Immigration New Zealand (INZ) asks for police certificates so it can check you are of good character. Whether you need them, and from which countries, depends on the visa:
- Resident visas (anyone aged 17 or over): a certificate from every country you are a citizen of, and from every country where you have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years, even if those 12 months were split across several stays.
- Work, student and visitor visas, including the AEWV: only when your total time in New Zealand will reach 24 months or more, counting earlier visits. Then you need certificates from your country of citizenship and any country you have lived in for more than 5 years since you turned 17.
Every certificate must be less than 6 months old when you submit your application, and it must come with an English translation if it isn't in English, even when it shows no convictions.
Rules checked on immigration.govt.nz on 28 October 2026.
At a glance
| Resident visas | Temporary visas (work, student, visitor, AEWV) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who needs them | Everyone aged 17 or over in the application | Applicants whose total time in NZ will be 24 months or more |
| Which countries | Citizenship, plus any country with 12 months or more in the last 10 years | Citizenship, plus any country lived in more than 5 years since age 17 |
| What they must show | Any record at any time, not only the last 10 years | The record held by that country |
| How old | Less than 6 months when you submit | Less than 6 months when you submit |
| Receipt instead of the certificate | No | No for AEWV and visitor visas, except for Fiji, Hong Kong and Israel, which send certificates straight to INZ |
| Already provided one? | Not needed again if given with an earlier application and issued in the last 24 months (partner residence) | Check the visa's character requirements |
How to work out which countries you need
- List every country you are a citizen of. You need a certificate from each one, whether or not you have lived there recently.
- For a resident visa, list every country where you spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years. Add up all your stays in each country. Two years in Dubai made of several contracts counts.
- For a long temporary visa, list every country you lived in for more than 5 years after turning 17.
- Leave out New Zealand. INZ gets New Zealand records itself.
- Check whether you gave INZ certificates recently. For some visas, certificates provided with an earlier application in the last 24 months can be reused. INZ can still ask for new ones.
A common trap: people who worked in the Gulf, Singapore or Hong Kong before moving to New Zealand forget those countries. For residence, a 12-month stay anywhere in the last 10 years counts.
Where an adviser helps: if your certificate shows a conviction, a charge or a "hit", or a country won't issue one, get advice before you apply. A licensed adviser can tell you how INZ is likely to treat it and what explanation and evidence to give with your application, which is far easier than responding to a potentially prejudicial information letter later.
How to get a police certificate from each country
This is what INZ's own country guide says, condensed. Fees and processing times are set by the issuing country, so check with them before you apply.
| Country | Certificate | Where to apply | What to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | Police Clearance Certificate | In NZ: the High Commission of India in Wellington or the Consulate General in Auckland. In India: the Regional Passport Office or your local police | From some countries the Indian mission wants a letter from INZ confirming the certificate is needed |
| Philippines | NBI Clearance | In the Philippines: online, then an NBI office for fingerprints and photo. From abroad: a Philippine embassy or consulate, by mail to the NBI in Manila, or a representative in the Philippines | From abroad you need a fingerprint card taken by police where you live |
| South Africa | Police Clearance Certificate | South African Police Service, Criminal Record Centre, Pretoria | Needs a certified full set of fingerprints, so allow time |
| United Kingdom | Police certificate | ACRO Criminal Records Office, online or by post | Covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland |
| China | Notarised Police Certificate | First a local Police Clearance letter from the Public Security Bureau, then the Notary Office | Only the notarised certificate goes with your application; someone can apply for you with an authorisation letter |
| Fiji | Fiji Police Clearance Certificate | CID, Police Headquarters, Suva, using form INZ 1185 | Fiji sends the certificate directly to INZ; you upload proof you applied |
| Samoa | Police certificate | Samoa Police, Prisons and Fire Services, Apia | Birth certificate, passport and a photo |
| Tonga | Police certificate | Nuku'alofa Central Police Station | From abroad, add a certified set of fingerprints |
| United States | Identity History Summary | The FBI or an FBI-approved channeler | Fingerprints required |
| UAE | Police Clearance or Good Conduct Certificate | Your emirate's police, online through the Ministry of Interior, or a representative in the UAE | Emirates ID and a photo |
| Saudi Arabia | Police certificate | Citizens: Saudi consulate. Former residents: not available | Former residents give a statutory declaration, the final exit document and an employer letter instead |
| Australia | Police Certificate and Fingerprint Check | Australian Federal Police | Application form on the AFP website |
| Sri Lanka | Police clearance | Sri Lanka Police Headquarters, in person, by post or through an embassy | National Identity Card copies |
| Nepal | Police report | Police Headquarters, Kathmandu, through relatives or a Nepalese mission | Citizenship certificate copy and photos |
Detailed pages for each country's certificate are being added to our country guides.
Step by step
- Make your country list using the rules above.
- Check timing. A certificate older than 6 months on the day you submit is no use, so don't apply too early. Some countries take weeks or months (fingerprint-based checks from South Africa, the FBI or the NBI by mail), so don't leave it too late either.
- Get fingerprints if needed. Private fingerprinting services operate in New Zealand cities. NZ Police offer fingerprinting in some regions on set days; contact them before you go.
- Apply to each country following the table above and the issuer's own instructions.
- Get a translation of any certificate not in English, from a translator who meets INZ's requirements.
- Upload a clear colour scan of each certificate and its translation with your application in Immigration Online.
What if my certificate shows a conviction?
Declare it in your application and explain it. INZ can still grant a visa to someone with a criminal record; it decides each case against its character rules. Some convictions make you ineligible unless INZ grants a character waiver, so this is the point to get advice. See character requirements.
What if a country won't give me a certificate?
Some countries don't issue certificates to people who have left (Saudi Arabia, for former residents, is one INZ names). Follow INZ's alternative for that country, which is usually a statutory declaration plus documents from the time you lived there. If INZ gives no alternative, explain in writing what you tried and attach the evidence.
Does my partner need police certificates?
If you are applying for a partnership resident visa, your New Zealand partner must provide police certificates from countries where they spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 17 (not a New Zealand certificate). For temporary partner visas, INZ may ask for them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old can a police certificate be for INZ?
Less than 6 months old on the day you submit your application. INZ goes by the issue date printed on the certificate.
Do I need a police certificate for an AEWV?
Only if your total time in New Zealand, counting earlier visas, will be 24 months or more. Then you need certificates from your country of citizenship and any country you lived in for more than 5 years since turning 17, uploaded when you apply. A receipt isn't accepted, except for Fiji, Hong Kong and Israel.
I lived in a country for 11 months. Do I need a certificate for residence?
No, the rule is 12 months or more in the last 10 years. But count every stay in that country: two visits adding up to 12 months do count.
Do I need a New Zealand police certificate?
No. INZ gets New Zealand records directly.
Does a police certificate need to be translated?
Yes, if it isn't in English, including certificates that record no convictions. Upload the original and the translation together.
Can I reuse a police certificate from my last application?
Sometimes. For a partnership resident visa, certificates given with an earlier application and issued in the last 24 months don't need to be provided again. INZ can still ask for new ones while it processes your application.
Getting help
Most people can collect their own police certificates. It's worth paying for help when something isn't straightforward: a conviction or charge on any certificate, a country that won't issue one, a long gap you can't account for, or a partner with a criminal record. A licensed immigration adviser can assess how INZ will see it and prepare the explanation, and an immigration lawyer is the right choice if you face a potentially prejudicial information letter, a decline or deportation liability because of your record.
Tell us your situation and we'll introduce you to a licensed adviser or immigration lawyer. It's free to ask.
Sources: Immigration New Zealand, "Police certificates" and "How to get a police certificate" (immigration.govt.nz), read 28 October 2026.