Check or change your visitor visa conditions
Visitor visas come with conditions or rules about studying, working, and travelling. Find out how to check your conditions and apply to change them.
Checking your visitor visa conditions
Your visitor visa comes with conditions on it. Conditions tell you what you can and cannot do on your visa.
You can find your visa conditions:
- in your
- on the visa label in your passport, if you have a label
- in the letter we sent you when we gave you the visa
- online using the Visa Verification Service.
To change any of your visa conditions, you will need to apply for a
If you cannot change your visa conditions, you will need to apply for a new visa.
Note
Changing the conditions of your visa will not change its expiry date.
If you arrived with an NZeTA
If you are from Australia or a
- a ticket to leave New Zealand to a
- enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand, or
- an acceptable sponsor who can pay for your ticket out of New Zealand.
The following are some common conditions of visitor visas.
Visa expiry date
The last day you can stay in New Zealand on your visa.
Return/onward travel not required
Unless your visa states 'Return/onward travel not required', you must have:
Travel conditions
Number of entries
If your visa states you have '
If you have a 'Single entry' condition on your visitor visa and you leave New Zealand, your visa will expire.
Expiry date travel
The last day you can enter New Zealand on this visa.
Your visa will expire if you are outside New Zealand and your 'Expiry date travel' has passed.
Study conditions
Some visas allow you to study for a set amount of time. For example, visitor visas normally let you study for up to 3 months in a year.
If your visa allows you to study, you must only study under the conditions specified in your visa.
If you are in New Zealand and want to stay past the date your visa expires, you cannot extend your visa — instead, you must apply for another temporary visa to visit, study or work before your current one expires.
To apply for another temporary visa while you are in New Zealand, you must have a current visa that is not a limited visa, Interim Visa or Transit Visa.
You should apply for another visa at least 1 month before your current visa's expiry date.
How long it takes to process an application
If your current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for our decision, we will normally issue you an Interim Visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully. The conditions on an Interim Visa depend on the visa you previously had and the new visa you have applied for.
Warning
You must have a current New Zealand visa to be in New Zealand lawfully. If your visa expires and you are still in New Zealand without a new visa or an Interim Visa, you will be here unlawfully and may be deported.
Conditions you can change
You can apply for a
- study part-time for longer than 3 months
- do seasonal work in the
or , such as fruit picking - work up to 20 hours per week, if you are a dependent child included in a 2021 Resident Visa application, or
- change how often you can travel to another country and return to New Zealand before your visa expires
- work up to 20 hours a week during the school year for a high school leaver who is waiting for our decision on a family residence visa.
Note
If you want to stay longer you need to apply for a new visa.
- are included in a 2021 Resident Visa application as a dependent child
- are 18 years or older, and
- have left school.
- 20 hours a week between 1 February and 30 November, and
- 40 hours a week between 1 December and 31 January.
- be waiting for our decision on your Dependent Child Resident Visa application
- be aged 17 to 24 — if you are 17, you will need evidence that you completed high school, and
- have a current Child of a New Zealander Visitor Visa.
- Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa
- Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa
- Straight to Residence Visa
- Work to Residence Visa
- Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa
- Transport Sector Work to Residence Visa.
- be aged 17 to 24 — if you are 17 you will need evidence that you completed high school, and
- currently have a Child of a Worker Visitor Visa, or you can have a general Visitor Visa if you previously had a visitor visa or student visa as a dependent child.
You can study part-time for up to 3 months without varying your visitor visa.
If you want to study part-time for more than 3 months for 1 course or consecutive courses, you can apply for a variation of conditions.
If you want to study full-time, apply for a student visa.
Seasonal work includes planting, maintaining, harvesting and packing crops in the
You can apply for a variation of conditions to do seasonal work if the Ministry of Social Development declares a seasonal labour shortage in a region of New Zealand. Seasonal labour shortages are usually in the autumn — New Zealand's harvest season. They are announced in our 'News and notifications' section.
The maximum time you can work doing seasonal work is 6 weeks. You can only apply for a variation of conditions once on each visit to New Zealand.
You can apply for a variation of conditions to work up to 20 hours a week if you:
To travel in and out of New Zealand more than once, your visa must have a
If your visa has a single-entry travel condition, you can apply to change it to a multiple-entry travel condition. You must explain why you need this condition when you apply for a variation of conditions.
If you do not have a multiple-entry travel condition on your visa, you visa will expire when you leave New Zealand.
If you have left school and are waiting for our decision on a family residence application, you can apply to change the conditions of your current visitor visa so you can work up to:
You must meet the following requirements to apply.
Requirements to work if your parent is a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
If you are a dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident and you want to change your visitor visa conditions to allow work, you must:
Working part-time if you are a dependent child waiting for a residence visa
Requirements to work if your parent has a work visa
If you have a visitor visa as a dependent child of a parent with a work visa and you want to change your conditions to allow work, you must meet the following requirements.
Your family must be waiting for our decision on 1 of the following resident visas where you have been included as a dependent child:
You must also:
Working part-time if you are a dependent child waiting for a residence visa
If you have a Guardian of a Student Visitor Visa, you can apply for a variation of conditions to work part-time, study or go home in an emergency.
How to apply for a variation of conditions
If you applied for a visitor visa online you can normally apply for a variation of conditions online.
-
1
Step 1: Check your approval letter
The approval letter we sent you will tell you if you can apply online and how to apply.
-
2
Step 2: Submit your application and pay the fee
Apply online
If you can apply online, you will need to log in to your account or set up an account if you do not have one already.
You can then fill in your application, upload your documents and pay the applicable fees.
Apply on paper
If you apply on paper, complete the form and attach all supporting documents.
Use the tool on the page 'Fees, decisions times and where to apply' to find out how much it costs to apply for a variation of conditions, where to submit your application, and how long a decision will take.
Fees, decision times and where to apply
Note
Type in 'variation of conditions' to start your search when using the tool.
-
3
Step 3: Wait for our decision
Before we approve your application, we check that:
- the new conditions you are asking for align with the reason your visa was originally given
- you have met the conditions of your current visa, and
- you still intend to visit New Zealand and meet the rest of the conditions of your visa.
Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in New Zealand
Before you can get a visa or enter New Zealand to visit, work or study, we check that your reasons for coming here are genuine.What it means to have 'genuine intentions'
When you travel to New Zealand on a temporary visa, your intentions must be genuine. This means that you:
- plan to stay in New Zealand temporarily
- are coming for the reason you gave in your visa application or New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD)
- will comply with the conditions of your visa
- will not stay in New Zealand without a valid visa, and
- have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.
We use all the information we have, including the information you give us in your application, to confirm that you have genuine intentions.
Alert
You must answer truthfully when you complete your visa application or NZTD.
Visitor visas
If you are travelling on a visitor visa or visiting from a
, your reasons for coming to New Zealand can include, but are not limited to: - a holiday
- staying with family and friends
- playing amateur sport
- getting married.
If you have a visitor visa for a specific reason, you must be coming to New Zealand for that reason. For example, if you have a Medical Treatment Visitor Visa, your reason for visiting must be getting medical treatment.
Student visas
If you are travelling on a student visa, you must have genuine intentions to study in New Zealand.
You can only work if the conditions of your student visa allow you to.
Work visas
If you are travelling to New Zealand to work, you must have a visa that will allow you to.
Unless your visa allows you to work in any job, you must plan to work in the job, for the employer, and in the location specified in your visa.
Evidence to show you have genuine intentions
You may be asked to provide evidence of your genuine intentions:
- when you apply for a visa
- when we process your visa application
- before you board your flight or cruise
- when you arrive in New Zealand.
Here are some examples of evidence to show that you have genuine intentions in coming to New Zealand.
Evidence of your travel history
To show your travel history, you could show a copy of your current and recent passports, including:
- the photo page, and
- all pages with visa records, and entry and exit stamps.
If you live in a different country to your citizenship
If you live in a country that is not your country of citizenship, provide a copy of the visa allowing you to live in that country.
Declined visa applications
If you have ever had a visa application declined by any other country, provide:
- a copy of the letter from that country's immigration authority declining your application, or
- a letter explaining why your application was not successful, if the original letter is not available.
Evidence you are visiting family or friends
If you plan to visit family or friends in New Zealand, provide their:
- names
- contact addresses and phone numbers, and
- their New Zealand visa or citizenship status.
Evidence of your travel plans
Evidence of your travel plans while in New Zealand could include copies of:
- hotel and accommodation bookings
- attraction bookings
- transportation bookings.
You may also need to show that you have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay. This evidence could include:
- a ticket for travel out of New Zealand to a country you have the right to enter
- documents such as bank or credit card statements that show you, or your sponsor, have enough money to buy a ticket.
Evidence of your study plans
If you are applying for a student visa, you could provide evidence that you have:
- been offered a place in an approved programme of study with a New Zealand education provider, or confirmation of enrolment
- paid, or will pay, your tuition fees.
If you do not need to pay tuition fees, or if you can pay by instalment — where you make smaller payments over a period of time — you must provide confirmation from your education provider.
You can also write a cover letter or statement of purpose explaining why you want to study in New Zealand. This will help us decide if you are a genuine student. If you are using an education agent or licensed immigration adviser, they cannot write the letter for you.
Examples of things you could write about in your letter or statement include:
- what your study plans are and why you have chosen this course
- what you want to do after you finish studying, for example applying for a different visa or returning to your home country
- how you are paying for your study
- any gaps in your recent education or work history.
If you plan to apply for another visa — for example, a work visa — after you finish your studies, include this in your cover letter or statement of purpose.
Evidence of your work plans
To show that you have genuine intentions to work, you will in most cases need to provide:
- a written offer of employment
- a copy of your qualifications
- evidence of your occupational status or registration
- other information about the work you will be doing.
Evidence you have enough money
If your visa requires you to have enough money to live on during your stay, you will need to provide evidence. This could include:
- bank statements or credit card statements
- bank drafts or traveller's cheques
- proof of accommodation pre-payment, such as hotel pre-paid vouchers or receipts
- a statement from a sponsor or guarantor.
Evidence of your home country circumstances
Depending on your situation, you may need to provide:
- evidence of your employment in your home country — for example:
- a letter from your employer approving your leave and confirming you will return to work, and
- financial evidence of your employment
- evidence showing you are a student in your home country — such as a letter or student identity card from your school or education provider
evidence of your relationships with close relatives in your home country - evidence of assets you own in your home country — such as your home or a business
- a retirement certificate or evidence you receive a pension.
Providing good-quality evidence
We consider each application based on the information and evidence we receive. If you do not provide enough evidence, it may take us longer to process your application, or we may decline your application.
You must provide genuine evidence. If you or your agent provide evidence that is false or misleading, we may also decline your application.
False, misleading or withheld information in visa applications
Check the translation requirements for the visa you are applying for. All non-English documents must be translated when you apply for visitor and resident visas.
Providing English translations of supporting documents
If you are applying online, make sure your evidence is in an acceptable file format.
How we decide if your intentions are genuine
To decide if your intentions are genuine, we look at:
- information and evidence you provide with your visa application
- information you provide in your New Zealand Traveller Declaration when you arrive
- any information we have about your personal circumstances
- any information we have about your previous applications.
Evidence you provide with your application
We look at evidence you provide with your application to check that it:
- shows you meet all the criteria for the visa you are applying for, and
- supports your reasons for spending time in New Zealand.
Your personal circumstances
When we consider information about your personal circumstances, we look at:
- the strength of family relationships you may have in your home country or in New Zealand
- any personal, financial, work or other commitments you may have in your home country or New Zealand
- any circumstances showing you may not be able to return to your home country.
Your previous applications
We also look at information from your previous applications and travel to New Zealand. This can show us if you have:
- stayed in New Zealand after your visa expired
- breached your visa conditions
- have a family member who is in New Zealand without a visa.
If we decide your intentions are not genuine
We might not give you a visa or allow you to enter New Zealand if we:
- do not believe your intentions are genuine
- believe you gave false or misleading information or withheld relevant information.
We will let you know when we make a decision.
How long it takes to process an application
We may need more information from you before we can fully approve your application. We will contact you and let you know what we need.
When we fully approve your application, we will give you an updated eVisa.
Note
The changes to your visa do not start until we fully approve your application and give you an updated eVisa.