This visa allows an individual to go to New Zealand for a specific purpose or event, and to work for a designated employer for that specific purpose or event. How long you will be able to stay in New Zealand on this visa depends on the nature and duration of the specific purpose that your application will be based on.
Examples of a typical ‘specific purpose or event’ include, but are not limited to:
- a temporary, short-term secondment to a New Zealand-based company or subsidiary of your employer
- attendance at an event or exhibition as a competitor, referee, judge or coach
- travel to New Zealand in order to install or perform maintenance of a piece of specialised machinery
- citizens of the Philippines travelling to New Zealand in order to seek occupational registration as a nurse
Who can apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa?
In order to submit an application for a Specific Purpose Work Visa, an individual should:
- Be intending to travel to New Zealand for a specific purpose or specific event
- Be able to demonstrate that they will leave New Zealand once their specific purpose or event has concluded
- Have sufficient personal funds for their accommodation and maintenance while they are in New Zealand, or be able to show that they have sufficient guarantees or sponsorship by someone in New Zealand
- Meet New Zealand’s standard good health and character requirements for visa applications
Some ‘specific purposes’ have their own separate visa types which may be more appropriate for certain applicants. For example:
- If you are intending to work in the entertainment industry, you may need an Entertainers Work Visa
- If you are intending to work at an arts or music festival, or as part of a ‘high-end’ musical act, you may need an Arts and Music Festival Visitor Visa or Short-term Entertainment Act Visitor Visa
- If you intend to work in the care sector, you may prefer to apply for a Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa
- If you are a tour guide from China, you will need a China Special Work Visa
Changes to the Specific Purpose Work Visa for sports professionals
On 26 May 2025, the visa duration for sports professionals applying or reapplying for the Specific Purpose Work Visa is changing.
On 26 May, changes will be made to the Specific Purpose Work Visa (SPWV) that allow a visa duration of up to:
- 12 months for sports players and professional coaches below national or regional level, and
- 36 months for professional sports players and professional coaches at a national or regional level.
Professional sports players and professional coaches at a national or regional level who hold a SPWV will now also be able to apply for another SPWV if their contract is extended, allowing a total stay of up to 36 months (inclusive of the duration of their initial SPWV).
For the purposes of this visa:
- A ‘professional sports player’ is someone who has a paid position in a New Zealand sports club to engage in a primary role of competing and training in that sport.
- A ‘professional sports coach’ is someone who has a paid position in a New Zealand sports club to engage in a primary role of coaching.
- ‘National or regional level’ is someone representing a sports club in a top tier national, trans-Tasman, or international competition.
To be eligible for a SPWV, the applicant must:
- be coming to New Zealand to complete a specific purpose or event
- demonstrate they meet the work visa requirements by providing the evidence required for their intended work
- be qualified to undertake the work
- meet health and character requirements
- have time-bound work.
What does a Specific Purpose Work Visa offer?
Specific Purpose Work Visas give successful applicants the right to travel to and work in New Zealand for the duration of the specific purpose or event that they have used as a basis for their application. The precise amount of time the visa will be valid for is dependent on the length of the specific purpose or event.
The time you can typically stay in New Zealand to complete your specific purpose or event is detailed in the following table:
| Specific purpose or event | How long you can stay |
|---|---|
| Senior or specialist business people on short-term secondments | 12 months |
| Business people being transferred from one part of a multinational company to another in New Zealand | 3 years |
| Business visitors who need to stay in New Zealand for more than 3 months for business reasons | 12 months |
| Investors who have applied for residence and want to investigate investment opportunities | 12 months |
| Sports referees and people in New Zealand to judge a show, display or exhibition | For the length of your engagement – not usually more than 6 months |
| Dance and music examiners | For the time needed to conduct the exams – not usually more than 6 months |
| Installers and services of specialised machinery or equipment | 3 months |
| Sports players and professional coaches | If you’ll be coaching at a national or regional level, up to 3 years; otherwise, 12 months. |
| Philippines nurses seeking occupational registration | Up to 3 months |
| Other | For the time it takes to carry out the specific purpose or event – not usually more than 6 months |
You are not able to bring your partner or dependent children to New Zealand on the basis of this visa. However, it might be possible for them to accompany you on their own visas based on their relationship to you.
How do I apply for a Specific Purpose Work Visa?
Once you have sufficient details of the specific purpose or event you intend to participate in, you can apply for this visa online or, alternatively, on paper via a Visa Application Centre.
Once you have provided all your personal details and supporting information, there is a non-refundable fee to process your application which can be between NZD $100 and NZD $1355 depending on your nationality. In-person applications may cost more due to the additional handling fees charged by Visa Application Centres.
You can usually expect to receive a decision on your application within four weeks. Typically, about 80% of applications for this visa are processed within that time.
