New Zealand (NZ)
New Zealand is an English-speaking Pacific country known for high trust institutions, dramatic landscapes, outdoor life, and a pragmatic immigration system built around skills, family, study, and investment.
Capital: Wellington
Region: Oceania
Language: English
Currency: NZD (NZ$)
Cost of living: Expensive (index 75)
Emergency: 111
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Citizenship & Permanent Residency
Long-term settlement options in New Zealand.
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Permanent Residency
Name
Permanent Resident Visa
Eligibility
Most people become eligible after holding a New Zealand resident visa for at least 2 years and showing a commitment to New Zealand. The most common commitment test is physical presence: at least 184 days in New Zealand on a resident visa in each of the 2 years immediately before applying.
Duration
Indefinite. A Permanent Resident Visa gives indefinite travel conditions, unlike a standard resident visa whose travel conditions can expire.
Requirements
- ✓Hold or have held a resident visa
- ✓Meet or have had cancelled all resident visa conditions
- ✓Show commitment to New Zealand, usually by 184+ days in New Zealand in each of the previous 2 years
- ✓Meet character requirements
- ✓Provide passport, identity, and residence history evidence
- ✓Pay the Immigration New Zealand application fee
A Resident Visa lets you live in New Zealand indefinitely, but travel conditions can expire. A Permanent Resident Visa is what removes that repeated travel-condition anxiety. Some people can show commitment through tax residence, investment, business, or base-establishment routes, but the 184-day presence route is the cleanest for most migrants.
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Citizenship
Name
New Zealand citizenship by grant
Eligibility
Usually for people who have lived in New Zealand as residents for at least the last 5 years, meet presence, character, language, and intention requirements, and are entitled to live in New Zealand indefinitely.
Duration
Permanent citizenship; gives right to a New Zealand passport, subject to passport application rules.
Requirements
- ✓You are entitled to live in New Zealand indefinitely
- ✓You have lived in New Zealand as a resident for at least the last 5 years
- ✓You were physically present in New Zealand as a resident for at least 240 days in each 12-month period
- ✓You were physically present for at least 1,350 days across the 5 years before applying
- ✓You understand and can speak English well enough for ordinary life
- ✓You are of good character, including disclosure of convictions, investigations, and traffic history where relevant
- ✓You intend to keep living in New Zealand or maintain a strong ongoing connection
- ✓You attend a citizenship ceremony if approved, unless exempt
Application fee: NZD 560 per adult (from 21 November 2025; previously NZD 470.20 — first fee increase in over 20 years). Children under 16: NZD 280. The 5-year period is counted backwards from the application date, not from a calendar year. Long overseas trips can break eligibility: being out of New Zealand for more than about 4 months in any 12-month period or more than 15 months total across 5 years can cause problems. UPCOMING CHANGE: A new citizenship knowledge test is planned from late 2027 — 20 multiple-choice questions covering the Bill of Rights Act, democratic principles, government structure, voting rights, and civic responsibilities; pass mark 75% (15/20); 6 attempts allowed (30 working-day wait before 4th attempt); test fee approximately NZD 24/attempt (not yet finalised). Applicants under 16 and over 65 are exempt. No formal test is required for 2026 applications — verify at dia.govt.nz before applying.
Other Routes to Residency & Citizenship
Citizenship by descent
Eligibility
People born overseas to at least one New Zealand citizen parent may be citizens by descent.
Duration / Outcome
Permanent, but citizenship by descent has limits for passing citizenship automatically to children born overseas.
Requirements
- ✓Parent citizenship evidence
- ✓Birth certificate
- ✓Identity documents
- ✓Application through Department of Internal Affairs (fee: NZD 243 from 21 November 2025)
Citizens by descent can live in New Zealand and apply for a passport, but if they later have children overseas, those children may not automatically receive New Zealand citizenship unless the parent first becomes citizen otherwise than by descent.
Citizenship for children
Eligibility
Children can apply under child-specific rules; presence and language requirements can differ from adult grants.
Duration / Outcome
Permanent citizenship if granted.
Requirements
- ✓Child identity
- ✓Parent/guardian consent
- ✓Residence status or parent status evidence
- ✓Best interests information
Children born in New Zealand are not automatically citizens unless at least one parent is a New Zealand citizen, permanent resident, resident entitled to be in New Zealand indefinitely, or Australian citizen/permanent resident meeting the relevant rules.
Samoan citizen pathways
Eligibility
Certain Samoan citizens have special statutory routes because of New Zealand-Samoa history and legislation.
Duration / Outcome
Permanent citizenship if granted.
Requirements
- ✓Samoan citizenship evidence
- ✓Identity documents
- ✓DIA pathway-specific evidence
Do not apply ordinary grant assumptions to Samoan cases; check Department of Internal Affairs guidance for the exact route.
Australian citizens and permanent residents
Eligibility
Australians can live in New Zealand under trans-Tasman arrangements but still need to meet citizenship grant requirements if applying.
Duration / Outcome
Citizenship if granted.
Requirements
- ✓Australian passport or permanent residence evidence
- ✓5-year presence and residence-style eligibility evidence
- ✓Character and English
Australian citizens do not automatically become New Zealand citizens by living in New Zealand. Time and status must still be assessed.
🌍 Dual Citizenship
✓
Dual citizenship is allowed — New Zealand allows dual and multiple citizenship. Your other country may not, and some countries restrict public office, military service, inheritance, land ownership, tax status, or passport use for dual citizens. Check before applying if your current citizenship is sensitive.
Citizenship & Permanent Residency
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