The Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa allows individuals who have a spouse or long-term partner who is a resident or citizen of New Zealand to obtain residence in New Zealand.
Individuals looking to travel to New Zealand temporarily, either for or shortly after a culturally arranged marriage, may instead wish to consider the Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa.
Who can apply for a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa?
You may be eligible for this visa if:
- you are in a settled, long-term relationship with a New Zealand citizen or resident
- you and your partner have lived together for at least 12 months and are living together when you submit your application
- you and your partner are both aged 18 or over. From 25 September 2026, both partners must be 18 when applying, and only time living together after you were both 18 counts towards the 12 months
- you meet the standard good health and character requirements for a New Zealand visa
As part of your application for this visa, you will need to demonstrate the genuine and stable nature of your relationship with your partner. Examples of this might include messages between yourself and your partner, a marriage or civil partnership certificate, evidence that other people recognise your relationship, or records of meeting shared financial responsibilities.
In order to act as your sponsor for a resident visa, your partner must also meet certain character requirements. In particular, they should not have any criminal convictions for sexual crimes or domestic violence.
New Zealand citizens and residents are restricted to sponsoring:
- one partner within a five-year period
- no more than two partners in total
What does a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa offer?
Succesful applicants for this resident visa:
- are granted a resident visa, which allows them to live in New Zealand indefinitely and apply for permanent residence after 2 years
- are able to work in any field, and for any employer
- are permitted to undertake full- or part-time study for any length of time
Applicants for this visa are permitted to include dependent children in their application providing that:
- they are single and aged 24 or younger
- they are financially dependent on an adult
- the applicant is their parent or legal guardian
- if they are aged 15 or younger, the applicant has the legal right to remove them from their home country
How do I apply for a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa?
Applications for this visa can be submitted online or on paper. When submitting the application and supporting evidence, an INZ 1178 form completed by the sponsoring partner must also be provided.
Once New Zealand Immigration has received an application for this visa, processing usually takes several months, so we check the current timeframes for you when we lodge your application.
The cost of applying for a Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa depends on your nationality and where you are submitting the application from. For most applicants the total is NZD $5,360 (application fee plus immigration levy).
NB: If you apply from overseas and your visa application is approved, you will have 12 months in which to travel to New Zealand for your visa to remain valid. Your visa may also carry a travel condition which may need to be renewed at a later date if you choose not to later apply for a Permanent Resident Visa.
