Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa

You can apply for this visa if you have children or grandchildren who are New Zealand citizens or residents. It allows you to travel in and out of New Zealand to visit your family.

Length of stay
Up to 6 months at a time

Maximum total stay of 18 months in 3 years

Cost
From
NZD $341
Processing time
80% within
3.5 months
With this visa you can
  • Visit your children or grandchildren in New Zealand.
  • Travel in and out of New Zealand multiple times.
  • Include your partner in your visa application.
Things to note
  • Full English language translations must be provided for any documents not in English.
    Providing English translations of supporting documents
  • If you want to bring dependent children with you, they will need to apply for their own visas.
  • You can only apply for this visa while you are outside of New Zealand.
  • If you are only planning to visit New Zealand once, the general Visitor Visa may suit you better. It has fewer requirements to meet.
    Visitor Visa
  • 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.
  • If you are applying for this visa you must complete a chest X-ray and medical examination, unless you have previously provided medical certificates to us, and those certificates were issued in the last 36 months. 

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

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

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

You must have a chest X-ray and a medical examination as proof of your good health.

Who needs an X-ray or medical examination

Acceptable standard of health criteria for visa approvals

 

Tips

If you have a medical condition you should apply for your visa at least 4 months before you intend to travel to New Zealand as it will take longer to process your application.

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.

People applying for a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa must complete a chest X-ray and medical examination, unless you have previously provided medical certificates to us, and those certificates were issued in the last 36 months.

If you have a criminal conviction or are a security risk to New Zealand we may not be able to grant you a visa.

Good character for temporary visas

You must provide police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. This includes any time you have spent in New Zealand in the past on other visas, even if you have been out of the country since then.

You also must provide police certificates if we ask for them.

Police certificates must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application. They must be from any country you are a citizen of, or have spent more than 5 years in since you turned 17.

If you are 16 years old or younger you do not need to provide police certificates.

Providing police certificates

How to get a police certificate

If you have already sent us police certificates with a previous visa application and they are less than 24 months old, you do not need to send them again.

Tips

If you've previously spent 6 months or longer in NZ, but haven’t provided a police certificate from your home country before, you must provide one with this application.

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

You must intend to visit your children or grandchildren in New Zealand.

Your children or grandchildren must intend to be in New Zealand when you visit.

You must provide an original or certified copy of your sponsor’s:

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

You must provide evidence of your family relationship to your sponsor.

If your sponsor is the parent of your child or grandchild, but not your child, you must provide evidence of the sponsor’s relationship to your child or grandchild.

Evidence can include:

  • birth certificates 
  • adoption papers
  • any other documents that confirm your relationship to the sponsor, or the sponsor’s relationship to your child or grandchild.
Tips

You can provide household registration documents if these confirm your relationship to your sponsor.

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

Tips

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

If you’re unable to pay for your healthcare, your sponsor will be responsible for the costs.

To bring your partner, you must provide evidence:

  • of your relationship with your partner, like a marriage certificate
  • that your partner meets the identity, character and health requirements for this visa.

Partnership

Tips

You can’t include dependent children in your visa application – they’ll need to apply for their own visas.

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

Providing English translations of supporting documents

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 issued 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

You can travel in and out of New Zealand, multiple times for up to 3 years.

Notes

You can stay for up to 6 months at a time, up to a maximum total stay of 18 months within 3 years.

Each visit may only last 6 months.

Sponsorship

You must be sponsored by your child or grandchild, or their New Zealand parent.

Acceptable sponsors

Visa expiry

You can visit New Zealand multiple times until your visa expires, as long as:

  • each time you visit you stay for 6 months or less
  • your total stay in New Zealand is 18 months or less. 
Notes

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