Use our online system to apply for selected visas or check visa details. Get help to use our online services.
We have enhanced Immigration Online. You can still access applications, documents or eVisas in the old system.
If you're a Samoan citizen, we encourage you to register for a ballot to come to New Zealand. If your registration is drawn from the ballot, we may invite you to apply for residence. If you’re granted a resident visa, you’ll be able to work, live, and study in New Zealand indefinitely, while also enjoying our unique lifestyle.
The information below will help you understand the process so you can plan ahead and have the best chance of submitting a complete application.
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.
These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.
You must apply for entry permission when you arrive in New Zealand. You can do this by completing an arrival card, which you are given on the way to New Zealand.
You can be refused entry permission if:
When we grant your visa, you’ll have 3 months to come to New Zealand.
Your partner and dependent children will have 12 months to come to New Zealand.
If you and your family are unable to come to New Zealand by these times, your visa will expire and you’ll have to apply for a new visa.
Your family must have been included in your resident visa application for them to come to New Zealand.
If you want to travel, your visa must be in a valid passport.
If your passport expires, you must apply to transfer your visa to a new passport before you can travel.
Transferring my visa to a new passport
To transfer your visa, you must:
Application for Transfer or Confirmation of a Visa (INZ 1023)
You can travel in and out of New Zealand as often as you like until your travel conditions expire.
To travel after that, you will need to apply for and be granted either:
Your travel conditions will expire 2 years from the date you first arrive in New Zealand as a resident.
If you’re outside of New Zealand when your travel conditions expire, your visa will expire as well.
New Zealand employers have certain obligations they must meet when employing a non New Zealand resident.
You must provide a written employment agreement, which your candidate will need to support their application
For us to grant your candidate a resident visa, they must provide a written employment agreement, which must:
You also need to provide a job description and a covering letter.
You don’t have to check if there are any New Zealanders available to do the work before you offer the job.
If your candidate’s partner also has a job offer, the minimum income requirement can be shared between them, as long as one partner has a full-time job.
