Child of a New Zealander Visitor Visa

This visa allows your dependent children to visit you in New Zealand for up to 9 months. You must be a New Zealand citizen or resident.

Length of stay

9 months

Cost
From
NZD $341
Processing time
80% within
4 weeks
With this visa you can
  • Have your children join you in New Zealand.
  • Send your children to school in New Zealand for up to 3 months.
  • Allow your children to explore New Zealand as visitors.
Things to note

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

 

Acceptable photos

If you apply online, you must upload a copy of your child’s passport. After you’ve applied, we’ll tell you if you must send us your child’s passport as well.

If you use a paper application form, you may send us your child’s passport, or a certified copy. If you provide a certified copy, we may ask for your child’s passport before we complete the application.

Tips

Please also provide copies of your children’s Identity cards.

We can’t accept a Taiwan compatriot passport as proof of your citizenship.

Please also provide a copy of:

  • your child’s Hukou (household registration book)
  • your child’s identity cards.

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

Who needs an x-ray or medical examination

Tips

Children under 11 don’t need to have an x-ray unless a special report is needed.

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

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

You may need to provide Police Certificates as proof of the children’s good character.

Good character

Who needs to provide police certificates

Tips

You don’t need to provide Police Certificates for children under 17.

When we assess if your children’s applications are bona fide, we consider all of the information that:

  • you provide to support their application
  • we have about you and your children’s personal circumstances and previous applications.

Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ

For us to consider your children to be dependent, they must be either:

  • 17 or under
  • 18 to 19 with no children of their own, or
  • 20 to 24, with an eligible residence visa application.

Dependent children

Tips

We may ask for evidence that children 18 to 19 are financially dependent on you, for example:

  • documents showing they’re enrolled at school or university
  • receipts for their daily expenses, like phone, clothes, food
  • bank accounts showing you pay then an allowance
  • receipts for big purchases, like travel.

Your children must have at least NZD $1,000 per person per month, or NZD $400 per person per month if their accommodation has already been paid for.

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.

If your children are sponsored the sponsor must provide evidence that they meet the sponsorship criteria, and can look after the children while they 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 the sponsor's Sharing ID to complete the online application.

Process to become a sponsor

You must provide an original or certified copy of your:

  • New Zealand passport, birth certificate or certificate of citizenship, or
  • New Zealand Resident Visa.

You must provide evidence that you are the parent of your dependent children, which may include:

Dependent children

Tips

If your children are travelling alone or with one parent, we may ask for evidence they 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

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

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

Arriving in New Zealand

Notes

The children can be refused entry permission if:

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

Travel

If your children have multiple entry visas they can travel to and from New Zealand as many times as they like before their visas expire.

If they have single entry visas their visas will expire when they leave New Zealand.

Check your child’s visa label or their evisa letter for their travel conditions.

Notes

If your children do not have multiple entry visas you can apply to have the conditions of their visas varied to allow them to travel.

Onward travel

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

Notes

You or your children may be asked for evidence of their travel arrangements when they check in or arrive in New Zealand.

Funds or sponsorship

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

Acceptable sponsors

Notes

You may be asked for evidence your children have financial support or sponsorship when they arrive in New Zealand.

Study

School-aged children can study for up to 3 months in any calendar year.

Older children can study at tertiary institutes for up to 3 months in any 12-month period.

Notes

Your children will need student visas if they want to study for more than 3 months.

If your children will be studying for more than 2 weeks, their school must be a signatory to the ‘Code of Pastoral Care for International Students’.

Code of Pastoral Care for International Students

Visa expiry

The children must leave New Zealand before their visas expire.

Notes

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