E6.5 Character requirements

1. All persons included in temporary visa or permit applications must be of good character and not pose a potential security risk (for full information on character requirements policy, see A5).
2. All persons who intend to stay in New Zealand for a total of more than 24 months must provide police certificates.
3. Visa or immigration officers may also require persons who intend to stay in New Zealand for 24 months or less to provide police certificates if there is any indication they might not meet the provisions of E6.5(a) above.
4. Applicants do not meet the character requirements for temporary entry if they are ineligible for temporary entry:
   1. by law under section 7(1) of the Immigration Act 1987 (see E2.20, E2.21 and A5.35), or
   2. under government policy.
5. If any person included in the application fails to meet the necessary character requirements, the application for all those included in it may be declined.

E6.5.1 Evidence of character

1. Applicants aged 17 or over who are required to provide police certificates must obtain them from their country of citizenship and from any country in which they have lived for 5 or more years since attaining the age of 17 years.
2. Certificates must be less than 6 months old when the application is lodged.
3. Instructions on how to obtain police certificates from specific countries can be obtained from the INZ website at www.immigration.govt.nz/policecertificate.
4. If an applicant requires a police certificate from a country that:
   1. does not issue police certificates to individuals; and
   2. for which no instructions in respect of how to obtain a police certificate are available,

   the visa or immigration officer may accept the application without a police certificate and obtain any necessary clearances after acceptance.

5. If a police certificate is not available from a particular country, the applicant must provide a separate statutory declaration in both English and the applicant's first language, which must:
   1. detail the applicant's attempts to obtain a police certificate, and
   2. state whether the applicant and any accompanying family members have been convicted or found guilty of or charged with any offences against the law of that country, and
   3. be corroborated by other information confirming the applicant's character.

E6.5.5 Assessment

If an application is received from a person about whom character issues arise, officers assess the application against the assessment guidelines given in the Administration chapter (A5.15-A5.40).

Effective 30/07/2007