A parent or grandparent of a New Zealand citizen or resident, can apply for a visa under these instructions.
Note: A partner of a parent or grandparent may be included in the application; however, a dependent child (or children) of the parent or grandparent cannot be included. They must apply in their own right under other visitor visa instructions.
A visitor visa is an endorsement in your passport allowing you to travel to New Zealand. It shows you have permission to travel to New Zealand and the visa may be valid for one journey (single) or for more than one journey (multiple).
When you arrive, for example at a New Zealand airport, an immigration officer will check your visa. If the officer is happy you meet all the conditions stated on the visa, they will grant you entry permission. This gives you permission to be in New Zealand and to stay in accordance with the conditions of your visa.
The multiple visa will generally be valid for three years from the date of issue.
You can stay in New Zealand up to six months on each visit, up to 18 months in total during the visa’s currency.
If you entered New Zealand on a parent and grandparent multiple entry visitor visa and you wish to stay in New Zealand for more than six months on one visit, you will need to apply for a further visa under another temporary visa category.
If you are granted a further visa under another temporary visa category (eg a work or student visa), your ‘parent and grandparent multiple entry visitor visa' will become invalid.
No. You can return to New Zealand at any time during the currency of your multiple entry visa; however, you must not exceed the maximum entitlement of 18 months in New Zealand during the currency of your visa.
No. A further visitor visa under the parent and grandparent multiple entry category will not normally be approved within three years of the date that the most recent visa was granted under these instructions.
No. A person who has been in New Zealand for 12 months as a visitor under a special category (including the parent and grandparent multiple entry category) must remain outside New Zealand for 12 months before a further application for a visitor visa may be approved.
If you have previously breached the conditions of your visa by staying in New Zealand longer than 18 months during the currency of your visa, you will not normally be eligible for a further visa under this category.
No, your previous time in New Zealand is not counted. The 18 in 36 months starts with the parent and grandparent multiple entry visitor visa.
You may be sponsored by:
Your children are too young to sponsor you; however, your children’s New Zealand citizen or resident father may act as your sponsor in this case. Your sponsor will need to provide evidence of his family relationship to your children.
Yes. Your sponsor will need to provide evidence of his or her family relationship to your grandchild.
Your sponsor must provide a completed Sponsorship Form for Visiting New Zealand (NZIS 1025) PDF, in which they guarantee to meet the cost of the following:
In addition, your sponsor must be in New Zealand during the period(s) of your visit(s) to New Zealand.
If your sponsor was not in New Zealand during your visit(s) to New Zealand, you will not normally be eligible for a further visa under this category.
No. Only one person, and his or her partner, can be sponsored at any one time by an individual sponsor.
Yes. You must meet the health requirement for visitors intending to stay in New Zealand for more than 12 months (see Health Requirements Leaflet (NZIS 1121) PDF).
You will not need to provide a police certificate unless you are specifically requested to do so.
You have to apply from outside New Zealand. See our contacts for your closest INZ branch.
The fee is the same as the general visitor visa fee. Our office and fee finder can find this fee for you.
You can find more information here on our website, see:
You can visit your local INZ branch or phone:
