Adoption Visitor Visa
Children can come to New Zealand to be adopted by New Zealand citizens or residents. The adoption must have the support of Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children.
Apply online-
Length of stay
Up to
6 months
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Cost
From
NZD $341
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Processing time
80% within
4.5 weeks
To apply you must:
- as the adoptive parents, be a New Zealand citizen or resident
- have the support of Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children
- meet the other requirements of this visa.
This visa lets you:
- bring children to New Zealand for adoption
- send the children to school for up to 3 months in any calendar year.
There are requirements for health, having enough money to live on, and leaving New Zealand, but we may remove these requirements for adopted children.
School-aged children may instead apply for a Dependent Child Student Visa to study full time as a
Changes to paper applications
From 1 October 2026, applications for this visa must be made online. Find out more in our news centre:
Changes to use of paper applications for some visitor and transit visas
How long you can stay
This visa allows a child brought to New Zealand for adoption to stay for up to 12 months.
Further visas may be approved to allow sufficient time to submit a full adoption order.
Who can apply
To apply for an Adoption Visitor Visa on behalf of the child you are planning to adopt, you must:
- be a New Zealand citizen or resident
- provide proof of the child's identity
- have the support of Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children
- agree to pay the child's healthcare costs, if they are not eligible for public healthcare
- genuinely intend for the child to meet the conditions of their visa.
You may also need to:
- prove you have enough money to pay for the child's living expenses during their stay, or that you have an acceptable sponsor
- provide evidence that the child is in good health
- show that the child can leave New Zealand at the end of their stay.
Your immigration status
You must be a New Zealand citizen or resident.
You must provide an original or certified copy of your:
- New Zealand passport
- New Zealand birth certificate
- certificate of New Zealand citizenship, or
- New Zealand resident visa.
If you have New Zealand residence because you are an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident, you can provide your:
- Australian passport
- Australian Permanent Resident Visa, or
- Australian Resident Return Visa.
Support of Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children
With your application, you must provide written confirmation from Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children that they support the adoption.
Genuine intentions
You must genuinely intend for the child to meet the conditions of their visa.
When we decide if your intentions are genuine, we will consider all the information that:
- you provide to support your application
- we have about your personal circumstances
- you have previously given to us.
Enough money to support the child
Note
We may choose to waive (remove) this requirement.
You must have enough money for the child to live on while they are in New Zealand, or have an acceptable sponsor.
If you are paying for the child
You must have at least NZD $1,000 per month, or NZD $400 per month if you have already paid for their accommodation.
Evidence can include:
- proof of accommodation pre-payment, like hotel pre-paid vouchers or receipts
- bank statements or credit card statements
- bank drafts or traveller's cheques.
If the child has a sponsor
The sponsor is responsible for the child's accommodation and living costs while they are in New Zealand. They can be an organisation or an individual.
Sponsorship process for a visa
The sponsor must complete a 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry'.
They can provide supporting documents that include:
- recent bank statements
- pay slips
- employment agreement
- ownership papers for your accommodation or receipts for rent payments.
Paying for health care
You or the child's sponsor will need to pay for any health care or medical assistance the child may need in New Zealand.
We recommend you have full medical insurance for the child for the length of their stay.
The child's health
Note
We may choose to waive (remove) this requirement.
The child must be in good health.
We may ask that the child has a chest X-ray, a medical examination, or both, as proof of their good health.
If the child is staying less than:
- 6 months, they do not normally need a chest X-ray
- 12 months, they do not normally need a medical certificate.
When you apply, you must answer questions about the child's health. This will help us to decide if you need to provide evidence of a chest X-ray or medical examination. Even if the child does not need these when you apply, we may ask for them when we process your application.
Check the situations where we may ask the child to have a chest X-ray or medical examination.
Note
If they are needed, results of a chest X-ray or medical examination must be less than 3 months old when we receive them.
Children under 11 do not need to have a chest X-ray unless a special report is required.
Leaving New Zealand
Note
We may choose to waive (remove) this requirement.
You must be able to show that the child will be leaving the country at the end of their stay.
If you are paying for the child, you may need to provide:
- a ticket for travel out of New Zealand to a country they have a right to enter, or
- documents, such as bank or credit card statements, that show you have enough money to buy a ticket.
Note
The money for the ticket must be in addition to what you have to pay for the child's living expenses.
If the child is being sponsored, and you do not have a ticket to leave New Zealand, the sponsor can provide recent bank statements to show they have enough money to buy one.
Documents you need
When you apply
When you apply, you will need to provide:
- a copy of the child's passport or
- 1 acceptable photo of the child
- evidence that you, as the adoptive parent, are a New Zealand citizen or resident
- written confirmation from Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children that they support the adoption
- evidence of a chest X-ray — we may remove this requirement
- evidence of a medical examination — we may remove this requirement
- proof you have enough money for the child to live on during their stay, or an acceptable sponsor — we may remove this requirement
- a completed copy of the 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry', if the child has a sponsor
- proof the child can leave New Zealand at the end of their stay — we may remove this requirement
- translated versions of any documents that are not in English.
The child's passport or certificate of identity must be valid for at least 3 months after the date they plan to leave New Zealand.
Alert
The child may not be allowed to check in to their flight if their passport is close to expiring. Check that it will not expire while they are in New Zealand or close to when they plan to leave New Zealand.
- your child's Hukou (household registration book)
- your child's identity cards.
Also provide a copy of:
Also provide copies of your children's identity cards.
After you apply
After you apply, we may contact you and ask for evidence of a medical examination or chest X-ray for the child.
When the child arrives
When the child arrives, they may need to have:
- a ticket to leave New Zealand at the end of their stay, proof that you have enough money to buy them one, or agreement that a sponsor will pay for one
- proof you have enough money for the child to live on for their stay in New Zealand, or the support of an acceptable sponsor.
Note
We may choose to remove these requirements.
How to apply
Follow these steps to complete your application.
Note
To help prevent delays with processing, make sure your application contains all the required documents.
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Step 1: Gather your documents
The section 'Who can apply' explains the requirements for this visa and what you will need as proof.
Our guides for applying for a visitor visa can also help. These are also available in other languages.
Get documents translated
For your application, you must provide:
- certified English translations of any documents that are not in English
- scanned copies of the original documents.
Note
Documents must be translated by someone who meets our requirements for providing English translations.
Organise proof of identity, citizenship and age
If the child, or you, need a new passport, allow yourself enough time to get these.
When you apply for the visa, make sure identity details are entered exactly as they appear on the passport or certificate of identity.
Alert
If there are any mistakes in the identity details you provide, your application will be delayed. We may also decline your application or refuse the child entry into New Zealand.
Make sure your photos are acceptable for a New Zealand visa.
Organise a letter of support from Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children
Arrange written confirmation from Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children that they support the adoption.
Book medical appointments, if required
When you apply, whether the child needs an X-ray or medical examination will depend on the health information you give us.
We will contact you if we need you to organise a medical appointment.
If they are needed, results of a chest X-ray or medical examination must be less than 3 months old when we receive them. Allow yourself enough time to get these.
Note
We may choose to remove this requirement for the child.
Organise proof you have enough money for the child to live on, if required
Get recent bank or credit card statements, and proof of any accommodation you have paid for already.
If you have a sponsor, make sure you get a copy of their completed 'Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry'.
Organise proof the child can leave New Zealand, if required
Evidence can be a plane ticket, proof you have the money to buy one, or agreement that the child's sponsor will pay for any travel out of New Zealand.
Note
We may remove this requirement for the child.
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Step 2: Submit your application and pay the fee
To apply, log in to your account or set up an account if you do not have one already.
You can then fill in your application, upload your documents and pay the applicable fees.
Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for fees.
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3
Step 3: Wait for our decision
We will let you know if we need more information to process your application.
Check the 'How to pay and submit' section for timeframes.
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Step 4: Check your application status
Log in to your account to check the status of your application.
Check your application progress
We will email you when we make a decision.
If we approve your application, we will give the child an eVisa and send you a copy.
Check the 'When you arrive' section to find out what they can and cannot do when they come to New Zealand
How to pay and submit
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When the child gets their visa
The child's visa is valid from:
- the date they enter New Zealand, if they are outside New Zealand when we approve your application, or
- the date they get their visa, if they are already in New Zealand.
They must leave New Zealand before their visa expires.
Note
If the child is already in New Zealand, they must have a valid visa. If their current temporary visa is going to expire while they are waiting for our decision, we will normally give them an Interim Visa to let them stay in New Zealand lawfully.
When the child arrives
Entry permission
The child must apply for permission to enter New Zealand. This is done by completing a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) form.
Caregivers may complete a declaration on behalf of children or babies they are travelling with.
The digital declaration can be started at any time, but the earliest it can be submitted is 24 hours before travelling to New Zealand.
A paper declaration form is available for those who cannot complete it online.
New Zealand Traveller Declaration
New Zealand Customs and Biosecurity will also check that the child meets their entry requirements.
Alert
The child can be refused entry permission if they:
- do not meet our character requirements
- have had a change in circumstances since we gave them a visa
- refuse to let us take their photo, fingerprints or an iris scan.
While the child is in New Zealand
The child's visa conditions are recorded in their eVisa.
Travel
If the child will be travelling in and out of New Zealand, their visa must have a valid
To be eligible, the child must not have been in New Zealand for more than 9 months in the last 18 months.
Alert
If their visa does not have a multiple-entry travel condition and they leave New Zealand, their visa will expire.
Every time they travel here, they must have a ticket to leave New Zealand or proof you have enough money to buy one — unless their visa states 'Return/onward travel not required'.
Study
School-aged children can study for up to 3 months in any calendar year.
Note
If children are going to be studying for more than 2 weeks, their education provider must be a signatory to the Education (Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners) Code of Practice 2021.
Find out if an education provider is a signatory, and how the code protects international students.
Wellbeing and safety for international learners — New Zealand Qualifications Authority
The child may be able to apply for a Dependent Child Student Visa instead of a visitor visa, allowing them to study full time as a
- their adoption application is before the New Zealand Family Court and is supported by Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children, or
- the New Zealand Family Court has granted an Interim Order for their adoption, or
- their adoption application is through an intercountry adoption process under the Hague Convention and is supported by Oranga Tamariki — Ministry for Children, and at least one of the adoptive parents is a New Zealand citizen or resident.
Eligible children who are school age or nearing school age should apply for a Dependent Child Student Visa. Include a cover letter with the application explaining the child is entering New Zealand for adoption.
Work
The child cannot work in New Zealand on a visitor visa.
Staying longer
The child may be granted further visas to allow them to stay in New Zealand while the Department of Internal Affairs assesses citizenship applications.
Further visas are granted for up to 12 months at a time.