Partner of a New Zealander visa. The requirements, cost and time.

In order to live together in New Zealand, couples can work together to obtain a partner visa for the person who’s not a citizen or resident of New Zealand.

In this article, we’ll take a look at three of the main types of partner of a New Zealander visa, the benefits, general criteria and an overview of how to apply. We’ll also let you know how Wise can make the move to New Zealand a little easier on your finances.

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What is a Partner of a New Zealander visa

A Partner of a New Zealander visa enables foreigners who are in a genuine relationship with a citizen or resident of New Zealand to stay in New Zealand for an extended period of time.⁴

Let’s take a closer look at three of the main visas in this category.

Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa

With this visa, applicants with a partner who’s a resident or citizen of New Zealand can live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely.¹

Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa

This partner visa enables the applicant to stay in New Zealand for up to two years as a visitor.² They aren’t permitted to work, but can study for up to 3 months.

Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa

Unlike the Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa, the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa allows the applicant to work in New Zealand.³ They can stay for up to 2 years and study for up to 3 months.

Main benefits provided by this visa type

Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa¹

• Live, work and study in New Zealand indefinitely
• Dependent children (0-24 yrs) can be included in the visa application

Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa²

• Live in New Zealand for up to 24 months
• Study in New Zealand for up to 3 months
• Before the 24 months expires the visa holder can apply for residence based on their relationship

Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa³

• Live and work in New Zealand for up to 24 months
• Study in New Zealand for up to 3 months
• Before the 24 months expires the visa holder can apply for residence based on their relationship
• Dependent children can apply for a New Zealand visa based on their relation to the visa holder

Requirements for a partner of a New Zealander visa

The key requirement of a partner of a New Zealander visa is that one person must be a New Zealand citizen or resident.⁴ Past that, the applicant will need to meet certain criteria and provide supporting documentation in order to be successful in their application.

Eligibility requirements

The exact criteria and the documents the applicant needs to provide may vary depending on the type of partner visa, the applicants nationality and the country the application is being lodged from.³

Here’s some of the criteria an applicant will likely need to meet to be granted a partner of a New Zealander visa.⁴

• Is in a sincere and stable relationship with an eligible New Zealand citizen or resident
• Can provide adequate proof of identity
• Is considered healthy
• Genuinely intends to meet the visa conditions
• Live with their partner
• Their partner supports the application
• Has enough money to live on while in New Zealand or has an approved sponsor
• Plans to live in New Zealand with their partner for the same amount of time

Keep in mind that there will be additional requirements and possibly another visa application if the applicant would like to bring dependent children to New Zealand as well.

Read more: New Zealand skilled migrant visa

How to apply for a partner of a New Zealander visa

The application for a partner of a New Zealander visa can be done online or by paper.

Online Form

Here’s a general overview of what needs to be done to apply online.⁵

1. The partner completes the required form to prove they support the application.
2. The applicant applies online through the RealMe portal by completing the online form, uploading any required documentation and paying the applicable fees.
3. New Zealand Immigration will make a decision on the application and notify the applicant.

Applying on Paper

This is generally what needs to be done to apply on paper.⁶

1. Partner completes the partner form for the visa being applied for as proof that they support the application.
2. The applicant completes a paper copy of the application form and sends that along with the application fee, immigration levy and all supporting documents to a receiving centre.
3. New Zealand Immigration makes a decision on the application but will get in touch if the applicant needs to do anything else before approval can be granted.

Application costs and fees.

The fees for a New Zealander partner visa can depend on which type of visa is being applied for, where the application is lodged and the nationality of the applicant.⁷

Here’s the fees for a citizen of the United Kingdom who’s applying while still in the UK.⁷

Visa Type	Fees for Paper Application	Fees for Online Application
Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa	$3610 NZD	$3610 NZD
Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa	£113 application fee £24 Visa Application Centre service fee £6.70 - £52.50 courier fee	$211 NZD
Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa	£457 application fee £24 Visa Application Centre service fee £6.70 - £52.50 courier fee	$860 NZD

Time needed to process and get a partner visa

At the time of publishing, 90% of applicants for each type of partner visa were processed by New Zealand Immigration within these time frames.⁷

Visa Type	Processing Time
Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa	13 months
Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa	28 months
Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa	85 days

Visa and immigration contact details

If you have any questions regarding a partner of a New Zealander visa it’s best to contact New Zealand Immigration directly to get the most up to date information.

• Visit an Immigration New Zealand office in person
• Phone 0508 558 855 within New Zealand
• Call +64 9 914 4100 from overseas

Wrapping up.

If you’re looking at moving to New Zealand from overseas it’s likely that you’ll have to convert foreign currency to NZD. This is where Wise can help.

With Wise, you can send and receive money internationally with no hidden fees. You don’t have to worry about poor exchange rates either, because your money is exchanged using the real exchange rate, just like you see on Google.

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If you’re intrigued, take a look at Wise for yourself - you might just find it’s the answer to your foreign currency exchange needs.

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Best wishes for your visa application.

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Sources:

Here please put all listed sources in the article above in a text link format:

1. New Zealand Immigration - Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa
2. New Zealand Immigration - Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa
3. New Zealand Immigration - Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa
4. New Zealand Immigration - Meeting the criteria
5. New Zealand Immigration - Process & costs - Applying on online form
6. New Zealand Immigration - Process & costs - Applying on paper
7. New Zealand Imigration - Fees, decision times and where to apply

Sources checked on date: 3 August 2022