Medical Treatment Visitor Visa

Visa details

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.

Length of stay

6 months

Cost
From
NZD $211
Processing time
90% within
47 days
With this visa you can
  • Come to New Zealand for medical treatment or consultation you’ve already been accepted for.
  • Stay in New Zealand until it’s safe for you to travel.
Things to note
  • Even if you’re from a visa waiver country, you have to apply for a visa to come to New Zealand for medical treatment or consultation.
  • If your need for treatment or consultation is urgent or an emergency situation, contact us - we may be able to make special arrangements for you.
  • If your condition requires it, you may be escorted by a family member, friend or doctor– they’ll need to apply for their own visa.

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. Also provide a copy of your Identity card.

  3. Also provide your:

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

  4. 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

  5. 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

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

Medical treatment

You must provide details about your medical treatment or consultation

You must provide:

  • 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, where necessary, that you need an escort because of the nature of your condition.

Details of Intended Medical Treatment (INZ1009) PDF 235KB

Tips

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

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

  2. Only citizens of South Pacific countries may be granted a visa to have renal dialysis in New Zealand.

Funds or sponsorship

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

Evidence of funds can include:

  • bank statements
  • credit card statements
  • bank drafts
  • travellers’ cheques
  • a 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry' completed by an acceptable sponsor.

What sponsors must do – responsibilities and obligations

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

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

Health care

You must agree to pay your own health care costs

You must declare in your visa application that you’ll pay the costs of any health care or medical assistance you receive in New Zealand.

Tips

  1. We recommend that you have full medical insurance for the length of your visit.

  2. If you have a special arrangement, your healthcare costs may be funded by either:

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

Partner and dependent children

You can include your partner and any dependent children up to the age of 19 in your application

To bring family:

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

Partnership
Dependent children

Tips

  1. A family can include yourself, your partner, and dependent children 19 and under.

  2. You should provide copies of family members Hukou (household registration book) included in your application.

  3. You should provide copies of identity cards for family members included in your application.

Health for family

Your family must be in good health

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

Who needs an x-ray or medical examination

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 can only enter New Zealand to receive preapproved specified medical treatment at/with the hospital or institution specified on 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’ll be given on the way to New Zealand.

Notes

  • You can be refused entry permission if:

    • you don’t meet our character requirements
    • your circumstances have changed since you were granted a visa
    • you refuse to let us to take your photo, or provide us with your fingerprints or an iris scan, if we ask you for them.

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

  • You can request multiple entry travel conditions when you apply for your visa. If you’re applying from inside New Zealand, we’ll normally give you multiple entry travel conditions when we grant you a Visitor Visa.

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

    Check your visa label for your travel conditions.

Onward travel

You must have a travel ticket or enough money to buy one.

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.

Work

You cannot work in New Zealand on this visa.

Notes

  • You can only visit New Zealand to receive preapproved medical treatment at the hospital or institution printed on your visa label.

Visa expiry

You must leave New Zealand before your visa expires.

Notes

  • Check your visa label for your visa expiry date. 

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

    You’ll need complete a new visitor visa application and include details of your medical treatment.