Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa

Visa details

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 $211
Processing time
90% within
90 days
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
  • If you applied for this visa between 1 August and 21 September 2022, we will give you an update on your application soon. If you log into Immigration Online it may show a ‘lapsed’ status — you do not need to do anything, as this is part of the process to finalise these applications.
  • If you want to bring dependent children with you, they’ll need to apply for their own visas.
  • You can only apply for this visa while you’re 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

Who can apply

The criteria and evidence below will provide you with the information you need 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

Health

You must be in good health

You may need to have a chest x-ray, a medical examination or both as proof of your good health.

Who needs an x-ray or medical examination

Update on medical certificate requests on Immigration Online

Tips

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

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

Tips

  1. 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.

Genuine intentions

You must genuinely intend to meet the conditions of your visa

When we decide if your intentions are genuine (bona fide), we consider all the information:

  • you provide to support your application
  • we have about your personal circumstances, and
  • you provided in any previous applications.

Genuine intentions to visit, study or work in NZ

Evidence that you are a genuine visitor

Tips

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

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

Sponsorship

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

To be eligible to sponsor you (and your partner), your sponsor must:

  • be a New Zealand citizen or resident 
  • be your child or grandchild, or their parent
  • be 18 or over 
  • meet our requirements for acceptable sponsors
  • not be sponsoring anyone else.

Your sponsor must complete a ‘Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry', as evidence of their sponsorship.

What sponsors must do – responsibilities and obligations

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

Your sponsor’s immigration status

Your sponsor must be a New Zealand citizen or resident

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.

Your relationship to the sponsor

Your sponsor must be your child, grandchild, or the parent of your child or grandchild

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

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

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

Bring partner

Your partner must meet the requirements for this visa

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

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

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

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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 an arrival card, which you are given on the way to New Zealand.

Arriving in 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

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

Work

You cannot work in New Zealand on this visa.

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.