If your partner is a New Zealand citizen or resident and you have lived together for at least 12 months, you can apply for residence through the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa. It lets you live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely, and after holding it for 2 years in a row you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa.
The partner resident visa costs NZ$5,360 (application fee plus immigration levy). INZ's published processing time is 80% of applications within 7 months.
Checked on immigration.govt.nz on 28 October 2026.
At a glance
| Who it's for | Partners (married, civil union or de facto) of New Zealand citizens and residents |
| Key requirement | Living together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months, after you both turned 18 |
| Your partner | Supports your application with the Partnership Support Form for Residence (INZ 1178) |
| Health | Chest X-ray and medical examination, less than 3 months old when INZ receives them |
| Character | Police certificates for you (17+) and for your NZ partner |
| Children | Dependent children aged 24 or younger can be included |
| Cost | NZ$5,360 |
| Processing | 80% within 7 months (INZ, October 2026) |
| What it gives you | Live, work and study indefinitely; travel conditions for 2 years; then a Permanent Resident Visa |
Not lived together for 12 months yet? Most couples start with a partnership work visa and apply for residence once they reach 12 months.
Who can apply
You must:
- have a partner who is a New Zealand citizen or resident and who supports your application
- both be at least 18
- have been living together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months when you apply, counted from after you both turned 18
- be in good health and of good character
- both plan to live in New Zealand.
If your partner holds New Zealand residence because they are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, they must be living in New Zealand, and they'll need to show it (utility bills, employment or tax records, a tenancy or mortgage, or proof their household goods were moved here).
Limits on your partner
Your partner can't support you if they have acted as a partner in a successful resident visa application in the last 5 years, or in more than one successful resident visa application ever. That includes having supported a previous partner's residence, or having included a partner in their own residence application. They also can't be liable for deportation.
Your partner must meet INZ's character requirements. They need police certificates from every country where they spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 17 (not New Zealand, which INZ checks itself). A partner with any conviction for domestic violence or sexual offences does not meet the character requirements; otherwise INZ can consider a character waiver.
Where an adviser helps: the 12-month rule is about living together, not dating or being married. If you've had time apart (work in another city, visa gaps, a period overseas), or most of your evidence is in one person's name, have a licensed adviser look at your timeline before you apply. A decline costs the fee and months of waiting.
Evidence of your relationship
INZ wants to see that you have lived together for at least 12 months in a relationship that is genuine and stable. Evidence from before you both turned 18 isn't counted. The evidence should show:
- how long you've been in a relationship
- how long you've lived together
- that you share finances or other responsibilities
- that you spend time together (photos, messages, emails)
- that other people recognise you as a couple.
Useful documents include a joint tenancy or mortgage, bills at the same address in both names, a joint bank account, letters to both of you at the same address, IRD or bank records showing the same address, and statements from friends and family. INZ publishes a partnership timeline and evidence checklist you can fill in and upload with your application.
Health and character
- Medicals: you need a chest X-ray and a general medical examination, done by a panel physician through eMedical. The results must be less than 3 months old when INZ receives them, so book them close to submitting.
- Police certificates: anyone aged 17 or over needs certificates from each country of citizenship and every country where they spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years, less than 6 months old when you apply. Certificates given with an earlier INZ application and issued in the last 24 months don't need to be provided again. See police certificates for a NZ visa.
Including your children
You can include dependent children aged 24 or younger who are single and have no children of their own. Children aged 21 to 24 must be financially dependent. For children aged 15 or younger, you'll need to show they can legally leave their home country: sole custody, or the other parent's agreement, or a death certificate if the other parent has died.
Documents you need
- Passport (a scan of the details page for online applications) and an acceptable photo
- Police certificates, if required
- Evidence of your chest X-ray and medical examination (the eMedical reference)
- Proof your partner is a NZ citizen or resident (NZ passport, birth or citizenship certificate, or resident visa)
- Proof your partner lives in New Zealand, if their residence comes from Australian citizenship or residence
- Relationship evidence, and the timeline and evidence checklist
- The Partnership Support Form for Residence (INZ 1178), signed by your partner, with their documents
- Documents for any children, and custody documents if needed
- English translations of anything not in English
How to apply
- Collect your evidence and get translations done.
- Ask your partner to complete INZ 1178 and gather their police certificates.
- Book your medicals so the results are under 3 months old when INZ receives them.
- Apply online in Immigration Online and pay the fee.
- Keep a valid visa while you wait. If you're in New Zealand and your current visa will expire before INZ decides, apply for a new temporary visa too (often a partnership work visa). That's what gives you an interim visa if your visa runs out.
After you get the visa
If you applied from outside New Zealand, you must arrive within 12 months of the visa being issued. Your travel conditions last 2 years from the day you first arrive as a resident (or from the day the visa is issued, if you're already here). After 2 years in a row on the visa, you can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa, which has no travel expiry.
If you've lived together overseas for 5 years
If your partner is a New Zealand citizen and you've lived together for at least 5 years while your partner lived outside New Zealand (less than 3 months a year in New Zealand), INZ may give you a Permanent Resident Visa straight away instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do we need to have lived together?
At least 12 months when you apply, in a genuine and stable relationship, counted from after you both turned 18. Being married isn't enough on its own; the 12 months of living together is what matters.
Can I apply from outside New Zealand?
Yes. You apply online from anywhere. If you're in New Zealand, keep a valid temporary visa while you wait.
My partner sponsored a previous partner. Can they support me?
Not if that was a successful resident visa application in the last 5 years, or if they've already been the partner in two successful resident applications.
Can I work while the residence application is processed?
Only if your current visa lets you. Many people hold a partnership work visa while they wait, which gives open work rights.
How much does the partnership resident visa cost?
NZ$5,360, made up of the application fee and the immigration levy. Medicals, police certificates and translations are extra.
Getting help
Plenty of couples apply on their own. A licensed immigration adviser is worth it if your living-together history has gaps, your partner has supported someone before or has a criminal record, you have children from a previous relationship who need custody evidence, or you've been declined before. If INZ sends a potentially prejudicial information letter or declines your application, talk to an immigration lawyer or adviser quickly, because the deadlines are short.
Tell us about your situation and we'll connect you with a licensed adviser or immigration lawyer. It's free to ask.
Sources: Immigration New Zealand, "Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa", "Police certificates" and "How to get an X-ray or medical examination" (immigration.govt.nz), read 28 October 2026.