A4.20 Medical and Chest X-ray Certificates: residence class visa applications

1. Applications for residence class visas must include, at the time the application is lodged, evidence that a Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) have been completed (see A4.20(f)) for every person included in the application.

   Note: Pregnant women and children under 11 years of age are not required to have an X-ray examination.

2. The Medical Certificate that may be required with a residence class visa application, includes the:
   1. General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007) which must be provided by all applicants other than those listed in (ii) below, or
   2. Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201) which must be provided by:
      • applicants who are the partner of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder and who meet the requirements of the Partnership Category (see F2.5(a)), and any dependent child(ren) included in their application made under the Partnership Category, unless R5.96 applies; or
      • applicants who are the dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder and who meet the requirements of the Dependent Child Category (see F5.1(a)) unless R5.96 applies; or
      • applicants who have been recognised as having refugee or protection status in New Zealand and are thereby eligible to apply for a permanent resident visa (see S3) and their partner and dependent child(ren), (if any); or
      • applicants who are applying under the Refugee Quota Family Reunification (RQFR) Category (S4.20); or
      • mandated refugees who have been selected as candidates for New Zealand’s Refugee Quota Programme S3.5(a)(i)); or
      • applicants who are applying under the Christchurch Response (2019) Category (S4.30); or
      • applicants for the 2021 Resident Visa Category (S6); or
      • applicants for the Ukraine Resident Visa category (S4.40).

        Note: For the avoidance of doubt, applicants under the Community Organisation Refugee Sponsorship category (S4.25) must provide a General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007).

3. All Medical and Chest X-ray Certificates must have been issued less than three months before the date the application for a residence class visa is made, unless (d) below applies.

   Notes:
   ~ The issue date of a Medical Certificate is the date of the declaration by the examining physician concerning the overall findings of the medical examination, or the date that the Medical Certificate was submitted to Immigration New Zealand if submitted by the physician electronically.
   ~ The issue date of a Chest X-ray Certificate is the date of the declaration by the radiologist, or the date that the Chest X-ray Certificate was submitted to Immigration New Zealand if submitted by the physician electronically.

4. Applicants for a residence class visa may provide a Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate, which was issued more than three months before the date that their application is made, if:
   1. they have provided a Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate with an earlier visa application; and
   2. they were assessed as having an acceptable standard of health based on those certificates; and
   3. those certificates were issued less than 36 months prior to the current application.
5. Despite (d) above:
   1. Applicants who have spent six consecutive months in any one or more countries not listed in A4.25.10 since their previous Chest X-ray Certificate was issued, must provide a Chest X-ray Certificate which is less than three months old with their application.
   2. Applicants who provided a Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201) with a previous visa application but no longer fall within the criteria listed at A4.20(b)(ii), must provide a General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007), which is less than three months old with their application.
   3. Applicants must provide a Chest X-ray Certificate and specified tests, if:
      • they did not provide a Chest X-ray Certificate or specified tests with a Medical Certificate provided in the past 36 months because of their age, or because they were pregnant; and
      • their age would now require them to undertake the specified tests or provide a Chest X-ray Certificate, or they are no longer pregnant.
   4. An immigration officer may require a Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate which is less than three months old, if they consider this is necessary to establish whether the applicant has an acceptable standard of health.
6. Evidence of completion of a Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate includes:
   1. a completed Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate; or
   2. an eMedical reference code (NZER); or
   3. confirmation in the applicant’s visa application form that a physician is directly submitting the applicant’s Medical Certificate and Chest X-ray Certificate to Immigration New Zealand.
7. Despite (a), applicants for a permanent resident visa under the Afghan Emergency Resettlement Category do not need to provide a medical certificate but must provide a chest X-ray Certificate.
8. Where an application has been made through an online system that does not require a Medical Certificate or Chest X-ray to complete the application, an immigration officer may request one, should it be required to determine that the applicant is of an acceptable standard of health.

Note: These instructions do not apply to people applying for a further residence class visa under RV2 or RV4.

Effective 16/03/2024