Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa

You must be in a genuine and stable relationship with a New Zealand citizen or resident and normally have been living together for at least 12 months when you apply. Your partner formally supports the application and must meet INZ's partner-support rules, and you must meet health and character requirements. Marriage, civil unions, and de facto (unmarried) partnerships are all treated the same - what INZ assesses is the living-together evidence, not the label.

A New Zealand citizen or resident; a partner whose residence flows from Australian citizenship or residence must be living in New Zealand. The supporting partner must not have supported another partner's resident visa application within the past 5 years, or in more than one successful application in total, and must meet character requirements - including having no convictions for serious criminal or sexual offences.

INZ lists the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa from NZD 5,360. If you take the common interim step of a Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa first, that costs a further NZD 1,630. Medical examinations, police certificates, and document translations sit on top of the government fees.

INZ currently reports an average wait of about 5.5 months, with 80% of applications decided within 7 months. Strong, well-organised relationship evidence is the biggest factor in landing on the faster side of that range, because requests for further evidence add months.

For the resident visa, yes - INZ expects at least 12 months of living together in a genuine and stable relationship when you apply, and being married does not waive it. Couples with less time together usually apply for the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa first: with under 12 months of living together it is granted for 1 year, extendable up to 3 years in total, while your shared evidence builds.

Yes. New Zealand recognises de facto (unmarried) partnerships, same-sex relationships, and civil unions for immigration purposes. For the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa, you must show that you and your partner have been living together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months when you apply.

Yes. The Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa (from NZD 1,630, 80% processed within 5 weeks) lets you live and work in New Zealand in almost any job while the residence application is prepared or processed. If you have lived with your partner for 12 months or more, it is granted for up to 3 years.

The 2021 Resident Visa was a one-off route for people who were in New Zealand on 29 September 2021, and it closed to new applications on 31 July 2022. If your partner holds residence through the 2021 Resident Visa, you now apply under the standard partnership routes - the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa for residence, or the partner work visa as an interim step - with your partner acting as your supporting partner.

You can live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely. The visa carries travel conditions for 2 years from when you first arrive as a resident (or from grant, if you are already in New Zealand) - after that you need a Permanent Resident Visa or extended travel conditions to keep re-entering. After holding the resident visa for 2 years in a row, you can apply for the Permanent Resident Visa, which never expires.

Generally not within a five-year window. The NZ partner sponsor must not have sponsored another partner in the past 5 years unless exceptional circumstances apply, and having already supported a partner visa within 5 years is a common blocker. Confirm your sponsor's situation with Immigration New Zealand before applying.

Immigration New Zealand currently lists the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa fee from NZD 5,360. Verify the current amount on the Immigration New Zealand website before applying.

Typical evidence includes a marriage certificate, civil union certificate, or evidence of a de facto relationship, plus joint bank accounts, shared tenancy or assets, communication history if you have been apart, and proof of your sponsor's NZ citizenship or residence status. Immigration New Zealand confirms what satisfies the genuine and stable relationship test.