Medical Treatment Visitor Visa

Apply for this visa to visit New Zealand for medical treatment or consultation. You must be able to pay for your treatment, unless it is funded under a special arrangement.

Apply online
  • Length of stay

    Stay for

    6 months

  • Cost

    From

    NZD $341

  • Processing time

    80% within

    5 weeks

To apply you must:

  • have written evidence of your acceptance for treatment in New Zealand
  • provide details of the expected costs of the treatment
  • pay for all medical costs — unless it is under a special arrangement
  • meet the other requirements of this visa.

This visa lets you:

  • come to New Zealand for medical treatment or a consultation that you have already been accepted for
  • stay in New Zealand until it is safe for you to travel
  • include your partner and dependent children in your application.

You must apply for a visa to come to New Zealand for medical treatment or consultation, even if you are from a .

If your condition requires it, you may be accompanied by a family member, friend or doctor. They will need to apply for their own visitor visa.

Escort of Medical Patients Visitor Visa

If your need for treatment or consultation is urgent or an , contact us. We may be able to make special arrangements for you.

Contact us

Apply online

How long you can stay

With this visa you can stay in New Zealand for up to 6 months. You will not be asked to leave New Zealand until it is safe for you to travel. You can apply for a further Medical Treatment Visitor Visa if you need to stay in New Zealand for more than 6 months.

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires. 

Who can apply

To apply for this visa, you must:

  • provide evidence of your accepted medical treatment or consultation
  • provide details of expected costs of your medical treatment
  • be able to pay your own health care costs — unless it is under a special arrangement
  • be of good character
  • have a genuine reason for coming to New Zealand
  • have enough money to pay your living expenses, or have an acceptable sponsor
  • have plans to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay.

Medical treatment

You must provide the following details about your medical treatment or consultation:

  • a completed Details of Intended Medical Treatment form
  • written evidence of your acceptance for treatment, like a letter from the appropriate medical authorities to the health authority in the your home country
  • details of the expected costs of the treatment
  • evidence that you can pay for all medical costs, unless the treatment will be funded under special arrangements for citizens of South Pacific countries
  • evidence that you need an escort, if your condition requires it.

Alert

Only citizens of South Pacific countries may be given a visa to have renal dialysis in New Zealand. They cannot pay for their own renal dialysis treatment and must be sponsored for this treatment.

Enough money to live on

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

If you are paying for yourself

If you are paying for yourself, evidence can include:

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

If you have a sponsor

Your sponsor is responsible for you while you are in New Zealand — they can be an organisation or an individual.

Sponsorship process for a visa

Your sponsor must complete a Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry.

Your sponsor can provide supporting documents including:

  • recent bank statements
  • pay slips
  • their employment agreement
  • ownership papers for your accommodation or receipts for rent payments.

Paying for health care

If you need specialised medical treatment in New Zealand because it is not available in your home country, it may be funded by either:

  • your home government, or
  • New Zealand's Official Development Assistance Programme under the Medical Treatment Scheme, administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Otherwise, you or your sponsor must agree to pay for any health care or medical assistance you may need in New Zealand. 

We recommend you have full medical insurance for your stay.

If you are pregnant, there are additional requirements.

Note

Some people may be eligible for public health care.

Who can get public health care

Character

You must be of good character. 

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

If you have a criminal conviction, or are a security risk to New Zealand, we might not give you a visa.

You must provide police certificates that are less than 6 months old when you apply, if:

  • you are aged 17 or older, and 
  • your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer — this includes time you spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas.

Police certificates must be from: 

  • countries you are a citizen of, and
  • countries you have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

You do not need to provide police certificates if you provided them with an earlier visa application and they were issued in the last 24 months. 

If we ask for a new police certificate when processing your application, you will need to send us a new one.

Genuine intentions

You must genuinely intend to come to New Zealand for medical treatment or consultation and leave at the end of your visit.

When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we will consider all the information that:

  • you provide to support your application
  • we have about your personal circumstances
  • you have previously given to us.

Note

Check that you are applying for the right visa. You can use our tool to explore and compare visa options for your situation.

Visas that allow you to visit

Partner and dependent children

You can include your partner and any dependent children aged 19 and younger in your visa application, or they can apply for their own visas.

To include family in your application:

  • you must provide evidence of your relationship with them, for example, marriage and birth certificates
  • you must provide evidence of their identity
  • they must be of good character and in good health.

Health of family

Your family must be in good health. We may ask them to have a chest X-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of their health.

If they are staying less than:

  • 6 months, they do not normally need a chest X-ray
  • 12 months, they do not normally need a medical certificate.

When you apply, you must answer questions about your family's health. This will help to decide if they need to provide evidence of a chest X-ray or medical examination. Even if they do not need these when you apply, we may ask for them when we process your application.

Check the situations where we may ask your family to have a chest X-ray or medical examination.

Note

Results of a chest X-ray or medical examination must be less than 3 months old when we receive them.

Leaving New Zealand

You must be able to show that you plan to leave the country at the end of your stay.

If you are paying for yourself, you will need to provide:

  • your ticket for travel out of New Zealand at the end of your stay to a , or
  • documents, such as bank or credit card statements, that show you have enough money to buy a ticket.

Note

The money for your ticket must be in addition to what you have to live on.

If you are sponsored and you do not have a return ticket, your sponsor can provide recent bank statements to show they have enough money to buy you a ticket out of New Zealand.

Documents you need

When you apply

When you apply, you will need to provide:

  • a copy of your passport or — if you apply on paper, you can provide a but it can prevent delays if you provide the original
  • 1 acceptable photo if you apply online, or 2 photos if you apply on paper
  • a completed Details of Intended Medical Treatment form
  • written evidence of acceptance for treatment
  • details of expected costs, and proof of how they will be paid
  • evidence you need an escort because of your condition, if required
  • proof you have enough money to live on
  • police certificates, if required
  • proof you can leave New Zealand at the end of your stay
  • documents to show your relationship with your partner and dependent children, proof of their identity and acceptable photos, if you are including them
  • a copy of the completed form Additional Dependants for a Visitor Visa, if required
  • a copy of the completed Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry, if you have a sponsor
  • your sponsor's , if required for an online application
  • translated versions of all your documents if they are not in English.

Your passport or certificate of identity must be valid for at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave New Zealand.

Alert

You may not be allowed to check in to your flight if your passport is close to expiring. Check that it will not expire while you are in New Zealand or close to when you plan to leave New Zealand.

Before you travel to New Zealand

After you apply

After you apply, we may contact you and ask for further information, including:

  • police certificates as proof of your good character
  • evidence of a medical examination or chest X-ray for your family, if included in your application.

When you arrive

When you arrive, you will need to have:

  • a ticket to leave New Zealand at the end of your stay, proof you have enough money to buy one, or agreement that a sponsor will pay for one
  • proof you have enough money to live on for your stay in New Zealand
  • proof of pre-approval of your medical treatment.

How to apply online

Follow these steps to complete your application online.

An application containing all the documents we need will prevent delays with processing. 

  1. 1

    Step 1: Gather your documents

    The section 'Who can apply' explains the requirements for this visa and what you will need as proof.

    Check our guide on applying for a visa to get medical treatment in New Zealand.

    Our guides for applying for a visitor visa can also help. These are also available in other languages.

    Guides to applying for a visitor visa — Document search

    Our checklist for visitors from China can help you prepare your application.

    Get documents translated

    For your application you must provide:

    • certified English translations of any documents that are not in English
    • copies of the original documents.

    Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.

    File formats for uploading documents and photographs

    Organise proof of identity, citizenship and age

    If you need a new passport, allow yourself enough time to get it.

    When you apply, make sure you enter your identity details exactly as they appear on your passport or certificate of identity.

    Alert

    If there are any mistakes in your identity details, your application will be delayed. We may also decline your application or refuse you entry to New Zealand.

    Make sure your photos are acceptable for a New Zealand visa.

    Organise details of intended medical treatment

    Gather together details of your medical treatment or consultation including:

    • written evidence of your acceptance for treatment in New Zealand from medical authorities
    • expected costs of treatment
    • how the medical costs will be paid
    • whether you need an escort because of your condition
    • a completed 'Details of Intended Medical Treatment' form.

    Apply for police certificates, if required

    Check what you will need to include for a visitor visa.

    When we process your application, we will contact you if we require police certificates from you.

    Your police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. Allow yourself enough time to get these certificates.

    Organise proof you have enough money to live on

    Get recent bank or credit card statements, and proof of any accommodation you have pre-paid for.

    If you have a sponsor, ask them for their sharing ID.

    Organise proof you can leave New Zealand

    This can be a plane ticket, proof you have the money to buy one, or agreement that your sponsor will pay for any travel out of New Zealand.

    Organise proof for your partner and dependent children, if required

    If you are including your partner and dependent children in your application, get documents that show your relationship with them and proof of their identity.

  2. 2

    Step 2: Submit your application and pay the fee

    To apply online, log in to your account or set up an account if you do not have one already.

    Fill in your online application — you need to choose:

    1. 'Visitor' as the type of visa you are applying for
    2. 'Other' when asked for the purpose of your visit
    3. 'To seek medical treatment or consultation' as the reason for your travel to New Zealand.

    Upload your documents and pay the applicable fees.

    Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for fees.

  3. 3

    Step 3: Wait for our decision

    We will let you know if we need more information to process your application.

    Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for timeframes.

    Waiting for a visa

    Note

    If you are already in New Zealand, you must have a valid visa. If your current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for our decision, we will normally issue you an Interim Visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully.

    Interim Visa

  4. 4

    Step 4: Check your application status

    Log in to your account to check the status of your application.

    Checking your visa application status

    We will email you when we make a decision.

    If we approve your application, we will give you an eVisa and send you a copy.

    Using eVisas and visa labels

    Check the 'While you are in New Zealand' section to find out what you can and cannot do when you come to New Zealand.

How to apply on paper

Follow these steps to complete your application on paper.

An application containing all the documents we need will prevent delays with processing.

  1. 1

    Step 1: Gather your documents

    The section 'Who can apply' explains the requirements for this visa and what you will need as proof.

    Check our guide on applying for a visa to get medical treatment in New Zealand.

    Our guides for applying for a visitor visa can also help. These are also available in other languages.

    Guides to applying for a visitor visa — Document search

    Our checklist for visitors from China can help you prepare your application.

    Get documents translated

    For your application you must provide:

    • certified English translations of any documents that are not in English
    • copies of the original documents.

    Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.

    Organise proof of identity, citizenship and age

    If you need a new passport, allow yourself enough time to get it.

    When you apply, make sure you enter your identity details exactly as they appear on your passport or certificate of identity.

    Alert

    If there are any mistakes in your identity details, your application will be delayed. We may also decline your application or refuse you entry to New Zealand.

    Make sure your photos are acceptable for a New Zealand visa.

    Organise details of intended medical treatment

    Gather together details of your medical treatment or consultation including:

    • written evidence of your acceptance for treatment in New Zealand from medical authorities
    • expected costs of treatment
    • how the medical costs will be paid
    • whether you need an escort because of your condition
    • a completed Details of Intended Medical Treatment form.

    Apply for police certificates, if required

    Check what you will need to include for a Visitor Visa.

    If you apply on paper and have determined you need police certificates, you will need to provide them with your application. 

    Use the tool to find out how to get police certificates from different countries.

    How to get a police certificate

    Your police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. Allow yourself enough time to get these certificates.

    Organise proof you have enough money to live on

    Get recent bank or credit card statements, and proof of any accommodation you have pre-paid for.

    If you have a sponsor, get a copy of their completed Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry.

    Organise proof you can leave New Zealand

    This can be a plane ticket, proof you have the money to buy one, or agreement that your sponsor will pay for any travel out of New Zealand.

    Organise proof for your partner and dependent children, if required

    If you are including your partner and dependent children in your application, get documents that show your relationship with them and proof of their identity.

  2. 2

    Step 2: Complete the application form

    Complete the application form and attach all supporting documents. 

    Choose 'other' where the form asks what type of visitor visa you are applying for and then write 'medical treatment' on the line next to this.

  3. 3

    Step 3: Submit your application and pay the fee

    You can take your application to a Visa Application Centre (VAC) or post it to them.

    Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for fees and where to submit your application.

  4. 4

    Step 4: Wait for our decision

    We will let you know if we need more information to process your application. 

    We will email you when we make a decision.

    Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for timeframes.

    Checking your visa application status

    If we approve your application, we will give you an eVisa and email you a copy.

    Using eVisas and visa labels

    Note

    If you are already in New Zealand, you must have a valid visa. If your current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for our decision, we will normally issue you an Interim Visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully.

    Interim Visa

    Check the 'While you are in New Zealand' section to find out what you can and cannot do when you come to New Zealand.

How to pay and submit

When you get your visa

Your visa is valid from: 

  • the date you enter New Zealand, if you are outside New Zealand when we approve your application, or
  • the date you get your visa, if you are already in New Zealand.

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

When you arrive

Entry permission

You must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. You do this by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.

You can start your digital declaration any time, but the earliest you can submit it is 24 hours before starting your travel to New Zealand.

A paper declaration form is available for travellers who cannot complete it online.

New Zealand Traveller Declaration

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

Arriving in New Zealand

Alert

You can be refused entry permission if you:

  • are not a genuine visitor
  • do not meet our character requirements
  • have had a change in circumstances since we issued your visa
  • refuse to let us take your photo, fingerprints or an iris scan
  • cannot provide evidence of any onward travel or the money required to leave New Zealand.

While you are in New Zealand

Your visa conditions are recorded in your eVisa.

Pre-approved medical treatment

You can only visit New Zealand to receive pre-approved specified medical treatment at the hospital or institution specified on your visa.

Travel

If you are travelling in and out of New Zealand, your visa must have a valid multiple-entry travel condition so you can return to New Zealand.

Check or change your visa conditions

Alert

If your visa does not have a multiple-entry travel condition and you leave New Zealand, your visa will expire.

Every time you travel here, you must have a ticket to leave New Zealand or proof you have enough money to buy one — unless your visa states 'Return/onward travel not required'.

Work

You cannot in New Zealand on a visitor visa, however, you may be able to or work remotely for an employer or client based outside New Zealand.

Working remotely in New Zealand on a visitor visa

Staying longer

We may give you another visa to stay longer if you need more treatment, become ill or have an accident during your visit.

You will need to complete a new visitor visa application and include details of your medical treatment, before your current visa expires.

Your current visa will expire when you get your new visa. 

Note

If your current temporary visa is going to expire while you are waiting for our decision, we will normally issue you an Interim Visa to let you stay in New Zealand lawfully.

Interim Visa