New Zealand Resident Visa Partnership Resident Visa

Your partner’s immigration status: Your partner must be a New Zealand citizen or resident

Your partner’s place of residence: Partners who have New Zealand residence because they have an Australian passport, permanent residence or resident return visa, must live in New Zealand

Your partner’s character: Your partner must be of good character

Eligible NZ supporting partner: Your partner must be eligible to support your application

Your relationship with your partner: You and your partner must have been living together in a genuine and stable relationship for 12 months or more

Bring family: Your dependent children must meet the requirements for a resident visa

Dependent children: Your children must be single and 24 or under

Dependent children aged 21 – 24: Children aged 21-24 must rely on an adult for financial support

Your relationship with your children: You must be the parent or legal guardian of your dependent children

Custody of children 15 and under: You must have the legal right to remove dependent children from their home country

Step 1 – Your partner supports your application

Your partner must complete and sign a ‘Partnership Support Form for Residence’. Complete application form and supporting documents must be submitted with your visa application.

• Self Assess Guide for Residence in New Zealand (INZ 1003)
• Partnership Support Form for Residence (INZ 1178)

Step 2 – You send your visa application

You must fill up a ‘Residence Application’ form. You must to send it to Immigration NZ with your visa fee, immigration levy and supporting documents, including your partner’s application.

• Residence Guide (INZ 1002)
• Residence Application form (INZ 1000)
  

Step 3 – Decision about your application

If there is anything else you need to do, Immigration New Zealand will instruct you.

If you are the spouse of an expatriate New Zealand citizen apply for a resident visa, and NZ Immigration will grant you a permanent resident visa if you meet visa eligibility.

You must be holding a valid visa while you are in New Zealand. If your current temporary visa will expire before we make a decision on your residence application, you should apply for a further temporary visa if you wish to remain in New Zealand.

Step 4 – Travel to New Zealand

If you have not travelled to New Zealand, check what you will need to do before you arrive.

• Complete the application form. Each person included in the application has signed the form.
• Application fee and immigration levy.
• Passports or travel documents (the original documents or certified copies) for each person included in the application.
• Full birth certificates for every person included in the application.
• Medical certificates and chest X-ray certificates for all applicants if required.
• Police certificate(s) (less than six months old) for every person included in this application.
• Two recent passport-size photographs of each person included in the application.
• Required evidence as outlined in sections I to O, and in the Residence Guide (INZ 1002).

Application cost NZD$ 2,250

This is the charge for Immigration New Zealand to process your application. Immigration New Zealand does not refund application costs if your visa application gets refused. A non-refundable immigration levy is charged and is included in the cost