Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa

This visa allows you to join your partner while they are in New Zealand on a work visa. 

Length of stay
Same duration

As your partner’s work visa

Cost
From
NZD $211
Processing time
80% within
3 months
With this visa you can
  • Join your partner.
  • Explore New Zealand.
  • Study for up to 3 months.
Things to note
  • Some work visa holders are not eligible to support applications for this visa.
  • You can't work in New Zealand on a visitor visa.

Bringing family if you have a work visa

What you need to apply

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

View All Evidence
  • 1 acceptable photo if you apply online, or 2 photos if you use a paper application form.
  • your passport or certificate of identity.

Acceptable photos

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.

Providing your passport for online applications

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.

Tips

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

If you are a citizen of China and you submit a paper application form in China, you must also complete a supplementary form.

Supplementary form for Chinese citizens (INZ 1027) PDF 338KB

If you are submitting a paper application form, you must provide a supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students.

Supplementary form for Hong Kong and Macao visitors, workers and students (INZ 1220) PDF 240KB

Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

Also provide your:

  • Hukou (household registration book)
  • Chinese identity card.

We may ask you to have a chest x-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your good health.

If you are staying less than:

  • 6 months you do not normally need a chest x-ray. 
  • 12 months you do not normally need a medical certificate. 

Who needs an x-ray or medical examination

When we process your application we let you know if we need you to have a chest x-ray or medical examination.

Acceptable standard of health criteria for visa approvals

Please only provide medical certificates if requested

Tips

You must provide a chest x-ray completed in the last 3 months, even if you've provided one to us previously, if:

  • you have spent 6 consecutive months in China since the last x-ray certificate was issued, and
  • you are now coming to NZ for more than 6 months.

If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand we may not be able to grant you a visa.

Good character for temporary visas

You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.

You also must provide police certificates if we ask for them.

If you are 16 years old or younger you do not need to provide police certificates.

Providing police certificates

How to get a police certificate

If you have already sent us Police Certificates with a previous visa application and they are less than 24 months old, you do not need to send them again.

Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. They must be from any country you are a citizen of, or have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

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, and
  • you provided in any previous applications.

Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ

Your partner must provide an original or certified copy of their passport.

Your partner must meet our good character requirements or be granted a character waiver. We may ask your partner to provide a police certificate from any country they have spent 12 months or more in over the last 10 years. This applies whether the time was spent in one or more visits.

Your partner will not meet our character requirements if they have any convictions for domestic violence or sexual offences. If your partner does not meet our character requirements, we will consider whether they are eligible for a character waiver.

Who needs to provide police certificates

Your partner's character

Tips

Your partner won't meet our good character requirements if, in the last 7 years, they have been convicted of any offence:

  • involving domestic violence
  • of a sexual nature.

You must provide evidence that you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.

Your evidence should show:

  • how long you’ve been together
  • how long you’ve been living together
  • that you share finances and other responsibilities
  • that you spend time together, eg photos together, emails and social media conversations between you
  • that other people recognise your relationship
  • anything else you think shows you and your partner are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.

Partnership

We’ll check our records for evidence your partner has an appropriate work visa.

You will not be eligible for this visa, if your partner’s work visa was granted for:

  • for a working holiday
  • to work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE)
  • for the opportunity to look for work as a skilled migrant.

There are some other work visas that will not allow your partner to support your application.

Work visa holder supporting family

If you are paying for yourself

You must have at least NZD $1,000 per month, or NZD $400 per month if you have already paid for your accommodation.

To prove this, you can include:

  • proof of accommodation pre-payment, like hotel pre-paid vouchers or receipts
  • bank statements or credit card statements
  • bank drafts or travellers’ cheques.

We may also ask for information about the source of your money that you will use for travelling.

If you are sponsored

Your sponsor must provide evidence that they meet the criteria, and can look after you while you are in New Zealand.

Criteria to sponsor a visa applicant

What sponsors must do while a visa holder is in New Zealand

Evidence they can provide includes:

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

You must have your sponsor's Sharing ID to complete your online application.

Process to become a sponsor

Tips

If you are pregnant, there are additional requirements.

Paying for maternity care

Evidence can include:

  • your travel ticket
  • confirmation from a travel agency that you’ve booked and paid for travel 
  • proof you have enough money to pay for any travel you’ve booked 
  • a ‘Sponsorship for Temporary Entry’ form completed by your sponsor.

What sponsors must do – responsibilities and obligations

Sponsorship for Temporary Entry (INZ1025) PDF 414KB

To bring your dependent children:

  • you must complete an ‘Additional Dependants for a Visitor Visa’ form
  • you must provide evidence of your relationship with them, like birth certificates or adoption papers
  • you must provide proof of their identity
  • they must be of good character
  • they must be in good health.

Dependent children
Additional Dependants for a Visitor Visa (INZ 1205) PDF 264KB

Tips

We may ask for evidence your children have the right to leave their country of residence, eg custody or guardianship papers.

You should provide copies of identity cards for family members included in your application.

You should provide copies of family members Hukou (household registration book) included in your application.

Process and costs

The information below will help you understand the process, timeframes and costs involved in applying for this visa, so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.

Notes

We cannot display any process or costs information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

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How to submit

Payment methods and receiving centre details if applicable.

Notes

We cannot display any receiving centre or payment method information until you have provided your country details. Enter your country details in the panel above to view information relevant to your situation.

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Conditions

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.

Entry permission

You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing a digital New Zealand traveller declaration (NZTD), or an NZTD paper declaration.

New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity also check that you meet their entry requirements.

Arriving in New Zealand

Notes

You can be refused entry permission if:

  • you do not meet our character requirements
  • your circumstances have changed since you were granted a visa
  • you refuse to let us take your photo or to provide us with your fingerprints or an iris scan, if asked for them
  • you are unable to provide evidence of any onward travel or funds required by the conditions of your visa.

If you are refused entry to New Zealand

Before you travel to New Zealand

Travel

After you arrive, you can travel in and out of New Zealand as many times as you like before your visa expires.

Onward travel

You must have a travel ticket, enough money to buy one, or be sponsored.

Acceptable Sponsors

Notes

Unless your visa label or letter states “Return/onward travel not required” you must have a ticket to leave New Zealand whenever you travel here.

Study

You can study for up to 3 months.

Work

You cannot work in New Zealand on this visa.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

Notes

Visa expiry dates are printed on a visa label or included in a visa letter.