Check if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination
2. Make an appointment
If there is a panel physician in your country
If there is no panel physician in your country
If you are in New Zealand and only need a chest X-ray
Bringing someone with you to the appointment
3. Get what you need for your appointment
If you are visiting a doctor that is not a panel physician
If you are using a licensed immigration adviser
4. Go to your appointment
Authority to collect medical information
What happens at the medical examination
Paying for your medical examination
5. Provide evidence of your results in your application
6. How to get your results
If you need a copy of your results
Sharing your medical information with an immigration adviser
Your privacy
Note
Evidence of a chest X-ray or medical examination must be less than 3 months old when we receive them.
If staying for more than 6 months
If your child will be staying in New Zealand for more than 6 months, they must have a chest X-ray if they:
- are a citizen of a country that does not have a low incidence of tuberculosis (TB), or
- have spent more than 3 months in the last 5 years in a country that does not have a low incidence of TB.
You must provide a new chest X-ray certificate, even if you have provided one to us previously, if your child:
- has spent 6 months in a row in a country that does not have a low incidence of TB since the date of their last X-ray certificate, and
- is now coming to New Zealand for more than 6 months — if they are in New Zealand this includes any time they have already spent here.
If you are applying for a visa to come to New Zealand for 6 months or longer, you must have a chest X-ray if you: You may not need to have a chest X-ray if you: Countries with a low incidence of TB Aland Islands Albania American Samoa Andorra Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bermuda Bonaire Bosnia and Herzegovina Bouvet Island British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Bulgaria Cabo Verde Canada Cayman Islands Chile Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curacao Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Egypt Estonia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Germany Gibraltar Greece Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Heard and McDonald Islands Honduras Hungary Iceland Iran (Islamic Republic of) Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kuwait Latvia Lebanon Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Maldives Malta Martinique Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Monaco Montenegro Montserrat Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Norfolk Island North Macedonia Norway Occupied Palestinian Territory Oman Panama Pitcairn Islands Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Reunion Saint Barthelmy Saint Eustatius & Saba Saint Helena, Ascencion and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Serbia Seychelles Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syrian Arab Republic Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turks and Caicos United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States of America United States Virgin Islands Uruguay Vanuatu Vatican City Wallis and Futuna Islands
Countries with a low incidence of tuberculosis
You must have a chest X-ray if you have been living in a country that does not have a low incidence of tuberculosis (TB).
When you need to have a chest X-ray
Check the list of countries with a low incidence of TB
Character
You may need to provide police certificates for your child as proof of their good character.
If they have a criminal conviction, or are a security risk to New Zealand, we might not give them a visa.
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
You must provide police certificates that are less than 6 months old when you apply, if:
- your child is aged 17 or older, and
- their total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer — this includes time they have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas.
Police certificates must be from:
- countries they are a citizen of, and
- countries they have spent more than 5 years in since they turned 17.
You do not need to provide police certificates if you provided them with an earlier visa application and they were issued in the last 24 months.
If we ask for a new police certificate when processing your application, you will need to send us a new one.
Depending on the visa you want, and how long you plan to stay in New Zealand, you may need to provide a police certificate as evidence of your good character. Police certificates are documents issued by the police or a government agency. They: If we ask you to provide a police certificate, you must: Providing English translations supporting documents You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then. Provide police certificates from any country you: If you are aged 16 or younger, you do not need to provide police certificates. If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to grant you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements. You must provide police certificates if you are aged 17 or older. Provide police certificates from: Police certificates must show any criminal records you have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years. If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to give you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements. If you apply for a visa as the partner of a New Zealander or a New Zealand visa holder, your partner is known as the 'supporting partner'. Your supporting partner must be able to show us they are of good character. They may need to provide police certificates for proof. If your supporting partner is a New Zealand citizen or has a resident visa, they: If your partner needs to provide police certificates, the police certificates must be from countries where they have spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years, since they turned 17 — even if the 12 months were not all in one stay. Police certificates must show any criminal records they have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years. Note Your partner does not need to provide a New Zealand police certificate, as we will get one directly from the authorities. If your supporting partner has a work or study visa, we may ask your partner to provide police certificates, if you are applying for a temporary visa. Your partner will not meet our character requirements if they have any convictions for
If your supporting partner cannot prove they are of good character, we may give them a
If your partner has any convictions for domestic violence or sexual offences, they cannot support your application. For all types of visa applications, we still may request police certificates from your partner to make sure they meet our character requirements. You may not need to provide police certificates if you have provided them in a previous visa application. Check the character requirements of the visa you are applying for. Some of the authorities that issue police certificates (the police and other government agencies) may require a set of fingerprints when you request a police certificate. If you do need a set of fingerprints to get a police certificate, check in your region for a fingerprinting service. There are many private businesses who offer fingerprinting services. If you cannot find a fingerprinting service in your region, you can contact the New Zealand Police to see if they can help. They only offer this service in some regions and on specific days. Contact them to check availability before going to a police station.
Police certificates
When you apply for a visa, you may need to provide us with a police certificate to show that you are of good character.
About police certificates
Find out how to get a police certificate
If your supporting partner has a temporary visa to work or study
If your partner cannot prove good character
If you have provided police certificates before
Fingerprinting for police certificates
Genuine intentions
You must genuinely intend for your child to study in New Zealand and to leave at the end of your stay.
When we assess if your child’s application is genuine, we consider all the information that:
- you provide to support your child’s application
- we have about your personal circumstances
- you have previously given to us.
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
Leaving New Zealand
If you have a work or student visa, you must be able to show that your child can leave the country at the end of their stay.
Evidence can include:
- a travel ticket for your child out of New Zealand at the end of their stay to a
, or - documents, such as bank or credit card statements, that show you have enough money to buy a ticket
- a 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry' completed by an acceptable sponsor.
Note
This does not apply if you have a military visa.
Documents you need
When you apply
When you apply, you will need to provide:
- a copy of your child's passport or
— if you apply on paper, you can provide a , but it can prevent delays if you provide the original - 1 acceptable photo of your child if you apply online, or 2 photos if you apply on paper
- evidence of a chest X-ray, if required
- evidence of a medical examination, if required
- police certificates, if required
- proof of your plans in New Zealand to show your child is a genuine student
- documents to show your relationship to your child and that they are financially dependent on you
- legal documents to show custody of your child, if required
- proof you have enough money for your child to live on
- a completed ‘Financial Undertaking for a Student’ form, if your child has a guarantor
- a copy of the completed 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry', if you have a sponsor
- proof your child can leave New Zealand at the end of their stay
- a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if you are diplomatic, consular or official staff
- translated versions of police and medical certificates, if they are not in English.
You do not need to send us a physical copy. You must send us a high-quality scan of your passport. Provide a scanned copy of your current and recent passports, including: File formats for uploading documents and photos If you are including your partner or dependent children in your application, you must send us high-quality scans of their passports too. If you are applying for a: You must upload a high-quality scan of your current passport or travel document information page when you start your application. This is the page with your photo, name, date of birth and document details like passport number, expiry and issuing authority. Make sure your scan also includes the MRZ code — the string of characters on the bottom of the information page of your passport. If you are including a partner or dependent children in your application, you will also need to upload a high-quality scan of their passport information page. Immigration Online will read the identity and document details in your scanned copy and fill in these fields for you on the form. Check the details in the form are correct and fix any mistakes. If all the information is correct you do not need to do anything and can continue with your application. If Immigration Online could not upload your document, rescan your document and try again. Make sure the document: You can upload any other pages with visa records, entry and exit stamps in the 'Identity evidence' fields in the 'Supporting documents' section of your application form. If you are applying for another type of visa online, we will email you if we need your physical passport to confirm your identity. You may not need to send us your passport if you are: If you renew your passport before you travel, you must transfer your eVisa or the visa label to your new passport. Transferring a visa to a new passport You may not be able to come to New Zealand if your visa and passport do not match in our system. If we need to see your physical passport to confirm your identity, we will: Most people do not need to provide their physical passport. If you are not sure if you need to send your passport, check the final page of your completed visa application in your Immigration Online account. Warning If you do not send your passport within the time we specify, we may delay processing your application or decline it. If you are applying from outside New Zealand, send your passport to your nearest Visa Application Centre (VAC) or Immigration New Zealand (INZ) office. We must receive it within 20 working days from when we ask for it. Most people use a courier or postal tracking service to send us their passports. Offices outside of New Zealand (Visa Application Centres) Postal addresses for sending paper documents We will contact you with instructions about where and how to send your passport if you: Check our postal addresses page for where to send your passport in New Zealand. Use a signature-required courier service so it arrives quickly. Postal addresses for sending paper documents You may have to pay a fee to send your passport to a VAC. You can find the handling fee on the website of your nearest VAC. Fill in the filters and select the tab called ‘Passport handling for online application’. VFS Global for individuals — VFS Global If you sent your passport to a VAC, they contact you with the tracking details after they send your passport back to you. If you have any questions or concerns about the return of your passport, contact the VAC directly. Note The VAC may not send your passport back to you until after we have made a decision about your visa application. If you sent your passport to an INZ office, you receive a tracking number after we send it back to you. Contact the courier company if you have any questions about delivery. For any other questions or concerns, contact us. If you need your passport urgently, contact the INZ officer processing your application. When you contact them, include:
Providing your passport for an online application
How to provide a digital copy of your passport or send us your original passport so we can verify your identity.
If you are applying for a visitor, student or work visa
Resident and transit visas
You must upload a high-quality scan of your passport or travel document when you apply online. You do not need to send us a physical copy.Upload the passport or travel document information page
File formats for uploading documents and photosUpload other passport or travel document pages
Other online applications
Transfer a visa to a new passport
Providing your physical passport
Sending your passport from outside New Zealand
Countries that cannot use a VAC
Sending your passport in New Zealand
Sending your passport to a VAC
Getting your passport returned from a VAC or INZ office
Urgent return of passports
If your photo does not meet all of our requirements we will ask you for a new photo. If you are applying for a visa, we will stop processing your application until we receive an acceptable photo. If you are requesting an NZeTA, your request may be delayed or refused. Use the photo examples on this page to check your photo is correct and meets our requirements. Alert Do not use the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs website or other online tools to check your photo as those tools are for passport photos only. Your photo is more likely to be accepted if you use a professional photographer or business that takes passport photos. Give the photographer our instructions to make sure you get a photo that meets our requirements.
The photo you submit with a paper application must be 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. Further instructions are on the paper application forms. Note You can only apply for an NZeTA online. The photo you submit with an online application must be: Alert We are unlikely to accept your photo if it is not the right size. If you request an NZeTA using the web app, you can either upload an existing photo or take one using your device's camera. If you use the mobile app, you can only take a photo using your device's camera. Your photo must be: If you take a photo with your device, the camera must have a minimum resolution of 540 x 720 pixels. Large photos will be automatically formatted. If there is an issue with your photo you will receive an error message when you submit your visa or NZeTA photo online. To help you, we have provided a list of online errors and how to fix them. Your photo must: It may be easier to remove them.
Visa and NZeTA photos
Your photo must be less than 6 months old and clearly identify you. It must also meet all of our technical requirements.
Meeting our photo requirements
Visa and NZeTA photos are not passport photos
Using a professional photographer
Paper applications for visas
Online applications for visas
Online requests for NZeTAs
Online photo error messages
Taking your visa photo
Be in portrait, not landscape
Be of you, not a photo of a photo or your travel document
Have even lighting with minimal shadowing
Be in colour, showing natural skin tones
Be in focus, not blurry
Not contain red-eye
Be an original photo, not changed by photo-editing software
Not be a selfie
Be taken 1.5 metres from the face
Be taken against a plain, light-coloured — but not white — background with no patterns or objects
Only contain plain clothing patterns
Be of one person
We need to clearly see your face
Face the camera and keep your head straight
Keep your eyes open and mouth closed
Do not smile or frown
Show your face clearly and that long hair is tucked behind your ears
Position yourself in the middle of the photo
Remove sunglasses and hats
If you wear prescription glasses
Make sure your eyes show clearly through the lenses, with no reflected light
If you wear a head covering for religious or medical reasons
Make sure that your face and hairline can be seen in the photo
Your child's passport or certificate of identity must be valid for at least 3 months after the date they plan to leave New Zealand.
Alert
Your child may not be allowed to check in to their flight if their passport is close to expiring. Check that it will not expire while they are in New Zealand or close to when they plan to leave New Zealand.
- a passport from Hong Kong
- a Hong Kong document of identity
- a Hong Kong British National Overseas passport (HKBNO)
- a passport from Macao
If your child is aged 17 or older, you must also provide a completed supplementary form for them giving more details of their background and intentions.
You may also provide your child's Hukou – household registration book as an additional form of identity.
If your child is aged 17 or older and you are applying within China, Hong Kong or Macao, you must also provide a completed supplementary form for them if applying with:
Also provide your children's
If your child is not a French national, also provide a copy of their carte d’assuré.
Also provide a copy of your children's livret de famille.
If your child is not a French national, also provide a copy of their carte d’assuré.
The only evidence you must provide is a written guarantee of maintenance for the child from a relative in New Zealand. This relative must be a New Zealand citizen or resident.
After you apply
After you apply, we may contact you and ask for:
- evidence of a medical examination or chest X-ray
- police certificates as proof of your good character.
When you arrive
When you arrive, you will need to have:
- a ticket for your child to leave New Zealand at the end of their stay, proof you have enough money to buy one, or agreement that a sponsor or guarantor will pay for one
- proof you have enough money for your child to live on for their stay in New Zealand.
How to apply online
Follow these steps to complete your application online.
Note
An application containing all the documents we need will prevent delays with processing.
-
1
Step 1: Gather your documents
The section 'Who can apply' explains the requirements for this visa and what you will need as proof.
Our guide to applying for a study visa can also help.
Get documents translated
For your application, you must provide:
- certified English translations of police and medical certificates that are not in English
- scanned copies of the original documents.
Note
If your other evidence is not in English, you can provide a translated copy to help prevent delays with processing.
Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.
Providing English translations of supporting documents
Check the requirements of the visa you are applying for. Provide certified translations of your documents to avoid delays processing your application.Check the visa application requirements
Residence visa applications
All supporting documents submitted with your resident visa application must be provided in English or include an English translation.
Visitor visa applications
Visitor visa requirements are changing
From 26 May 2025, supporting document translations for visitor visa applications will no longer need to be certified.
Changes to certification requirements for translations of visitor visa supporting documentsExamples of documents that require full translation include:
- proof of funds — such as bank statements, pay records (proof of funds must be fully translated, partial translations may not be accepted)
- flight itineraries including return tickets
- proof of employment in your home country
- leave of absence documentation
- identity documents other than passports — for example, Hukou for Chinese nationals.
All other visa applications
You must provide us with full certified English translations of all medical and police certificates. This includes police certificates that record no convictions.
Note
If your other evidence is not in English, you should provide a translated copy, as this will help us to process your application faster.
Our requirements for translated documents
Immigration New Zealand does not translate documents on behalf of visa applicants. You must pay for certified translations.
Who can complete a certified translation
You can provide certified translations completed by:
- reputable private or official translation businesses
- community members known for their accurate translations.
We do not accept translations completed by the applicant, family members, or the immigration adviser assisting with your application.
We will accept translations from a licensed immigration adviser (LIA) who is:
- a trustworthy person within the community
- known to translate documents accurately
- not an adviser on the application.
Using the English spelling of the name in your passport
Check your passport to see if it has your name written in English. Ask your translator to use this spelling when they translate your documents.
If a translator used a different spelling of your name in your translated documents, then include this spelling of your name in the 'other names' section of the visa application form.
Include your 'other names' in the application form
We need to know if you have used other names that are in your translated documents.
For example, if:
- you have a different birth name, or name from a marriage or adoption
- you have other passports with a different name
- the translator used a different name or spelling when translating your documents into English.
In your visa application form, enter all other names that you have used in the section called 'other names'.
Check your translated document
Each translation must:
- be on the translation business’s official letterhead, if possible
- certified as a correct translation by the translator
- stamped or signed by the translator or translation business.
Submitting your original foreign language documents
When you apply for your visa, the supporting documents that you provide us are the:
- original document in a foreign language, and
- a certified English translation of the document.
How you provide the documents depends on if you are applying online or on a paper form.
If applying online, make sure all scanned copies are clear and readable.We may not need an original document or its certified copy in the following situations:
- if we asked for uncertified copies in our form or guide
- if you submitted a legible scan of the original document in the online form
- if you submitted a legible copy of the original document for a temporary entry visa.
When we process your application, we will contact you if we need you to send us a document.
File formats for uploading documents and photos
Organise proof of identity, citizenship and age
If your child needs a new passport, allow yourself enough time to get it.
When you apply, make sure you enter your and your child's identity details exactly as they appear on your passports or certificates of identity.
Warning
If there are any mistakes in identity details, your application will be delayed. We may also decline your application or refuse your child entry to New Zealand.
Make sure your photos are acceptable for a New Zealand visa.
Visa and NZeTA photos
Your photo must be less than 6 months old and clearly identify you. It must also meet all of our technical requirements.Meeting our photo requirements
If your photo does not meet all of our requirements we will ask you for a new photo.
If you are applying for a visa, we will stop processing your application until we receive an acceptable photo. If you are requesting an NZeTA, your request may be delayed or refused.
Visa and NZeTA photos are not passport photos
Use the photo examples on this page to check your photo is correct and meets our requirements.
Alert
Do not use the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs website or other online tools to check your photo as those tools are for passport photos only.
Using a professional photographer
Your photo is more likely to be accepted if you use a professional photographer or business that takes passport photos. Give the photographer our instructions to make sure you get a photo that meets our requirements.
Paper applications for visas
The photo you submit with a paper application must be 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. Further instructions are on the paper application forms.
Note
You can only apply for an NZeTA online.
Online applications for visas
The photo you submit with an online application must be:
- between 500 KB and 3 MB
- between 900 x 1,200 pixels and 2,250 x 3,000 pixels, and
- a JPG or JPEG file.
Alert
We are unlikely to accept your photo if it is not the right size.
Online requests for NZeTAs
If you request an NZeTA using the web app, you can either upload an existing photo or take one using your device's camera.
If you use the mobile app, you can only take a photo using your device's camera.
Your photo must be:
- less than 10 MB, and
- a JPG or JPEG file.
If you take a photo with your device, the camera must have a minimum resolution of 540 x 720 pixels. Large photos will be automatically formatted.
Online photo error messages
If there is an issue with your photo you will receive an error message when you submit your visa or NZeTA photo online. To help you, we have provided a list of online errors and how to fix them.
Taking your visa photo
Your photo must:
Be in portrait, not landscape
Be of you, not a photo of a photo or your travel document
Have even lighting with minimal shadowing
Be in colour, showing natural skin tones
Be in focus, not blurry
Not contain red-eye
Be an original photo, not changed by photo-editing software
Not be a selfie
Be taken 1.5 metres from the face
Be taken against a plain, light-coloured — but not white — background with no patterns or objects
Only contain plain clothing patterns
Be of one person
We need to clearly see your face
Face the camera and keep your head straight
Keep your eyes open and mouth closed
Do not smile or frown
Show your face clearly and that long hair is tucked behind your ears
Position yourself in the middle of the photo
Remove sunglasses and hats
If you wear prescription glasses
Make sure your eyes show clearly through the lenses, with no reflected light
It may be easier to remove them.
If you wear a head covering for religious or medical reasons
Make sure that your face and hairline can be seen in the photo
Book medical appointments, if required
If you have determined your child needs a chest X-ray or medical examination, you will need to book an appointment for them.
How to get an X-ray or medical examination
If you need a chest X-ray or medical examination for your visa application, you will need to make a doctor's appointment and take any relevant documents with you. You will need to provide evidence of your medical results in your application.Process overview
- Prepare your visa application as much as you can — check if you need an X-ray or medical examination and when.
- If you need an X-ray or examination, make an appointment.
- Get all the things you need for your appointment ready.
- Go to your appointment. The doctor may need you to take other tests — that can take more time.
- Provide evidence of your X-ray or medical examination results in your application.
- Get your results. You can share them with your immigration advisor.
Note
Your chest X-ray and medical examination results must be no more than 3 months old when we get your application.1. Check if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination
You can check the situations where you need an X-ray or medical examination, and the different types of examinations.
Who needs an X-ray or medical examination
If you need a medical examination, you normally get a 'general medical examination' unless you need a limited medical examination. A general medical examination is sometimes called a 'full medical examination'.
For some visas, you must have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both before you apply.
For an Accredited Employer Work Visa or a Visitor Visa, we will let you know after you submit your application if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination.
2. Make an appointment
If you need a chest X-ray or medical examination, you must visit a doctor or radiologist from our list of 'panel physicians' — unless there are no panel physicians in your country.
Panel physicians are doctors and radiologists approved to complete chest X-rays and medical examinations for New Zealand visa applications.
Check if there is a panel physician in your country.
Doctors who can do examinations
If there is a panel physician in your country
You must visit a panel physician.
- Contact a panel physician to make an appointment for your chest X-ray or medical examination.
- Tell them it is for an Immigration New Zealand application and what visa you are applying for.
- Tell them the type of medical examination you need.
- You can ask the clinic about the costs when you make your appointment.
If there is no panel physician in your country
You can use any registered doctor.
- Contact your doctor to make an appointment for your X-ray or medical examination.
- Tell them it is for an Immigration New Zealand application.
- Tell them the type of medical examination you need.
- You can ask them about the costs when you make your appointment.
- Make sure you have a printed medical certificate form for the examination you need, and 3 passport sized photos.
If you are in New Zealand and only need a chest X-ray
You must visit a panel medical clinic who will refer you to a panel radiology clinic.
- Find a panel medical clinic from the list of approved panel physicians.
- Tell the clinic what type of visa you are applying for, and that you need a chest X-ray only.
- You will normally need to visit the clinic. Bring an identity document.
- The clinic will create a case for you and refer you to a panel radiology clinic.
Note
If there are other people on your application, they will each need an appointment.
If you are menstruating (having a period), you need to wait until your period finishes before having your medical examination. You cannot have your medical examination during your period because the blood can affect your urine test.
For an Accredited Employer Work Visa or Visitor Visa, if we need you to have a chest X-ray or medical examination, we give you an Immigration New Zealand health case reference number (NZHR). Give the NZHR to the clinic when you make your appointment.
Finding your eMedical and INZ health case reference numbers
Bringing someone with you to the appointment
You can bring a family member, support person or interpreter to your appointment.
Let the clinic know when you make your appointment if you are bringing someone with you.
If you are having a physical examination, you can ask the clinic for a chaperone. The clinic must have chaperones available.
3. Get what you need for your appointment
Have the following ready to bring to your appointment:
- an identity document
- your glasses or contact lenses if you use them
- a list of any medication you are taking, including dosage
- any relevant medical reports or X-rays
- other documents you need if you are not visiting a panel physician, or if you are using an immigration adviser.
Identity documents for X-rays and medical examinations
Note
If you are 17 years or under, you need your parent or legal guardian to come with you.
If you are visiting a doctor that is not a panel physician
If you are visiting any registered doctor because there are no panel physicians in your country, you need to also bring:
- 3 recent passport-sized photos less than 6 months old — you only need 1 photo if you are having a chest X-ray and not a medical examination, and
- a printed copy of the required medical certificate form for your doctor to complete and send to us.
Get the medical certificate form you need:
If you are using a licensed immigration adviser
You need to also bring a completed 'Immigration Adviser Details' form to give to the clinic.
4. Go to your appointment
Authority to collect medical information
At your medical appointment, you must sign a form to allow the doctor to send your medical information to us.
If you are 17 or younger, your parent or guardian must sign the form for you.
If your doctor is using eMedical, they will give you an eMedical client consent and declaration form to sign. You can read the form before your appointment:
What happens at the medical examination
There are 3 parts to the medical examination:
- medical history and physical examination
- urine and blood tests
- chest X-ray, if required.
The doctor checks your height, weight, mental state, hearing and vision, listens to your heart and lungs, feels your abdomen and checks your reflexes and other parts of your nervous system.
A nurse or health care assistant may complete parts of the examination.
You will need to:
- remove some items of clothing for the physical examination
- provide a urine sample during the medical examination
- get blood tests, and possibly a chest X-ray or other tests if needed — the clinic will tell you if you need these, and you may need to go to different places to get some tests done.
Paying for your medical examination
You must pay any costs related to your X-ray and medical examinations.
Note
Ask the clinic about the costs when you make your appointment.
5. Provide evidence of your results in your application
In your visa application, you need to provide evidence of your X-ray or examination results.
To show you had an examination you can either:
- tell us the eMedical reference code from your panel physician — we will get your results electronically (this is the quickest way)
- tell us the name of the clinic where you had the medical examination, or
- give us a copy of the completed medical certificate, if you did not visit a panel physician — the doctor will normally send your medical certificate to us, but you can ask them for a copy.
6. How to get your results
To get a copy of your results you can ask the doctor when you have your examination, or any time afterwards.
You can ask for email notifications. If you do, you will receive an email when your physician sends us your results. You cannot reply to this email.
If you have any questions about your results, discuss these with your doctor.
If you need a copy of your results
You can ask the clinic for a copy of your medical examination results.
Once we receive your results you can also contact us if you want a copy of them.
Sharing your medical information with an immigration adviser
If you have an immigration adviser, and would like them to be able to see and ask questions about your medical information, you need to:
- complete an ‘Immigration Adviser Details’ form and take it with you to your medical examination
- ask for copies of your results at your examination and give these to your immigration adviser when you receive them.
Your privacy
The panel physicians who use eMedical must agree to protect your personal information to meet New Zealand privacy laws.
Your information is sent to us using a secure online channel and is available only to us and the clinic where you were examined.
If you have any privacy concerns, you can contact us.
To complete your application, you will need to provide the:
-
reference code from the clinic submitting your child's health information - name of the clinic submitting your child's health information, if there is no eMedical reference code, or
- medical certificate, chest X-ray certificate, or both if the clinic gave these to you.
Note
Results of a chest X-ray or medical examination must be less than 3 months old when we receive them. Allow yourself enough time to get these.
Apply for police certificates, if required
Check what you will need to include for this visa.
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
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:
- involved in criminal or human rights abuse activities, or
- removed or deported from another country.
If there is an issue, we may:
- decline your application, or
- give you a
or a which waive (remove) the requirements.
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.
Providing police certificates
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.
When we process your application, we will contact you if we require police certificates from you.
Police certificates
When you apply for a visa, you may need to provide us with a police certificate to show that you are of good character.About police certificates
Depending on the visa you want, and how long you plan to stay in New Zealand, you may need to provide a police certificate as evidence of your good character.
Police certificates are documents issued by the police or a government agency. They:
- provide information about any criminal record you have
- are based on official records and checks
- are also sometimes called criminal checks, police clearance certificates or penal records.
If we ask you to provide a police certificate, you must:
- make sure the police certificate is less than 6 months old when you submit your visa application
- provide us with a translation, if it is not in English.
Providing English translations supporting documents
Find out how to get a police certificate
- are a citizen of, and
- have lived in for more than 5 years since you turned 17.
- any country you are a citizen of
- any other country where you spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years — even if those 12 months were not all in one stay.
- must provide police certificates, if you are applying for a resident visa
- may be asked to provide police certificates, if you are applying for a temporary visa to work or visit.
Applying for a visitor, student or work visa You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.
Provide police certificates from any country you:
If you are aged 16 or younger, you do not need to provide police certificates.
If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to grant you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements.
Applying for a resident visa You must provide police certificates if you are aged 17 or older.
Provide police certificates from:
Police certificates must show any criminal records you have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years.
If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to give you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements.
Partners supporting your application If you apply for a visa as the partner of a New Zealander or a New Zealand visa holder, your partner is known as the 'supporting partner'.
Your supporting partner must be able to show us they are of good character. They may need to provide police certificates for proof.
If your supporting partner is a New Zealand citizen or has a resident visa, they:
If your partner needs to provide police certificates, the police certificates must be from countries where they have spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years, since they turned 17 — even if the 12 months were not all in one stay.
Police certificates must show any criminal records they have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years.
Note
Your partner does not need to provide a New Zealand police certificate, as we will get one directly from the authorities.
If your supporting partner has a temporary visa to work or study
If your supporting partner has a work or study visa, we may ask your partner to provide police certificates, if you are applying for a temporary visa.
Your partner will not meet our character requirements if they have any convictions for
or sexual offences in the last 7 years, whether in New Zealand or in other countries. If your partner cannot prove good character
If your supporting partner cannot prove they are of good character, we may give them a
. This would mean your partner would still be able to support your visa application. If your partner has any convictions for domestic violence or sexual offences, they cannot support your application.
For all types of visa applications, we still may request police certificates from your partner to make sure they meet our character requirements.
If you have provided police certificates before
You may not need to provide police certificates if you have provided them in a previous visa application. Check the character requirements of the visa you are applying for.
Fingerprinting for police certificates
Some of the authorities that issue police certificates (the police and other government agencies) may require a set of fingerprints when you request a police certificate.
If you do need a set of fingerprints to get a police certificate, check in your region for a fingerprinting service. There are many private businesses who offer fingerprinting services.
If you cannot find a fingerprinting service in your region, you can contact the New Zealand Police to see if they can help. They only offer this service in some regions and on specific days. Contact them to check availability before going to a police station.
Note
Your police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. Allow yourself enough time to get these certificates.
Organise proof of your relationship and that your child is dependent on you
Get documents that show you are the parent of the child and that they are financially dependent on you.
Organise custody documents, if required
Get documents that show you have custody of your child, and you can take your child out of their home country.
Organise proof you have enough money for your child to live on
Get recent bank or credit card statements, and proof of any accommodation you have pre-paid for.
If you have a sponsor, make sure you get a copy of their completed 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry'.
If your child has a guarantor, make sure you get a copy of their completed 'Financial Undertaking for a Student’ form.
Organise proof your child can leave New Zealand
Evidence can be a plane ticket, proof you have the money to buy one, or agreement that your sponsor or child's guarantor will pay for any onward travel.
Organise a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if required
If you are diplomatic, consular or official staff, ask for a letter from the Protocol Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating they approve your child can study in New Zealand.
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Step 2: Submit your application and pay the fee
To apply online, log in to your account or set up an account if you do not have one already.
You can then fill in your application, upload your documents and pay the applicable fees.
Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for fees.
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Step 3: Wait for our decision
We will let you know if we need more information to process your application.
Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for timeframes.
Note
If your child is already in New Zealand, they must have a valid visa. If their current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for our decision, we will normally give them an interim visa to let them stay in New Zealand lawfully.
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Step 4: Check your application status
Log in to your account to check the status of your application.
Checking your visa application status
We will email you when we make a decision.
If we approve your application, we will give your child an eVisa and send you a copy.
Check the 'When you arrive' section to find out what they can and cannot do when they come to New Zealand.
How to apply on paper
Follow these steps to complete your application on paper.
Note
An application containing all the documents we need will prevent delays with processing.
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Step 1: Gather your documents
The section 'Who can apply' explains the requirements for this visa and what you will need as proof.
Our guide to applying for a study visa can also help.
Get documents translated
For your application, you must provide:
- certified English translations of police and medical certificates that are not in English
- scanned copies of the original documents.
Note
If your other evidence is not in English, you can provide a translated copy to help prevent delays with processing.
Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.
Providing English translations of supporting documents
Check the requirements of the visa you are applying for. Provide certified translations of your documents to avoid delays processing your application.Check the visa application requirements
Residence visa applications
All supporting documents submitted with your resident visa application must be provided in English or include an English translation.
Visitor visa applications
Visitor visa requirements are changing
From 26 May 2025, supporting document translations for visitor visa applications will no longer need to be certified.
Changes to certification requirements for translations of visitor visa supporting documentsExamples of documents that require full translation include:
- proof of funds — such as bank statements, pay records (proof of funds must be fully translated, partial translations may not be accepted)
- flight itineraries including return tickets
- proof of employment in your home country
- leave of absence documentation
- identity documents other than passports — for example, Hukou for Chinese nationals.
All other visa applications
You must provide us with full certified English translations of all medical and police certificates. This includes police certificates that record no convictions.
Note
If your other evidence is not in English, you should provide a translated copy, as this will help us to process your application faster.
Our requirements for translated documents
Immigration New Zealand does not translate documents on behalf of visa applicants. You must pay for certified translations.
Who can complete a certified translation
You can provide certified translations completed by:
- reputable private or official translation businesses
- community members known for their accurate translations.
We do not accept translations completed by the applicant, family members, or the immigration adviser assisting with your application.
We will accept translations from a licensed immigration adviser (LIA) who is:
- a trustworthy person within the community
- known to translate documents accurately
- not an adviser on the application.
Using the English spelling of the name in your passport
Check your passport to see if it has your name written in English. Ask your translator to use this spelling when they translate your documents.
If a translator used a different spelling of your name in your translated documents, then include this spelling of your name in the 'other names' section of the visa application form.
Include your 'other names' in the application form
We need to know if you have used other names that are in your translated documents.
For example, if:
- you have a different birth name, or name from a marriage or adoption
- you have other passports with a different name
- the translator used a different name or spelling when translating your documents into English.
In your visa application form, enter all other names that you have used in the section called 'other names'.
Check your translated document
Each translation must:
- be on the translation business’s official letterhead, if possible
- certified as a correct translation by the translator
- stamped or signed by the translator or translation business.
Submitting your original foreign language documents
When you apply for your visa, the supporting documents that you provide us are the:
- original document in a foreign language, and
- a certified English translation of the document.
How you provide the documents depends on if you are applying online or on a paper form.
If applying online, make sure all scanned copies are clear and readable.We may not need an original document or its certified copy in the following situations:
- if we asked for uncertified copies in our form or guide
- if you submitted a legible scan of the original document in the online form
- if you submitted a legible copy of the original document for a temporary entry visa.
When we process your application, we will contact you if we need you to send us a document.
Organise proof of identity, citizenship and age
If your child needs a new passport, allow yourself enough time to get it.
When you apply, make sure you enter your and your child's identity details exactly as they appear on your passports or certificates of identity.
Warning
If there are any mistakes in identity details, your application will be delayed. We may also decline your application or refuse your child entry to New Zealand.
Make sure your photos are acceptable for a New Zealand visa.
Visa and NZeTA photos
Your photo must be less than 6 months old and clearly identify you. It must also meet all of our technical requirements.Meeting our photo requirements
If your photo does not meet all of our requirements we will ask you for a new photo.
If you are applying for a visa, we will stop processing your application until we receive an acceptable photo. If you are requesting an NZeTA, your request may be delayed or refused.
Visa and NZeTA photos are not passport photos
Use the photo examples on this page to check your photo is correct and meets our requirements.
Alert
Do not use the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs website or other online tools to check your photo as those tools are for passport photos only.
Using a professional photographer
Your photo is more likely to be accepted if you use a professional photographer or business that takes passport photos. Give the photographer our instructions to make sure you get a photo that meets our requirements.
Paper applications for visas
The photo you submit with a paper application must be 35 mm wide and 45 mm high. Further instructions are on the paper application forms.
Note
You can only apply for an NZeTA online.
Online applications for visas
The photo you submit with an online application must be:
- between 500 KB and 3 MB
- between 900 x 1,200 pixels and 2,250 x 3,000 pixels, and
- a JPG or JPEG file.
Alert
We are unlikely to accept your photo if it is not the right size.
Online requests for NZeTAs
If you request an NZeTA using the web app, you can either upload an existing photo or take one using your device's camera.
If you use the mobile app, you can only take a photo using your device's camera.
Your photo must be:
- less than 10 MB, and
- a JPG or JPEG file.
If you take a photo with your device, the camera must have a minimum resolution of 540 x 720 pixels. Large photos will be automatically formatted.
Online photo error messages
If there is an issue with your photo you will receive an error message when you submit your visa or NZeTA photo online. To help you, we have provided a list of online errors and how to fix them.
Taking your visa photo
Your photo must:
Be in portrait, not landscape
Be of you, not a photo of a photo or your travel document
Have even lighting with minimal shadowing
Be in colour, showing natural skin tones
Be in focus, not blurry
Not contain red-eye
Be an original photo, not changed by photo-editing software
Not be a selfie
Be taken 1.5 metres from the face
Be taken against a plain, light-coloured — but not white — background with no patterns or objects
Only contain plain clothing patterns
Be of one person
We need to clearly see your face
Face the camera and keep your head straight
Keep your eyes open and mouth closed
Do not smile or frown
Show your face clearly and that long hair is tucked behind your ears
Position yourself in the middle of the photo
Remove sunglasses and hats
If you wear prescription glasses
Make sure your eyes show clearly through the lenses, with no reflected light
It may be easier to remove them.
If you wear a head covering for religious or medical reasons
Make sure that your face and hairline can be seen in the photo
Book medical appointments, if required
If you have determined your child needs a chest X-ray or medical examination, you will need to book an appointment for them.
How to get an X-ray or medical examination
If you need a chest X-ray or medical examination for your visa application, you will need to make a doctor's appointment and take any relevant documents with you. You will need to provide evidence of your medical results in your application.Process overview
- Prepare your visa application as much as you can — check if you need an X-ray or medical examination and when.
- If you need an X-ray or examination, make an appointment.
- Get all the things you need for your appointment ready.
- Go to your appointment. The doctor may need you to take other tests — that can take more time.
- Provide evidence of your X-ray or medical examination results in your application.
- Get your results. You can share them with your immigration advisor.
Note
Your chest X-ray and medical examination results must be no more than 3 months old when we get your application.1. Check if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination
You can check the situations where you need an X-ray or medical examination, and the different types of examinations.
Who needs an X-ray or medical examination
If you need a medical examination, you normally get a 'general medical examination' unless you need a limited medical examination. A general medical examination is sometimes called a 'full medical examination'.
For some visas, you must have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both before you apply.
For an Accredited Employer Work Visa or a Visitor Visa, we will let you know after you submit your application if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination.
2. Make an appointment
If you need a chest X-ray or medical examination, you must visit a doctor or radiologist from our list of 'panel physicians' — unless there are no panel physicians in your country.
Panel physicians are doctors and radiologists approved to complete chest X-rays and medical examinations for New Zealand visa applications.
Check if there is a panel physician in your country.
Doctors who can do examinations
If there is a panel physician in your country
You must visit a panel physician.
- Contact a panel physician to make an appointment for your chest X-ray or medical examination.
- Tell them it is for an Immigration New Zealand application and what visa you are applying for.
- Tell them the type of medical examination you need.
- You can ask the clinic about the costs when you make your appointment.
If there is no panel physician in your country
You can use any registered doctor.
- Contact your doctor to make an appointment for your X-ray or medical examination.
- Tell them it is for an Immigration New Zealand application.
- Tell them the type of medical examination you need.
- You can ask them about the costs when you make your appointment.
- Make sure you have a printed medical certificate form for the examination you need, and 3 passport sized photos.
If you are in New Zealand and only need a chest X-ray
You must visit a panel medical clinic who will refer you to a panel radiology clinic.
- Find a panel medical clinic from the list of approved panel physicians.
- Tell the clinic what type of visa you are applying for, and that you need a chest X-ray only.
- You will normally need to visit the clinic. Bring an identity document.
- The clinic will create a case for you and refer you to a panel radiology clinic.
Note
If there are other people on your application, they will each need an appointment.
If you are menstruating (having a period), you need to wait until your period finishes before having your medical examination. You cannot have your medical examination during your period because the blood can affect your urine test.
For an Accredited Employer Work Visa or Visitor Visa, if we need you to have a chest X-ray or medical examination, we give you an Immigration New Zealand health case reference number (NZHR). Give the NZHR to the clinic when you make your appointment.
Finding your eMedical and INZ health case reference numbers
Bringing someone with you to the appointment
You can bring a family member, support person or interpreter to your appointment.
Let the clinic know when you make your appointment if you are bringing someone with you.
If you are having a physical examination, you can ask the clinic for a chaperone. The clinic must have chaperones available.
3. Get what you need for your appointment
Have the following ready to bring to your appointment:
- an identity document
- your glasses or contact lenses if you use them
- a list of any medication you are taking, including dosage
- any relevant medical reports or X-rays
- other documents you need if you are not visiting a panel physician, or if you are using an immigration adviser.
Identity documents for X-rays and medical examinations
Note
If you are 17 years or under, you need your parent or legal guardian to come with you.
If you are visiting a doctor that is not a panel physician
If you are visiting any registered doctor because there are no panel physicians in your country, you need to also bring:
- 3 recent passport-sized photos less than 6 months old — you only need 1 photo if you are having a chest X-ray and not a medical examination, and
- a printed copy of the required medical certificate form for your doctor to complete and send to us.
Get the medical certificate form you need:
If you are using a licensed immigration adviser
You need to also bring a completed 'Immigration Adviser Details' form to give to the clinic.
4. Go to your appointment
Authority to collect medical information
At your medical appointment, you must sign a form to allow the doctor to send your medical information to us.
If you are 17 or younger, your parent or guardian must sign the form for you.
If your doctor is using eMedical, they will give you an eMedical client consent and declaration form to sign. You can read the form before your appointment:
What happens at the medical examination
There are 3 parts to the medical examination:
- medical history and physical examination
- urine and blood tests
- chest X-ray, if required.
The doctor checks your height, weight, mental state, hearing and vision, listens to your heart and lungs, feels your abdomen and checks your reflexes and other parts of your nervous system.
A nurse or health care assistant may complete parts of the examination.
You will need to:
- remove some items of clothing for the physical examination
- provide a urine sample during the medical examination
- get blood tests, and possibly a chest X-ray or other tests if needed — the clinic will tell you if you need these, and you may need to go to different places to get some tests done.
Paying for your medical examination
You must pay any costs related to your X-ray and medical examinations.
Note
Ask the clinic about the costs when you make your appointment.
5. Provide evidence of your results in your application
In your visa application, you need to provide evidence of your X-ray or examination results.
To show you had an examination you can either:
- tell us the eMedical reference code from your panel physician — we will get your results electronically (this is the quickest way)
- tell us the name of the clinic where you had the medical examination, or
- give us a copy of the completed medical certificate, if you did not visit a panel physician — the doctor will normally send your medical certificate to us, but you can ask them for a copy.
6. How to get your results
To get a copy of your results you can ask the doctor when you have your examination, or any time afterwards.
You can ask for email notifications. If you do, you will receive an email when your physician sends us your results. You cannot reply to this email.
If you have any questions about your results, discuss these with your doctor.
If you need a copy of your results
You can ask the clinic for a copy of your medical examination results.
Once we receive your results you can also contact us if you want a copy of them.
Sharing your medical information with an immigration adviser
If you have an immigration adviser, and would like them to be able to see and ask questions about your medical information, you need to:
- complete an ‘Immigration Adviser Details’ form and take it with you to your medical examination
- ask for copies of your results at your examination and give these to your immigration adviser when you receive them.
Your privacy
The panel physicians who use eMedical must agree to protect your personal information to meet New Zealand privacy laws.
Your information is sent to us using a secure online channel and is available only to us and the clinic where you were examined.
If you have any privacy concerns, you can contact us.
To complete your application, you will need to provide the:
- eMedical reference code from the clinic submitting your child's health information
- name of the clinic submitting your child's health information, if there is no eMedical reference code, or
- medical certificate, chest X-ray certificate, or both if the clinic gave these to you.
Note
Results of a chest X-ray or medical examination must be less than 3 months old when we receive them. Allow yourself enough time to get these.
Organise proof of your relationship and that your child is dependent on you
Get documents that show you are the parent of the child and that they are financially dependent on you.
Organise custody documents, if required
Get documents that show you have custody of your child, and you can take your child out of their home country.
Organise proof you have enough money for your child to live on
Get recent bank or credit card statements, and proof of any accommodation you have pre-paid for.
If you have a sponsor, make sure you get a copy of their completed 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry'.
If your child has a guarantor, make sure you get a copy of their completed 'Financial Undertaking for a Student’ form.
Organise proof your child can leave New Zealand
Evidence can be a plane ticket, proof you have the money to buy one, or agreement that your sponsor or child's guarantor will pay for any onward travel.
Organise a letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, if required
If you are diplomatic, consular or official staff, ask for a letter from the Protocol Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stating they approve your child can study in New Zealand.
Apply for police certificates, if required
Check what you will need to include for this visa.
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
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:
- involved in criminal or human rights abuse activities, or
- removed or deported from another country.
If there is an issue, we may:
- decline your application, or
- give you a
or a which waive (remove) the requirements.
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.
Providing police certificates
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.
If you have determined you need police certificates, you will need to provide them with your application.
Use the tool to find out how to get police certificates from different countries.
How to get a police certificate
Police certificates
When you apply for a visa, you may need to provide us with a police certificate to show that you are of good character.About police certificates
Depending on the visa you want, and how long you plan to stay in New Zealand, you may need to provide a police certificate as evidence of your good character.
Police certificates are documents issued by the police or a government agency. They:
- provide information about any criminal record you have
- are based on official records and checks
- are also sometimes called criminal checks, police clearance certificates or penal records.
If we ask you to provide a police certificate, you must:
- make sure the police certificate is less than 6 months old when you submit your visa application
- provide us with a translation, if it is not in English.
Providing English translations supporting documents
Find out how to get a police certificate
- are a citizen of, and
- have lived in for more than 5 years since you turned 17.
- any country you are a citizen of
- any other country where you spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years — even if those 12 months were not all in one stay.
- must provide police certificates, if you are applying for a resident visa
- may be asked to provide police certificates, if you are applying for a temporary visa to work or visit.
Applying for a visitor, student or work visa You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.
Provide police certificates from any country you:
If you are aged 16 or younger, you do not need to provide police certificates.
If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to grant you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements.
Applying for a resident visa You must provide police certificates if you are aged 17 or older.
Provide police certificates from:
Police certificates must show any criminal records you have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years.
If you have a criminal record, we may still be able to give you a visa. You can provide an explanation of your criminal record when you apply, and we will decide if you meet our good character requirements.
Partners supporting your application If you apply for a visa as the partner of a New Zealander or a New Zealand visa holder, your partner is known as the 'supporting partner'.
Your supporting partner must be able to show us they are of good character. They may need to provide police certificates for proof.
If your supporting partner is a New Zealand citizen or has a resident visa, they:
If your partner needs to provide police certificates, the police certificates must be from countries where they have spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years, since they turned 17 — even if the 12 months were not all in one stay.
Police certificates must show any criminal records they have had at any time in any of these countries — not only in the last 10 years.
Note
Your partner does not need to provide a New Zealand police certificate, as we will get one directly from the authorities.
If your supporting partner has a temporary visa to work or study
If your supporting partner has a work or study visa, we may ask your partner to provide police certificates, if you are applying for a temporary visa.
Your partner will not meet our character requirements if they have any convictions for
or sexual offences in the last 7 years, whether in New Zealand or in other countries. If your partner cannot prove good character
If your supporting partner cannot prove they are of good character, we may give them a
. This would mean your partner would still be able to support your visa application. If your partner has any convictions for domestic violence or sexual offences, they cannot support your application.
For all types of visa applications, we still may request police certificates from your partner to make sure they meet our character requirements.
If you have provided police certificates before
You may not need to provide police certificates if you have provided them in a previous visa application. Check the character requirements of the visa you are applying for.
Fingerprinting for police certificates
Some of the authorities that issue police certificates (the police and other government agencies) may require a set of fingerprints when you request a police certificate.
If you do need a set of fingerprints to get a police certificate, check in your region for a fingerprinting service. There are many private businesses who offer fingerprinting services.
If you cannot find a fingerprinting service in your region, you can contact the New Zealand Police to see if they can help. They only offer this service in some regions and on specific days. Contact them to check availability before going to a police station.
Note
Your police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. Allow yourself enough time to get these certificates.
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Step 2: Complete the application form
Complete the application form and attach all supporting documents.
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Step 3: Submit your application and pay the fee
You can take your application to a Visa Application Centre (VAC) or post it to them.
Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for fees and where to submit your application.
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Step 4: Wait for our decision
We will let you know if we need more information to process your application.
We will email you when we make a decision.
Checking your visa application status
Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for timeframes.
If we approve your application, we will give you an eVisa and email you a copy.
Check the 'While your child is in New Zealand' section to find out what they can and cannot do when they come to New Zealand.
How to pay and submit
We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details.
Enter your details so we can show information that is relevant to you.
When your child gets their visa
Your child's visa is valid from:
- the date your child enters New Zealand, if they are outside New Zealand when we approve your application, or
- the date your child gets their visa, if they are already in New Zealand.
They must leave New Zealand before their visa expires.
Note
If they are already in New Zealand, your child must have a valid visa. If their current temporary visa is going to expire while they are waiting for our decision, we will normally give them an Interim Visa to let them stay in New Zealand lawfully.
When your child arrives
Your child, or you if travelling with them, must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. They do this by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.
They can start their digital declaration any time, but the earliest they can submit it is 24 hours before starting their 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 your child meets their entry requirements.
Alert
Your child can be refused entry permission if they:
- do not meet our character requirements
- have had a change in circumstances since we gave them a visa
- refuse to let us take their photo, fingerprints or an iris scan
- cannot provide evidence of any onward travel or the money required to leave New Zealand, if required.
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
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. 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. We can stop you from travelling to New Zealand if: We can stop you travelling to New Zealand or entering the country if you: 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: 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. You cannot come to New Zealand if you do not meet our health and character requirements. For example, you can be refused entry if: You could be refused entry to New Zealand if you:
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.
Why we stop you travelling to or entering New Zealand
Your identity and travel documents
Information you provide to us
Meeting the conditions of your visa
Your character and health
Arriving in New Zealand
While your child is in New Zealand
Your child's visa conditions are recorded in their eVisa.
Travel
If your child is travelling in and out of New Zealand, their visa must have a valid
Check or change the conditions of your visa
Warning
If their visa does not have a multiple-entry travel condition and they leave New Zealand, their visa will expire.
Every time your child travels here, they may be asked for evidence that they will be leaving New Zealand at the end of their stay — unless their visa states 'Return/onward travel not required' or 'The holder of this visa is sponsored'.
Evidence can include:
- a ticket for your child to leave New Zealand at the end of their stay
- proof you have enough money to buy one, or
- agreement that a sponsor or guarantor will pay for one.
Study
School-aged children can study at primary or secondary school.
Note
If your child wishes to study at a
Work
Students studying in year 12 or 13, the last 2 years of secondary school, can work up to 20 hours a week during the school year and full-time in the Christmas and New Year holidays between school years (summer holidays) if they are:
- studying full-time
- have written permission from their school, and parents or legal guardian to work.
Note
Students aged 18 or older do not need permission to work during the summer holidays.
The students are not allowed to be self-employed. They have to work as an employee with an employment agreement and not as an independent contractor.
Students younger than 16 are not allowed to work.
Paying tax
Everyone who has a job in New Zealand pays tax on what they earn. To pay tax, you need an Inland Revenue Department (IRD) number from Inland Revenue — the New Zealand Government department that collects tax.