Whether your visa gets approved or denied depends on whether you submit the required documents for the specific New Zealand visa. You must provide the required documents for each visa that New Zealand offers. To avoid the possibility of your visa being rejected, you must gather the documents and submit them when you apply.
What Are the New Zealand Visa Requirements?
To apply for a New Zealand visa, you must prepare the following documents:
- Your passport
- Your photo
- Proof of good health
- Proof of genuine intentions
- Proof of good character
- Healthcare declaration
- Proof of your relationship
- Sufficient financial means
- Return ticket
Your Passport
You must submit your passport as proof of your identity for all New Zealand visas.
- If you apply online, you must upload an electronic copy of your passport. You might be required to send your passport to a Visa Application Center (VAC) after applying online.
- If you complete a paper application, you must submit your original passport or a certified copy. The application might be processed faster if you provide your original passport.
Your passport should be valid for at least three months after the date you intend to leave the country.
If a passport is not available, you must provide a certificate of identity, which is any document issued by the government of a specific country that allows you to travel. A certificate of identity confirms your identity and should be used for traveling only if you cannot provide a passport.
How to Send My Passport to a Visa Application Center?
You will be sent an email after you submit your application if you need to send your physical passport. New Zealand Immigration will also notify you on the acknowledgment page when you complete your online application. Your visa application will be rejected or delayed if you do not send it within the defined time frame.
If you apply from outside New Zealand, you have 20 days to send your passport.
You can use a courier service or postal tracking service to send your passport to your nearest VAC or Immigration New Zealand office.
Your Photo
If you apply for a New Zealand visa, you must provide one photo of your face if you apply online. However, if you apply in person by completing a paper application, you must provide two photos to attach to the form.
The photo must not be older than six months and must meet the requirements for a New Zealand visa photo; otherwise, your visa application will stop being processed. If you apply for NZeTA, your request may be delayed or rejected. You will receive a message after you submit if there is a problem with your photo.
Visa Photo
To make sure that you submit an acceptable photo, it is better to have a professional photographer take your photo. If you apply in person, your photo must be 3.5 cm wide and 4.5 cm high. If you apply online, the photo must be:
- A JPEG or JPG file
- 500 KB to 3 MB
- 900 x 1200 pixels or 2250 x 3000 pixels
NZeTA Photo
The minimum resolution of your camera must be 540 x 720 pixels if you decide to take a photo with your device. The photo you upload when applying for an NZeTA must be:
- Less than 10 MB
- A JPG or JPEG file
Proof of Good Health
To prove that you are in good health, you may be asked to have a chest x-ray or medical examination for a New Zealand visa. You must be healthy or be granted a medical waiver to enter New Zealand. You are considered to be healthy enough if you:
- Do not pose any health danger to the New Zealand population
- Will not cost New Zealand’s health or special education organizations a large amount of money
- Can work or study (if this is the reason for your visa)
If you must submit an x-ray or medical examination, it must be less than three months old. You must use panel physicians that are approved to complete chest x-rays and medical examination forms for New Zealand visa applications. The panel physician sends your medical results electronically using the eMedical system, which is Immigration New Zealand’s online health processing system.
If there isn’t any panel physician in your country, you can:
- Visit a panel physician in a neighboring country to send your results quickly through the eMedical system, or
- Give the medical certificates to any registered, licensed medical practitioner or physician who can complete the medical certificates.
You need to print out the required medical certificates and complete them in English if you don’t have a panel physician in your country:
If you apply for your visa using a paper form, you must state the eMedical reference number to prove you have completed your x-ray or a medical examination.
Do I Need a Chest X-Ray?
Whether you need a chest x-ray depends on the visa you apply for and the length of your stay in New Zealand. If you:
- Will stay less than six months. You don’t need to get a chest x-ray unless you are applying for a Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited visa.
- Will stay six months or more. You must have a chest x-ray if:
- You are a citizen of a country with a high incidence of tuberculosis (TB), or
- You have spent more than three months in the last five years in a country that has a high incidence of TB.
- Will stay for more than one year. You must have an x-ray, no matter your citizenship. If you apply from New Zealand, the time you have already spent there counts toward the 12 months.
- Plan to stay permanently. If you don’t have a resident visa, you must have a chest x-ray, no matter your nationality.
- Apply for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor visa. You must provide a medical certificate and chest x-ray with your application.
- Apply for a Recognized Seasonal Employer Limited visa. If you are from a country with a low incidence of tuberculosis (TB), you do not need to provide a chest x-ray certificate if you are staying in New Zealand for one year or less. If you are from a country that has a low incidence of TB, you must have a chest x-ray no matter your length of stay in New Zealand.
- Apply for a Student visa. You must have an x-ray if you stay for six months and:
- You are from a country with a high incidence of TB
- Have stayed more than three months in the last five years in a country with a high incidence of TB
- Had a chest x-ray for an earlier application. You must send us another x-ray if:
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- It has been more than three years since you had the last one, or
- You have spent more than six months in a row in a country that has a high incidence of TB since you had the last x-ray.
Do I Need a Medical Examination?
You don’t need a medical examination if you will stay in New Zealand for less than a year. You need a medical examination if:
- You will stay for more than one year. The time you have already spent in New Zealand will count towards the 12 months.
- You plan to stay permanently. If you don’t already have a resident visa you must have a medical examination.
- You apply for a Parent and Grandparent visa. If you apply for this visa, you must have a medical examination.
- You are a woman over 45. You may need to have a physical breast examination if your physician will tell you you need one.
- You had a medical examination with an earlier visa application. You need to have another medical examination if:
- It has been more than three years since you had the last one
- You were not assessed as healthy at the time
- We need a different kind of medical certificate from the one you provided
Genuine Intentions
Your intentions to go to New Zealand will be assessed when you apply for a New Zealand visa. You must have lawful reasons to apply for a New Zealand visa. Lawful reasons depend on the type of visa you are applying for:
- Visitor visa. Legal reasons to travel to NZ with a visitor visa include:
- A holiday
- Playing amateur sport
- Getting married
- Staying with family and friends
- Student visa. The main legal reason for a student visa is to study in New Zealand.
- Work visa. The main legal reason for a work visa is to work in New Zealand.
Proof of Your Travel History
You must provide evidence of your travel history by submitting the following documents:
- A copy of your current and older passport.
- You must submit the visa that allows you to live in that country if you live in a country that is not your home country.
- If a country has declined your visa application you must provide a copy of the letter from the country’s immigration authority rejecting your visa application, or a letter explaining why your application was not successful.
Proof of Visiting Friends or Relatives
If you are visiting family members or friends, you must provide their:
- Names
- Contact addresses and phone numbers, and
- Their New Zealand visa or citizenship status.
Proof that You Will Leave New Zealand
To prove that you will return to your home country when your stay ends, you must provide:
- A letter from your employer approving your leave and confirming that you will go back to work.
- A letter or student ID from your school to prove that you are enrolled for study.
- A letter explaining your family ties in your home country.
Healthcare Declaration
You must declare in your visa application that you will pay your own healthcare and medical assistance costs in New Zealand.
Proof of Your Relationship
Certain New Zealand visas allow you to bring dependents. You can include your family as long as they fulfill the requirements. Family members you can bring are:
- Your partner with whom you are in:
- A legal marriage,
- A civil union, or
- A de facto relationship
- Dependent children under the age of 19 who are:
- Not married
- Financially reliant on you, and
- Have no children of their own
Proof of Your Partnership
To prove that you are in a genuine relationship with your partner, you must provide official documents such as:
- Marriage or civil union certificates
- Birth certificates for any children you share
- A joint rental agreement or home loan
- Joint bank accounts
- Evidence you own assets together
- Joint credit cards or hire purchase agreements
- Joint utility accounts (like power or phone bills)
Other evidence could include:
- Cards, letters, emails, and social media conversations
- Photos together, or
- Mail addressed to you together at the same place and time
Proof of the Relationship With Your Children
As proof that you are the parent of the child you bring, you must provide their birth certificates.
Sufficient Financial Means
You must have enough money to support your stay in New Zealand or have an acceptable sponsor. You must have at least NZD $1,000 per month or NZD $400 per month if you’ve already paid for your accommodation. Proof that you meet the financial requirements includes:
- Proof of accommodation prepayment (hotel pre-paid vouchers or receipts)
- Bank statements
- Credit card statements
- Bank drafts
- Travelers’ cheques
- A completed ‘Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry‘ by an acceptable sponsor
If you have a sponsor, they must prove that they can support your stay by providing:
- Recent bank statements
- Pay slips
- Employment agreement
- Accommodation ownership or payment of rent
Maternity Care
If you are pregnant, you must fulfill additional requirements. If you don’t qualify for a temporary visa to visit, work, or study in New Zealand, you must prove that you have:
- At least NZD $9000 to pay your health and medical fees, and
- Extra money for your accommodation, living costs, and returning to your home country
Documents you can submit as proof of payment include:
- Bank statements in your name
- Bank drafts
- Recognized credit cards with enough credit available
- Travelers’ cheques
Return Ticket
You must provide proof that you can leave New Zealand after your stay ends. Do not buy your ticket until you are approved for the visa you applied for. Evidence that you have your onward travel covered are:
- Proof you have enough money to buy a return ticket to your home country
- A completed ‘Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry’ by your sponsor
The person who is sponsoring you must prove that they can support your stay in New Zealand. You must provide:
- Recent bank statements
- Pay slips
- Employment agreement
- Payment of rent or accommodation ownership
If you will return to a country that is not your home country, you must prove that you have a legal right to enter that country.
Police Certificate
Police certificates are official documents that the police or a government agency in your home country issues. A police certificate is also called a criminal check, police clearance certificate, or penal record. Through this certificate, you will be providing information about any criminal record you may have.
Police Certificate For Specific Visas
If you apply for a visitor, student, or work visa, you must provide police certificates if you are:
- Over the age of 17
- Planning to stay for more than 24 months
Provide police certificates from any country you are a citizen of or have lived in for more than five years since you turned 17.
If you apply for a resident visa you must provide police certificates if you are older than 17 from:
- Any country you are a citizen of
- Any other country where you spent a year or more over the last ten years (even if that 12-month period was not all in one visit).
Police certificates must be less than six months old when you submit your visa application.
You don’t need to provide police certificates if:
- You submitted them with an earlier visa application, and
- They were issued in the previous two years
Issues That Can Delay Your Application
A decision about your application for residence can be delayed for six months if:
- There is currently an authorized arrest for you in any country
- The main applicant of your residence under investigation, or
- You are under investigation, wanted for questioning, or charged with a crime for which your application can be denied or you would need a character waiver.
Note: The police certificate you provide must be accompanied by an English translation.
Additional Documents
Depending on the visa you are applying for, you may need to provide additional documents such as:
- For your work visa application.
- For your student visa application.
Documents for Entry Permission
When you enter the New Zealand border, you must apply for entry permission by providing the following documents:
- A Passenger Arrival Card. You will be given an arrival card on the ship or plane before you arrive in New Zealand to complete it before arriving at the border.
- Your passport. You must provide a valid passport or another valid travel document.
- A travel ticket out of New Zealand. You must show that you will travel back to your home country if you are visiting New Zealand on a passport from a visa waiver country or if you were requested when your visa was approved.
Uploaded Documents for New Zealand Visa Applications
The documents you upload for a visa application for New Zealand must be:
- In PDF format
- As single files
- The size the application form requires
Do I Need To Translate My Documents?
You must submit certified English translations of your key additional documents so that your application is not delayed but gets processed quickly. The documents you provide for New Zealand must be in English or translated into English. Translations must be certified and done by the following:
- Translation Service of the Department of Internal Affairs (in New Zealand)
- Esteemed individuals known for carrying out accurate translations
- Embassies or High Commissions
- Any private or official translation business
- Licensed immigration advisers who are:
- reliable within the community,
- known to translate documents correctly, and
- not an advisor for your application
Each translation that you provide must:
- Have a signature or stamp of the translation business or the translator
- Be on the business’s official letterhead
Note: You are required to submit the originals or certified copies of your supporting documents, together with the English translations.