Everything You Need to Know - Visitor Visa (General)
Here’s everything you need to know when applying for a New Zealand Visitor Visa based on your relationship (girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse or partner).
If you’re in a new or long-distance relationship and you haven’t been living together, you can apply for a short-term visitor visa so that your loved one can enter New Zealand and apply for a longer-term partner visa once you start living together.
Check if you need a visitor visa or an NZeTA
Depending on what passport your loved one holds, they may not need a visitor visa to enter New Zealand. They may only need to apply for a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) online, which is faster and cheaper than a visa.
You can check if you need a visitor visa or an NZeTA on the Immigration New Zealand website.
Summary of requirements
The two main requirements for this visa in cases like yours is that you must show with documents as evidence that:
You’re a genuine visitor, and
You’re in a genuine relationship.
Evidence of Genuine Visitor
Evidence of your loved one’s current work and living arrangements in their home country will help Immigration New Zealand decide if they’re likely to return to their home country at the end of their visit. Depending on your loved one’s circumstances, evidence could include:
A letter from their employer approving their leave and confirming their return to work, or financial records showing they are currently employed.
Showing they are enrolled for study by providing a letter or student identity card from their school or other education provider.
A list of their family ties in their home country (download our handy template), including parents, siblings, and any children from a previous relationship, and a copy of their identity documents, birth certificates, or family registration to establish their identity and relationship.
Financial or other business documents showing that they’re self-employed in a business as a going concern.
A retirement certificate or evidence that they receive a pension.
Relationship Evidence
Here’s how Immigration New Zealand defines partnership and here’s the link to a basic checklist to give you an idea of what your future application for a partner visa will look like.
As your relationship is new or has mainly been long-distance so far, there may not be much of this type of evidence. The key is to brainstorm and prepare whatever is available and relevant.
Evidence of funds
Your loved one overseas, or you acting as their financial sponsor, will need to show that they have at least NZD $400 per month to live on if accommodation is provided (i.e. you’ll be living together), plus enough funds to cover a plane ticket back to their home country if they won’t be travelling on a return ticket.
How we can help
We aim to advise you proactively and help you to prepare a decision-ready application for a Visitor Visa (General), from start to finish. This includes helping you to prepare the application, submitting it online on your behalf, and monitoring the application process.
A decision-ready application means that it has all the information needed for an immigration officer to pick up the application and quickly make a decision in your favour.
Fixed fee
From $1,900, payable in two stages:
$950 deposit to confirm engagement
$950 prior to submission of application
Visa application fees
Application fees are additional and must be paid by card when applying through Immigration Online. For most people, the fee to apply for this visa is $246.
Total cost:
From $2,146 (all fees included)
Processing times
Currently, most applications for this visa are being completed within 33 weekdays.
Check this page for up-to-date processing times published by Immigration New Zealand.
Thinking ahead
Remember that the Visitor Visa (General) is not a partner visa in itself but a stepping stone to a longer-term partner visa, which you can apply for once you’ve started living together in New Zealand and have enough evidence.
Next steps
It’s 100% FREE to book a call with me and answer any questions you have about your application before moving forward.
After the call and once you’ve confirmed that we’ll be working together, I’ll prepare the online application form for your loved one overseas and send you a detailed checklist of everything we need to get their application ready for submission.
