Victims of Family Violence Resident Visa
You can apply for this visa if you have experienced family violence and have been in a partnership with a New Zealand citizen or resident. It allows you to live and work in New Zealand permanently.
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Length of stay
Live, work and study
indefinitely
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Cost
NZD $0
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Processing time
80% within
9 months
To apply you must:
- have been in a partnership with a New Zealand citizen or resident, which has ended
- be a victim of family violence by a family member or someone close to you, who you were living with in a family relationship
- be unable to return to your home country
- be able to provide evidence of the abuse
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- live, work and study in New Zealand
- travel in and out of New Zealand until your travel conditions expire, 2 years from when you first arrive as a resident.
You can include dependent children, aged 24 and younger, in your visa application.
How long you can stay
A Victims of Family Violence Resident Visa lets you stay in New Zealand indefinitely.
Who can apply
Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.
Identity
As proof of your identity, you must provide:
- 2 acceptable photos of your head and shoulders
- your original or a
of your passport or - your original or a certified copy of your full
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
Note
You can provide either your original passport or a certified copy when you submit your application. If you provide a certified copy, we may request your original passport to complete your application.
Health
You must be in good health.
You must have a chest X-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.
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
Character
You must be of good character.
If you, or anyone else included in your application, is aged 17 or older, you must provide a police certificate from:
- all the countries you are a citizen of, and
- any other country you have stayed in for 12 months or more over the last 10 years, even if it was not all in the same stay.
How to get a police certificate
Anyone applying for a New Zealand visa must meet the character requirements. When you apply, you must tell us about any issues or activities, both current and in your past, that could affect our decision, including whether you have been: If there is an issue, we may: You can request a character waiver or special direction when you apply. If your request is approved, we can give you a visa if your application meets all other requirements. Visas are given by special direction only in rare circumstances. You may need to provide us with police certificates to show your good character. Whether you need to give these certificates depends on how long you plan to stay in New Zealand and the visa you are applying for.
Character requirements for New Zealand visas
To be given a New Zealand visa, you must be of good character. If you have a criminal history, have provided false or misleading information, or could be a risk to New Zealand, we can decline your application.
Being of good character
Providing police certificates
Note
Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you apply for residence.
If police certificates are not available from your home country, you must provide a separate
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- detail your attempts to obtain a police certificate
- say whether you and any accompanying family members have been found guilty of offences against the law of your home country
- be supported by other information confirming your character.
Family violence
You must be a victim of family violence.
You must provide specific evidence that you have experienced family violence.
This is a complaint made by you or someone else to the New Zealand Police where the Police have accepted that you or your dependent child has faced family violence. This is a Final Protection Order against the New Zealand partner or person you were living in a family relationship with. Note You automatically get a final Protection Order after: This is a New Zealand police conviction for family violence committed against you or your dependent child by: This is a written document completed in front of an authorised witness. You must provide 3 statutory declarations saying you are a victim of family violence. These include: When making your own statutory declaration, you can use a form or write it yourself. Making a statutory declaration – Govt.nz When you use professionals to make statutory declarations: Who can make statutory declarations for victims of family violence visas
Evidence of family violence for victims of family violence visas
You can provide any of these types of evidence to show you are a family violence victim when you apply for a victim of family violence visa.
Police complaint
Final Protection Order
Police conviction
Statutory Declaration
Making your own statutory declaration
Getting statutory declarations from professionals
We recognise family violence as any abuse towards you by someone you live with, who is family or close to you, that may: Abuse can be an isolated event or a pattern of behaviour. It can be physical, sexual or psychological. It can include: You can get help from the police, government and community organisations if you or someone you know is experiencing family violence. Services and support for family violence | New Zealand Government To be eligible to apply for the victims of family violence visas, you must have: To be eligible for this visa, your partner must have been a New Zealand citizen or resident, or you must hold a partnership-based visa with another temporary migrant. You can apply for the victims of family violence visas even if your partner was not the person abusing you. You can apply for the Victims of Family Violence Work Visa if your partner was a New Zealand citizen or resident, or you hold a partnership-based visa with a temporary migrant. Victims of Family Violence Work Visa You can apply for the Victims of Family Violence Residence Visa if your partner was a New Zealand citizen or resident.
Check if you qualify for a family violence visa
You may be able to apply for a visa to work or live in New Zealand if you have been affected by family violence.
How we define family violence
Types of abuse
You must have been living in a family relationship with the abuser
Eligibility
Visas you can apply for
Victims of Family Violence Work Visa
Victims of Family Violence Resident Visa
Your relationship with a New Zealand partner
You must have been in a partnership with a New Zealand citizen or resident, which has ended.
If your partnership with a New Zealand citizen or resident has not previously been assessed by us, you may be required to provide evidence of your relationship. You can find more details of how we assess relationships and evidence examples on our partnership page.
We define partnership as 2 people, who live together in a
You must be able to show us that you and your partner are living together in a
Living together means sharing the same home as your partner. This does not include: Evidence showing you are living together can include: For some partnership applications – such as a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa – evidence of living together must cover a period of 12 months prior to the application being submitted. Make sure you check the category you are applying under to see if we need this from you. You can provide us with items showing your shared address, dated every few months, to cover the full duration. These items can be addressed to you both jointly — or individually — as long as we can see that you have both been at the same address for the same period of time. Evidence of having a genuine and stable relationship needs to show that: Evidence can include: The way we want to receive this evidence depends on how you are applying. If you apply by paper for a residence visa, we must receive originals or certified copies. You can send electronically issued documents as we regard those as originals. If you apply online, we accept scanned images — so you do not need to send us originals or certified copies. You and your supporting partner must: When you apply for a visa based on your partnership with a New Zealand visa holder or New Zealand citizen, we call that person your supporting partner. Character requirements for New Zealand visas See also the requirements for supporting partners in the 'Eligible NZ supporting partner' and 'Your partner's' sections for these visas: When we assess your visa application, we consider things like: We will also look at your living and financial arrangements, including: If you and your partner have spent time living apart, you should provide information about your separation, including: We will use the information you provide to assess whether you and your partner have genuine and compelling reasons to have stayed apart. Note If you and your partner are coming together through a culturally arranged marriage, the rules are different.
Partnership and how to prove it
If you are applying for a visa based on your partnership, find out how we define partnership and what evidence you can provide to show your relationship is genuine.
How we define partnership
Providing evidence of your partnership
Living together
Having a genuine and stable relationship
How to supply this evidence
Applying by paper
Applying online
Minimum requirements
Supporting partners
How we assess partnership
If you have not always lived together
Family relationship with the abuser
Your abuser must be a family member or someone close to you, and they must have been living with you.
You need to provide evidence showing that:
- the abuser is a family member or someone close to you, and
- you lived at the same address.
Evidence can include:
- a confirmation from the New Zealand Police
- a statutory declaration by an authorised professional
- a statutory declaration from you
- any other evidence.
You can get statutory declarations from:
Who can make statutory declarations for victims of family violence visas
Only certain professionals can give you a statutory declaration for a victims of family violence visa.
Professionals who can make statutory declarations
Returning to your home country
You must be unable to return to your home country.
You must provide evidence you are unable to return to your home country because:
- you would have no independent financial support from employment or other sources, or
- you might be abused or excluded from your community.
Evidence could include:
- information about your employment and education history
- the way your home community treats separated, single, or divorced people.
Dependent children
Your children must be single and 24 or under.
For us to consider your children dependent, they must be single and either:
- 17 or younger, or
- 18-24 with no children of their own.
We will ask you to sign a declaration that your children are single when you complete your residence application.
We will use the documents you provide as proof of your children’s identity to confirm their age.
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
How to pay and submit
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While you are in New Zealand
These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa. Your visa conditions are recorded in your eVisa.
Travel
You can travel in and out of New Zealand as often as you like until your travel conditions expire, 2 years from the date you first arrive in New Zealand as a resident.
Alert
If you are outside New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well.
To travel in and out of New Zealand after your travel conditions expire, you need to apply for:
- a variation to your travel conditions, or
- a Permanent Resident Visa.
Check or change your visa conditions
Becoming a permanent resident of New Zealand
Note
Your travel conditions will expire 2 years from the date you first arrive in New Zealand as a resident. Your visa label and approval letter will detail the date that your travel conditions expire.
If you are outside of New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well.
Keep your visa in a valid passport
If you want to travel, your visa must be in a valid passport.
If your passport expires, you must apply to transfer your visa to a new passport before you can travel.
Work
You can work in any occupation for any employer in New Zealand.
Study
You can study in New Zealand.