New ZealandFamily

Partner of a New Zealander visa in New Zealand

A resident visa for the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident — it allows you to live, work and study in the country indefinitely on the basis of an evidenced relationship. It suits couples who have already lived together long enough to prove to the immigration service that the partnership is genuine and stable.

Threshold

The fee is from NZD 5,360.

Processing time

80%

of applications — within 7 months

Work

The right to live, work and study in New Zealand with no limit of time.

Source: Immigration New Zealand — Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa

Who can obtain it

The basic conditions

The partner is a New Zealand citizen or resident
Living together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months at the date of lodgement
The partner supports the application and completes the Partnership Support Form for Residence
Good health and good character on the part of the applicant

Special cases

A partner with New Zealand residence through Australian citizenship, an Australian passport or a resident return visa is required to live in New Zealand
The partner must not have been the supporting partner in a successful residence application in the last 5 years or in more than one such application
If the partner is a New Zealand citizen and the couple has lived together outside the country for at least 5 years, a Permanent Resident Visa may be granted straight away instead of the ordinary partner resident visa

What it costs

Partner of a New Zealander resident visa	5 360 NZD

Documents to gather

What has to be attached to the application

A copy of your passport: 1 photograph for an online application, 2 photographs for a paper one
Police certificates from your countries of citizenship and from countries where the applicant has spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years (no more than 6 months old at lodgement)
Results of a medical examination and a chest x-ray (no more than 3 months old)
Evidence of the partner's citizenship or residence — a New Zealand passport, a birth certificate, a citizenship certificate or a resident visa
The Partnership Support Form for Residence (INZ 1178), completed by the partner
Evidence of a genuine relationship: joint finances, correspondence, photographs, recognition of the relationship by those around you
Documents on children where they are included in the application: evidence of the relationship, of financial dependence for those aged 21–24, and custody documents
Certified translations of all documents that are not in English

How the process runs

How lodgement works

1
Gathering the documents
Gather evidence of the relationship, the passport, the results of the medical examination and x-ray, police certificates and the Partnership Support Form from the partner.
2
Translating the documents
Obtain a certified English translation of every document that is not in English.
3
Lodging the application and paying the fee
Lodge the application online through your account or on paper and pay the fee of from NZD 5,360.
4
Waiting for the decision
80% of applications — in 7 months
The immigration service may request further documents, including fresh police certificates.
5
Receiving the resident visa
On approval an eVisa is issued. The travel conditions last 2 years from the date of first entry as a resident, or from the date the visa is granted if the applicant is already in New Zealand.

Who you can bring with you

Who can be included in the application

Children aged 24 and under

The applicant has to be their parent or legal guardian; the children are not in a relationship, from age 18 have no children of their own, and from 21 to 24 are financially dependent on an adult

Partner

Has to be a New Zealand citizen or resident, to complete the Partnership Support Form for Residence and not to be caught by the rule on supporting residence applications in the last 5 years

Renewal and the grace period

After 2 consecutive years holding the partner resident visa you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa. It removes the expiring travel conditions and allows you to enter and leave New Zealand with no time limit, as long as the visa is held in a current passport. The fee for a Permanent Resident Visa is from NZD 315, and 80% of applications are decided in 2 weeks.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Partner of a New Zealander visa	Skilled migrant visa	AEWV work visa
Grounds	Partnership with a New Zealand citizen or resident	The Skilled Resident Points system plus skilled employment with an accredited employer	A full-time job offer from an employer that has passed accreditation and a job check
Money	The fee is from NZD 5,360	The fee is from NZD 6,450	The fee is from NZD 1,540
Work	The right to live, work and study in New Zealand with no limit of time	The right to live, work and study in New Zealand with no limit of time	Work with an accredited employer

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to permanent residence

After 2 consecutive years holding the visa you become eligible for permanent residence (a Permanent Resident Visa).

Frequently asked questions about Partner of a New Zealander visa

Who can apply for a partner of a New Zealander resident visa?

An applicant whose partner is a New Zealand citizen or resident, who has lived with that partner in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months at the date of lodgement, and who is in good health and of good character.

What does the visa cost and how long does an application take?

The fee is from NZD 5,360. 80% of applications are decided within 7 months.

Can children be included in the application?

Yes, children aged 24 and under, if the applicant is their parent or legal guardian. Children aged 21 to 24 have to be financially dependent, and from age 18 they must have no children of their own and not be in a relationship.

What if the partners have been living together for less than 12 months?

There is a separate Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa: the fee is from NZD 1,630 and 80% of applications are decided in 8 weeks. If you have been living together for less than 12 months, the visa is granted for 1 year with the option of extending the stay to 3 years in total.

When can you apply for permanent residence?

After 2 consecutive years holding the partner resident visa you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa. The fee is from NZD 315 and 80% of applications are decided in 2 weeks.

Can a partner who has already supported someone else's residence application support this one?

No, not if they were the supporting partner in a successful residence application in the last 5 years or in more than one such application — in that case the application will not be accepted.

Can you obtain permanent residence straight away, bypassing the ordinary partner resident visa?

Yes: if the partner is a New Zealand citizen and the couple has lived together outside New Zealand for at least 5 years, with the partner having spent at least 5 years outside the country, a Permanent Resident Visa may be granted straight away instead of the partner resident visa.

Other ways to move to New Zealand

Every route in one list — migration programmes: New Zealand.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.