Fee Paying Student Visa

Apply for this visa to study full-time in New Zealand. You will need to pay the full cost of your courses and enrol with an approved education provider.

Length of stay
Up to

4 years

Cost
From
NZD $750
With this visa you can
  • Study full-time at the course stated on your visa — this includes schools, tertiary (study after secondary school) and English language study. Student visa conditions require you to attend the place of study endorsed on your visa.
  • Work part-time up to 20 hours a week while studying or full-time in the holidays, depending on your visa conditions.
  • Live by yourself above a certain age, otherwise you will need to come with your parent or legal guardian.
Things to note
  • If you want to bring your partner or children with you, they can apply for visas based on their relationship to you.
  • Your student visa is normally for the same length of time as the study you have paid for. It may be issued for a shorter time if your passport expires before the end date of your study.
  • You can apply for this visa if you are a distance learning or correspondence student studying outside New Zealand and you need to visit New Zealand for more than 3 months to attend your education provider, for example to do practical study or sit exams.
  • Your ability to speak or write English is not a student visa application requirement. Check with the education provider to see if they are required for an offer of a place on their course.
  • If you apply for this visa you may have to pay an International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy (IVL). Enter your country details in the Process and costs section below.
Apply now

Processing times lengthen from October to February which is the busiest period of the year for student visa applications. If you have an offer of place, apply now.

Visa processing times for international students

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
Tip

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

  • 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

You must also provide your Kartu Keluarga.

If you are not a French national, you must provide a copy of your carte d’assuré.

Even if your partner and children aren’t coming with you, please also provide:

  • copies of their passports
  • a copy of your livret de famille.

You must also provide a copy of your livret de famille.

Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

Also provide your:

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

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

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

Provide medical certificates if requested

Tips

Full fee paying students don’t usually need to provide a medical certificate.

You will need to get a chest X-ray if you’re from, or have spent time in a country where Tuberculosis (TB) is common.

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.

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

If you are aged 17 and over, and will stay in New Zealand for more than 24 months (this includes any time you have already spent in New Zealand), you must provide police certificates from:

  • your country(s) of citizenship
  • any country(s) you've spent more than 5 years in since turning 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 36 months, or
  • you are under 20 years of age and have held a student visa (or consecutive student visas) on and since the date you turned 17 and are applying for a further student visa.

Good character

Police certificates

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.

Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ

Tips

If your course has an English language or academic requirement, provide academic and English reports that show you meet those requirements.

These reports can include the online verification report for current tertiary study, and IELTS or TOEFL test results.

Your offer of place — or if you are a returning student, your confirmation of enrolment — must include:

  • the name of your course and how long the course is for
  • confirmation that your tuition fees will be paid by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
  • whether your study will be full-time, part-time or as a distance learning or correspondence student
  • if your course is for more than one academic year, the dates of all of the course’s scheduled holidays
  • if you’re under 18, confirmation that your accommodation complies with the ‘Code of Pastoral Care for International Students’.

Offers of place must also include your approved education provider’s signed declaration that they’ve assessed and are satisfied that:

  • the programme offered is appropriate for your expectations
  • you have the English language ability and academic capability to succeed

Code of Pastoral Care for International Students

Tips

It’s OK if you provide information about your scheduled holidays in a separate document.

You must provide evidence that you have paid the tuition fees for 1 course or 1 year of study (whichever is shorter).

Evidence can include any one of the following:

  • Letter from your approved education provider showing fees are paid or that you don’t have to pay fees
  • Evidence that your home country government loan has been applied for, and confirmation from the education provider they expect to receive the fees
  • Evidence you’ve applied for a home country government loan and confirmation that you’re enrolling in a bachelor degree programme or higher at a Private Training Establishment (PTE)
  • Evidence you have a scholarship from your education provider.
Tips

For applications processed outside New Zealand, evidence of payment isn’t required until after the application has been approved in principle.

If you study multiple courses, or a single course for more than one year, you must provide evidence you have enough money to pay tuition fees for 1 course or 1 year of study, and also how you will pay your tuition fees for subsequent years.

  • You must declare in your visa application that you agree to arrange and hold insurance.
  • Your insurance policy must cover you from the date that you arrive in New Zealand until the day you leave.
  • Your insurance policy must cover all of the following:
    • travel (this includes travel to and from New Zealand, within New Zealand, and outside New Zealand if travelling as part of the course)
    • medical care in New Zealand, including diagnosis, prescription, surgery, and hospitalisation
    • the transportation out of New Zealand as a result of serious illness or injury, including cover of travel costs incurred by family members assisting the student
    • death (including cover of the travel costs of family members to and from New Zealand, costs of repatriation, and funeral expenses).
Tips

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students don’t need to hold insurance.

You can arrange insurance through your education provider. If you are arranging your own insurance, your education provider can give you more information about what your policy must cover.

If you already have a Student Visa and you’re applying for another Student Visa, you must provide photocopied evidence of your previous student performance, progress and attendance. This can include:

Evidence can include:

  • proof that you have NZD $20,000 per year of tertiary, English language, or other non-compulsory school study or $1,667 per month if your study will be shorter than 1 year. If you are studying in compulsory education (years 1-13 at a school), you will need NZD $17,000 per year or $1,417 per month
  • documents that show your living costs have been paid — for example, for a school homestay where you will live with a local family while you study
  • a 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry' completed by an acceptable sponsor
  • a completed 'Financial Undertaking for a Student' form.

What sponsors must do – responsibilities and obligations

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

Financial Undertaking for a Student (INZ 1014) PDF 535KB

Tips

The only evidence you must provide is a written guarantee of maintenance from a relative in New Zealand. This relative must be a New Zealand citizen or resident.

You may be able to use the  Funds Transfer Scheme to show that you will be able to access your funds in New Zealand.

Funds Transfer Scheme

If you are applying in South Asia, you need to provide acceptable evidence you can comfortably afford to study in New Zealand.

Evidence of funds to support your study

If you’re applying in South Asia, only immediate family are able to sponsor you or provide a financial undertaking. Immediate family are your partner, parents, siblings, grandparents and parents-in-law.

If you are in New Zealand and applying for a further student visa as a fee paying tertiary student, you can only be sponsored if your first student visa was sponsored.

Sponsorship must be by the same person or organisation that acted as the sponsor for your initial visa application.

If you study for more than 1 year, you must provide evidence you have enough money to support yourself for your first year and show how you will pay your living costs for the following years.

Evidence of how you will pay for the following years must be money you can access while you are in New Zealand such as savings or family income.

Depending on what city you live in while you are in New Zealand, you might need more than NZD $17,000 per year (NZD $1,417 per month) to live on while you are studying.

What things cost in New Zealand | NauMai NZ

If you must be accompanied, you must provide proof that your parent or legal guardian cares for you in your home country and has the legal right to provide care for you.

Evidence your parent or legal guardian cares for you in your home country can include:

  • your parent or guardian’s passport, or residence document showing that you’ve been living with them in your home country
  • documents that show they’ve paid for your education
  • educational records or documents that show they’re responsible for your education

Evidence your parent or legal guardian has the legal right to provide care for you can include:

  • your birth certificate or adoption papers (if they are your parent)
  • court documents (if they are a court-appointed guardian)
  • relevant legal documents if they are a testamentary guardian (i.e. they were named as guardian in your parents’ will, and your parents are deceased).
Tips

Your parent or legal guardian must apply separately for the type of visa they need.

If you have to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, you must live with that person while you’re studying.

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.

You must have permission to work up to 20 hours a week and/or full-time in the summer holidays from each of the following:

Tips

If you’re 18 or over, you don’t need permission to work over the summer holidays. We won’t grant work rights to children under 16 who have a Student Visa.

If you’re allowed to work full-time in the holidays, proof:

  • of the holidays scheduled by your approved education provider, as shown in your offer of place document
  • that your course value is 120 credits – this information may be on your fee receipt or invoice, or other correspondence provided by your approved education provider.

Evidence can include either of the following:

  • a letter from your approved education provider
  • a course outline that shows the practical component requirement, as shown in your offer of place document.
Tips

Any practical work experience you need to do complete your course can be worked in addition to the other hours your visa conditions allow you to work. 

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.

Enter country details

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.

Enter country details

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 New Zealand traveller declaration (NZTD).

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

If you want to travel in and out of New Zealand, you must have valid multiple entry travel conditions to return to New Zealand.

Varying the conditions of a student visa

Notes

If you’re applying from inside New Zealand, we’ll normally give you multiple entry travel conditions when we grant you this visa.

If you don’t have multiple entry travel conditions and you leave New Zealand, your visa will expire.

Your travel conditions will be recorded on your visa label or in your visa letter.

Onward travel

During the length of your visa, you must have a travel ticket or funds available to buy a ticket to a country you can enter. The funds can be in the form of any of the following:

  • sufficient funds held in New Zealand to purchase a travel ticket 
  • an acceptable form of financial undertaking by your guarantor
  • current sponsorship by an acceptable sponsor.

Acceptable sponsors

Notes

If your visa doesn’t record that you’re sponsored or state that a return/onward ticket isn’t required, you may be asked for evidence of your travel arrangements when you check in or arrive in New Zealand.

Funds or sponsorship

You must have enough money held in New Zealand to support yourself for the length of your visa.

If you’re sponsored, your sponsor must:

  • ensure your needs for maintenance are met while you’re in New Zealand
  • pay any costs if we ask you to leave New Zealand.

If you have a guarantor, your guarantor must ensure your need for maintenance is met while you’re in New Zealand.

Notes

If your visa label or letter doesn’t say ‘Financial evidence not required’ or ‘The holder of this visa is sponsored’, we may ask for evidence of funds when you arrive in New Zealand.

Medical and travel insurance

You must maintain your medical and travel insurance policy while you're studying in New Zealand, from the time you enrol until your visa expires.

Notes

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students don’t need to have insurance.

Parent or legal guardian

If you’re required to be accompanied, your parent or legal guardian must live with you while you’re studying and they can’t leave New Zealand without you.

Attendance and progress

You must study full-time and attend your course at the approved education provider noted on your visa, unless you have a reasonable excuse for absences.

You must make satisfactory progress on your course.

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.

If your passport is due to expire your visa will expire before this date. You need to renew your passport and apply for either a new student visa or the 'balance' of that visa transferred to your new passport, if you want to continue studying.

Transfer your visa to a new passport