General information

To be granted permanent residence, you need to show us you're committed to living in New Zealand permanently. There are five ways you can show your commitment.

A person who remains in New Zealand after their visa expires becomes unlawfully in New Zealand and is therefore liable for deportation. Liability for deportation can also arise in other situations. In many cases, a person can appeal against their liability, within certain timeframes.

If you are pregnant and apply for a temporary visa to visit, study or work in NZ you must tell us how you will pay for your maternity care while you are here.

You need a RealMe account to apply for a visitor visa online. RealMe is designed to protect your privacy and is a service used by many New Zealand businesses and government departments.

You need permission to travel to and enter New Zealand. Find out what to do if you have not been allowed to travel here or have been refused entry.

You are not allowed to stay after your visa expires. Find out how to avoid being unlawfully in New Zealand and what you can do if you are.

There are 7 Immigration Control Areas (ICAs) where we carry out immigration checks on people arriving in or leaving New Zealand by air.

The conditions of your Interim Visa will depend on the kind of visa you had before we granted your Interim Visa, and the kind of visa you applied for.

Find out if your country is a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

If we decline your application for a temporary visa to visit, work or study in New Zealand, in some circumstances you can ask us to reconsider our decision.

Members of some premium loyalty programmes such as frequent flyer programmes or flight clubs, can benefit from streamlined visitor visa processing.

When individuals or organisations sponsor visa applications they take on significant obligations and responsibilities that are legally binding.

Sponsors under the Refugee Family Support Category must register as either a tier one or tier two sponsor before their family members can be invited to apply for a New Zealand resident visa.

Citizens of some countries do not have to apply for a visa before passing through New Zealand as a transit passenger but must request an NZeTA.

Providing certified English translations of your key supporting documents means we can avoid delays and process your application more quickly.

You can stay in New Zealand on a resident visa indefinitely, but you need travel conditions to leave and return as a resident. If your travel conditions expire before you're eligible to apply for a Permanent Resident Visa, you can apply for a variation of travel conditions, to allow you to leave New Zealand and return as a resident.

You can apply for a variation of conditions if you want to change the conditions of your work, visitor or visitor visa.

Passport holders of some countries and territories do not have to apply for a visa before they travel to NZ but must hold an NZeTA (New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority).