Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa

Visa details

If you have recently married a New Zealand citizen in a traditional arranged marriage, or want to marry in New Zealand, you can get a 3 month visitor visa to begin living with your partner.

Length of stay
Up to

3 months

Cost
From
NZD $211
Processing time
90% within
76 days
With this visa you can
  • Come to New Zealand to get married.
  • Come to New Zealand after getting married overseas.
  • Apply for a partnership visa once you live with your partner in New Zealand.
Things to note
  • The marriage must be arranged by someone other than you or your partner (like a family member or a matchmaker) and follow an identified cultural tradition.
  • If you come to get married in New Zealand your wedding must be within 3 months of arriving.
  • If you get married outside New Zealand you must apply for your visa within 3 months of your wedding.

Who can apply

The criteria and evidence below will provide you with the information you need to provide to meet the requirements of this visa.

View All Evidence

Identity

You must provide proof of your identity

  • 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 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.

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've applied.

Sending your passport for online applications

Tips

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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. Also provide your:

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

  5. Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

Character

You must be of good character

You may need to provide police certificates as proof of your good character.

If you are aged 17 or older and plan to stay in New Zealand for more than 24 months (including any time you have already spent in New Zealand), you must provide police certificates from:

  • any country you are a citizen of
  • any country you have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

You do not need to provide police certificates if:

  • you have provided them to us with an earlier visa application, and
  • they were issued in the previous 24 months.

Good character

How to get a police certificate

Genuine intentions

You must genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa

When we decide if your intentions are genuine (bona fide), 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

Evidence that you are a genuine visitor

Tips

  1. Our assessment will consider your intentions for coming to New Zealand, including whether your marriage is genuine and is intended to be long-term and exclusive. 

Culturally arranged marriage

Your marriage must be arranged by someone other than you or your partner and follow an identified cultural tradition

Evidence your marriage follows an identified cultural tradition may include:

  • records of any communication between the parents of the couple and any other person acting as a go-between or matchmaker
  • documents indicating that the arrangement or ceremony is publicly recognised
  • confirmation from a independent source that the arrangement or ceremony is part of the couple’s cultural customs
  • a written account of how the marriage was arranged
  • any other documents that show your marriage is culturally arranged.
Tips

  1. Arrangements for your marriage, including facilitating the selection of who will get married, must be made by someone other than you or your partner.

Legal impediment

Your marriage must have no legal impediments

Legal impediments include, if:

  • you, or your partner is already married to someone else
  • you and your partner are close relatives.

We’ll ask you about your marital status and relationship to your partner when you fill in your application.

Recognition of partnership

Your partnership must meet the requirements

You and your partner must be 18 or over when you apply. If either of you are 16 or 17, you must have your parents’ or guardians’ support.

You must have met each other before you apply.

Your partner’s immigration status

Your partner must be a New Zealand citizen or resident

Your partner must provide one of the following:

  • a New Zealand passport
  • a New Zealand birth certificate
  • a certificate of New Zealand citizenship
  • a New Zealand residence class visa.

If your partner is a New Zealand resident because of their citizenship or residence status in Australia, they may provide their Australian passport, permanent residence or resident return visa.

Your partner’s character

Your partner must be of good character

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

Eligible NZ supporting partner

Your partner must support your application and be eligible to support a partnership-based residence application later

To be eligible to support a partnership based resident visa application, your partner must not:

  • have supported a successful resident visa application for more than one previous partner
  • have supported a successful resident visa application for a previous partner within the last 5 years
  • have included a previous partner in their own successful residence application, within the last 5 years
  • have themselves been included as a partner in a successful residence application, within the last 5 years
  • be liable for deportation, or have their deportation liability suspended.
Applying online

Your partner must give you their sharing ID and complete an online form to support your application.

Getting your partner to support your online visa application

Applying on paper

Your partner must complete a ‘Form for Partners Supporting Partnership-Based Temporary Entry Applications'.

Form for Partners Supporting Partnership-Based Temporary Entry Applications (INZ 1146) PDF 412KB

Tips

  1. You can read more about residence in the 'Self-Assessment Guide for Residence in New Zealand'.

    Self-Assessment Guide for Residence in New Zealand (INZ 1003) PDF 320KB

Funds or sponsorship

You must have enough money to live on while you’re in New Zealand or have an acceptable sponsor

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

Evidence can include:

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

Criteria and process to become a sponsor

What sponsors must do while you are in New Zealand

Tips

  1. If you are pregnant, there are additional requirements.

    Paying for maternity care

Onward travel

You must have a ticket to leave New Zealand or enough funds to purchase one, or be sponsored for the cost of your onward travel.

Evidence can include:

  • proof you have enough money to buy a ticket out of New Zealand, in addition to the funds you have to live on — do not buy your ticket until your visa has been granted or we tell you that your application is approved in principle
  • 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.

What sponsors must do – responsibilities and obligations

Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry (INZ 1025) PDF 414KB

Bring children

You may be able to bring dependent children with you

To bring dependent children with you, you must complete the ‘Additional Dependants for a Visitor Visa’ form and provide evidence:

  • your children are in good health
  • you are your children’s parent or legal guardian
  • of your children’s identity
  • of your relationship to your children.

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

Tips

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

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

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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 an arrival card, which you are given on the way to New Zealand.

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

If travelling in and out of New Zealand, a valid multiple entry travel condition is needed to return to New Zealand.

Changing the conditions of a visitor visa

Notes

  • If applying from inside New Zealand, we will normally give multiple entry travel conditions when we grant a visa.

    If there are no multiple entry travel conditions and you leave New Zealand the visa will expire.

    The travel conditions will be listed on the visa label or in a visa letter.

Onward travel

Unless your visa label or letter says “Return/onward travel not required”, you must have either of the following:

  • a travel ticket to a country you can enter
  • an acceptable sponsor who can pay for your travel ticket out of New Zealand to a country you can enter.

What sponsors must do – responsibilities and obligations

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.