Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa
If you’re the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident, you can apply to live in New Zealand permanently. If you’re granted residence, you can live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely.
Indefinitely |
- Live, work, and study in New Zealand.
- Include dependent children, aged 24 and under, in your visa application.
- If your partner’s New Zealand residence is based on their Australian citizenship, Australian permanent residence or resident return visa, you can only apply for this visa if your partner lives in New Zealand.
- If your partner is a New Zealand citizen and the two of you have been living together outside of New Zealand for 5 years or more, you may be granted a permanent resident visa. Your partner will need to be either overseas when you apply, or have been back in New Zealand for less than 3 months.
Your partner must be a New Zealand citizen or resident
Your partner must provide one of the following:
- a New Zealand passport
- a New Zealand birth certificate
- a certificate of New Zealand citizenship
- a New Zealand residence class visa.
If your partner is a New Zealand resident because of their citizenship or residence status in Australia, they may provide their Australian passport, permanent residence or resident return visa
Partners who have New Zealand residence because they have an Australian passport, permanent residence or resident return visa, must live in New Zealand
If this applies, your partner must provide evidence that they live in New Zealand, this could include:
- letters or bills addressed to them
- employment records
- records of benefit payments from Work and Income, or tax records from Inland Revenue
- mortgage, tenancy or utility supply agreements
- documents showing their household effects have been moved to New Zealand
- any other documents you think prove they live in New Zealand.
Your partner must be of good character
Your partner must be eligible to support your application
To be eligible to support your resident visa application your partner must not:
- have supported a successful residence application for more than one previous partner
- have supported a successful residence application for a previous partner in the last 5 years
- have included a previous partner in a successful residence application in the last 5 years
- have been included as a partner in a successful residence application in the last 5 years
- be liable for deportation, or have their deportation liability suspended.
Your partner must complete a ‘Partnership support form for Residence/temporary entry’ as evidence of their support’.
You can read more about residence in the ‘Self-Assessment Guide for Residence in New Zealand’.
You and your partner must have been living together in a genuine and stable relationship for 12 months or more
You must provide evidence that you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.
Your evidence should show:
- how long you’ve been together
- how long you’ve been living together
- that you share finances and other responsibilities
- that you spend time together, eg photos together, emails and social media conversations between you
- that other people recognise your relationship
- anything else you think shows you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.
Immigration costs
NZD ($) 2,250
This is the fee for Immigration New Zealand to process your application.An immigration levy is payable and is included in the total amount above.
Timeframes (Processing)
90% of applications are currently completed within this time. Timeframes are in calendar days.
