New Zealand Resident Visa: Application Forms and Evidence

If you are an Australian citizen or permanent resident, you normally do not need to submit a separate New Zealand resident visa application form before you travel. Instead, you are usually granted an Australian Resident Visa on arrival, provided you meet the character requirements and complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD) correctly. The practical application therefore happens at the border, not through a pre-travel paper form, and the key document you must get right is the NZTD, not a standalone visa application form.

How the resident visa on arrival works for Australian citizens

Australian citizens can normally live, work and study in New Zealand without applying for a visa or a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before they arrive. When you enter, you will usually be given a resident visa, known as an Australian Resident Visa, at the border.

To receive this visa on arrival you must have either:

• a valid Australian passport, or
• a foreign passport endorsed with an Australian declaratory visa as evidence of your Australian citizenship.

You must also meet the character requirements for an Australian Resident Visa. Everyone entering New Zealand must complete a New Zealand Traveller Declaration (NZTD). You will be asked about your character in the NZTD, and you can be refused entry permission as well as residence if you are not of good character.

When you complete the NZTD, you must answer section 7 correctly. This question asks whether you hold an Australian passport or Permanent Residence Visa. On arrival, you can use the e-Gate or SmartGate if your passport is compatible. If not, go to the main customs line and tell the Customs or Immigration Officer that you are applying for a resident visa. If there are no issues, you will be given the visa.

How the resident visa on arrival works for Australian permanent residents

If you are an Australian permanent resident, the process is similar but with one extra step before travel. You will normally need a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) before you travel, unless you already hold a valid New Zealand visa.

When you arrive, you will normally be given an Australian Resident Visa. To qualify, you must have:

• a current Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Australian Resident Return Visa,
• travel conditions that let you return to Australia, and
• meet the character requirements for an Australian Resident Visa.

You are also required to make a character declaration in both your NZeTA and your NZTD. When you travel, carry a printed copy of your Australian Permanent Resident Visa or Australian Resident Return Visa in case you need to show it. When you complete the NZTD, answer section 7 correctly. On arrival, use the e-Gate or SmartGate if possible, or go to the main customs line and explain that you are an Australian permanent resident applying for a resident visa.

This border process is especially important if you already hold a temporary New Zealand visa to visit, study or work. If you become an Australian permanent resident after you have already entered New Zealand, you will need to leave and return to New Zealand on your Australian Permanent Resident Visa (or Australian Resident Return Visa) to get a New Zealand resident visa.

What happens if your Australian passport expires while you are in New Zealand

If you are given a resident visa on arrival and your Australian passport expires while you are in New Zealand, you can continue to stay. However, you cannot travel out of New Zealand unless you get a new passport. If you want to travel and keep your New Zealand resident status, you will need to get your visa added to your new passport.

If you do not get multiple entry travel conditions, your visa will expire when you leave New Zealand. Australian citizens can apply for a Permanent Resident Visa after living in New Zealand as a resident for 24 months in a row. If you want to travel outside New Zealand within those 24 months, you will need to get travel conditions on your Australian Resident Visa so you can travel without losing your New Zealand resident status.

Travel conditions and the variation of travel conditions (VOTC)

Your resident visa comes with conditions that tell you what you can and cannot do. The only condition you can change on a resident visa is your ‘Expiry date travel’ condition. Most resident visas let you travel outside New Zealand as often as you like for up to 2 years from when you first arrive, stated on your visa as ‘multiple entries’.

There are two other travel conditions to understand:

Condition	What it means
First entry before	You must travel to New Zealand before this date to keep your resident visa valid. For most resident visas this is 12 months from when the visa is granted. For the Pacific Access Category and Samoan Quota Resident Visas, you must enter within 3 months; your partner and children must enter within 12 months.
Expiry date travel	The last day you can enter New Zealand using this visa. Your resident visa will expire if you are outside New Zealand and this date has passed.

If you leave New Zealand, or are outside New Zealand, after your ‘Expiry date travel’ date, your resident visa will expire and you will not be able to return on that visa. You can apply to extend your travel conditions or apply for a Permanent Resident Visa instead.

Australian citizens and permanent residents who are automatically granted a residence visa on arrival should apply for a Variation of Travel Conditions (VOTC) before leaving New Zealand. Without this variation, your residence visa will lapse when you leave the country, and you may not be eligible for a Permanent Resident Visa when you return. Immigration New Zealand strongly recommends that you review the requirements for a VOTC application and submit your application well before your planned travel date.

Who can apply to extend travel conditions

You can apply to extend your travel conditions before you travel out of New Zealand if you plan to stay on a resident visa for more than 2 years, or if you have applied for a Permanent Resident Visa after 2 years on a resident visa but it has not been approved yet. Depending on your situation, you can apply to extend your multiple entry travel condition for 1 or 2 years. If Immigration New Zealand cannot extend the condition for 1 or 2 years, they may give you an extension for 14 days.

If you have spent more than 6 months in New Zealand in the last 2 years, you can apply to extend your travel conditions for up to 12 months if, in at least 1 of the 2 years before you apply, you spent 184 days or more living in New Zealand. This means you must have spent 184 days or more in New Zealand in the 12 months before your application is received, or in the 12 months before that.

What to do next and what to verify

Before you travel, confirm which category you fall into — Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident — and check the Immigration New Zealand pages for Australian citizens and permanent residents travelling to New Zealand. Complete the NZTD accurately, answering section 7 correctly, and carry proof of your Australian status.

If you are already in New Zealand on a resident visa and plan to travel, check your visa conditions in your eVisa, on the visa label in your passport, or in the letter you received when the visa was granted. You can also check your conditions online using the Visa Verification Service. Before you leave, verify whether you need a VOTC and review the requirements on the official Immigration New Zealand page for checking or changing your resident visa conditions.