Adoption Pre-citizenship Visitor Visa

Children adopted from other countries can visit before their New Zealand citizenship is confirmed. You must provide their birth certificate and evidence that an adoptive parent is a New Zealand citizen.

Apply online
  • Cost

    From

    NZD $341

  • Processing time

    80% within

    6 weeks

  • Length of stay

    Up to

    6 months

To apply you must:

  • be the child's adoptive parent and a New Zealand citizen
  • have applied for New Zealand citizenship for your adopted child
  • meet the other requirements of this visa.

This visa lets you:

  • bring your adopted child to New Zealand before their New Zealand citizenship is confirmed
  • have your child study for up to 3 months.

There are requirements for health, having enough money to live on, and leaving New Zealand, but we may remove these requirements for the children.

Apply online

Who can apply

Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.

Identity

You must provide proof of the children's identity:

  • 1 acceptable photo if you apply online, or 2 photos if you use a paper application form
  • your passport or

Note

Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.

If you apply online, you must upload a copy of your passport when you apply. We will let you know if you need to send your passport after you have applied.

If you submit a paper application, provide your original passport or a certified copy. We can usually process your application faster if you provide your original passport.

Health

The children must be in good health.

The children may need to have a chest X-ray and/or a medical examination as proof of good health.            

Note

Children under 11 do not need to have an X-ray unless a special report is needed.

We may waive this requirement.

Genuine intentions

You must genuinely intend for the children to meet the conditions of their visas.

When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we consider all the information:

  • you provide to support your application
  • we have about your personal circumstances
  • you provided in any previous applications.

Citizenship of adoptive parents

At least one of the children's adoptive parents must be a New Zealand citizen.

Evidence may include, one of the adoptive parent's:

  • valid New Zealand passport
  • New Zealand birth certificate
  • certificate of New Zealand citizenship.

New Zealand citizenship application

You must have applied for New Zealand citizenship for the children.

You must provide confirmation from the Department of Internal Affairs that there are no obstacles to granting your adoptive children citizenship.

Funds or sponsorship

You must have enough money to support the children while they are in New Zealand or have an acceptable sponsor.

Per child per month: NZD $1,000 or NZD $400 if you have already paid for the children's accommodation.  If so, you will need to provide proof of pre-payment, like hotel receipts.

Evidence of funds can include:

  • bank statements
  • credit card statements
  • bank drafts
  • traveller's cheques
  • a 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry' completed by an acceptable sponsor.

If you are sponsored, your sponsor must provide evidence they can look after you in New Zealand. Evidence can include:

  • recent bank statements
  • pay slips
  • employment agreement
  • accommodation ownership or payment of rent.

Note

We may waive this requirement.

Health care

You must agree to pay for the children's health care costs.

You must declare in your visa application that you will pay the costs of any health care or medical assistance the children receive in New Zealand while on a visitor visa.

Note

We recommend that you have full medical insurance for the children for the length of their visitor visas.

Onward travel

You must have tickets for each of the children to leave New Zealand or enough money to buy them.

Evidence can include:

  • a travel ticket for each of the children
  • proof you have enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand for the children
  • a 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry' completed by an acceptable sponsor.

Note

We may waive this requirement.

English translations

You must provide certified full English translations of any documents that are not in English.

Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.

How to pay and submit

When your child arrives

Entry permission

Your child must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. This is done by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.

Caregivers may complete a declaration on behalf of children or babies they are travelling with.

The digital declaration can be started at any time, but the earliest it can be submitted is 24 hours before travelling to New Zealand.

A paper declaration form is available for travellers who cannot complete it online.

New Zealand Traveller Declaration

New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that your child meets their entry requirements.

Arriving in New Zealand

Alert

Your child can be refused entry permission if they:

  • do not meet our character requirements
  • have had a change in circumstances since we approved their visa
  • refuse to let us take their photo, fingerprints or an iris scan.

While your child is in New Zealand

These are the conditions that must be met once your child has their visa. Your child's visa conditions are recorded in their eVisa.

Travel

If the children want to travel in and out of New Zealand, they must have valid to return to New Zealand.

Note

If you want multiple entry travel conditions for the children, you must apply for them. To be eligible, the children must not have been in New Zealand for more than 9 months in the last 18 months.

If the children are outside New Zealand when their travel conditions expire, their visa will expire as well.

Onward travel

You must have tickets for each of the children to leave New Zealand or enough money to buy each child a ticket.

Note

We may waive this requirement.

Funds or sponsorship

You must have enough money to support the children while they are in New Zealand, or the children must have a sponsor. 

Note

We may waive this requirement.

Study

The child may study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period.

Note

School-aged children can study for up to 3 months in any calendar year. Children studying for more than 2 weeks must attend a school that is signatory to the 'Code of Pastoral Care for International Students'.

Code of Pastoral Care for International Students — New Zealand Qualifications Authority

Work

The child cannot work in New Zealand on a visitor visa.

Visa expiry

The children must leave New Zealand before their visas expire.

Note

Your children may be granted further visas to allow them to stay in New Zealand while the Department of Internal Affairs assesses their citizenship applications. 

Further visas are granted for a maximum of 12 months at a time.