Second or Subsequent Resident Visa

Apply for this visa if you had a New Zealand resident visa that has expired. Your eligibility will depend on the length of time since your visa expired and your commitment to New Zealand before that.

Apply online
  • Length of stay

    Live, work and study

    indefinitely

  • Cost

    From

    NZD $275

  • Processing time

    80% within

    7 weeks

To apply you must:

  • have had a resident visa that has now expired
  • have been eligible for a permanent resident visa or variation of your travel conditions when your resident visa expired
  • meet the other requirements of this visa.

This visa lets you:

  • live, work and study in New Zealand
  • include your partner, and dependent children aged 24 and younger, in your application.

You may apply for this visa if you have held a residence visa that has expired because you left New Zealand after the expiry of your travel conditions, or you were outside of New Zealand when your travel conditions expired. You must apply for this visa before travelling to New Zealand.

There are special provisions for partners of New Zealand citizens, and for residents seconded overseas as part of their New Zealand employment.

Apply online

How long you can stay

A Second or Subsequent Resident Visa lets you stay in New Zealand indefinitely.

Who can apply

Check if you are eligible to apply for this visa and what supporting documents and information you need to provide.

Identity

As proof of your identity, you must provide:

  • 1 acceptable photo, and
  • a scan of the personal details page of your passport or

After you apply, we will let you know if we need your original passport.

Applicants from Hong Kong or Macao applying within Hong Kong or Macao

You must also provide a copy of your identity card.

Applicants applying from New Caledonia

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

Character

You must be of good character.

You do not need to provide any police certificates with your application form.

Expired resident visa

Your resident visa must have expired for one of the following reasons:

  • you left New Zealand after your travel conditions expired
  • you were outside New Zealand when your travel conditions expired

You will not need to provide evidence that you held a resident visa, unless we ask you to.

Visa eligibility

You must have been eligible for a permanent resident visa or variation of travel conditions when your resident visa expired.

You can apply for a second or subsequent resident visa if, at the time your resident visa expired, you were eligible for either:

  • a permanent resident visa, because of your commitment to New Zealand (you must apply within 2 years)
  • a variation of travel conditions, which would still be valid when you apply.

Showing your commitment to New Zealand for permanent residence

You must provide of all evidence not in English.

Family eligibility

Your partner and dependent children must have been included in your original residence application.

You must include any child aged 17 or older when you answer questions about your character.

Non-principal applicant eligibility

Non-principal applicants cannot be granted a Second or Subsequent Resident Visa before the principal applicant.

If you were a when you applied for a resident visa, you must apply for your Second or Subsequent Resident Visa at the same time or after the , unless an exception applies.

Note

A person included as a dependent child in a residence application, who is applying for a Second or Subsequent Resident Visa, will still be assessed based on the eligibility of the , even if they are an adult when they apply.

Partners of New Zealand citizens

Partners of New Zealand citizens may be eligible for a second or subsequent visa.

If you are the partner of a New Zealand citizen, you will only be eligible for a Second or Subsequent Resident Visa if both of the following apply:

  • you were granted residence based on your partnership with a New Zealand citizen
  • you have been living with your partner for 12 months or more.

You must provide evidence that:

  • your partner supports your application in writing
  • you are living together in a

How to pay and submit

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:

  • 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 funds required by the conditions of your visa.

While you are in New Zealand

These are the conditions that you must meet once you have your visa.

Travel

Your travel conditions will be given for the time period your travel conditions would have been valid for, if you had applied for them at the time your previous resident visa expired.

If you were eligible for a Permanent Resident Visa when your resident visa expired, your travel conditions will be valid for 24 months from the date your visa expired.

If you are given a Second or Subsequent Resident Visa as the partner of a New Zealand citizen, your travel conditions will be valid for 24 months.

Additional conditions

If you had additional conditions, called ' on your previous Resident Visa, they will apply to your Second or Subsequent Resident Visa too.

Keep your visa in a valid passport

If you want to travel, your visa must be in a valid passport.

If your passport expires, you must apply to transfer your visa to a new passport before you can travel.

Transferring a visa to a new passport

Work

You can work in New Zealand.

Study

You can study in New Zealand.