The Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa is for eligible partners of New Zealand citizens or residents who have lived together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months when they apply. Under the current rules, both partners must be at least 18, and the qualifying relationship evidence must be from after both turned 18.
The useful starting point is to check the couple’s eligibility, the supporting partner’s position and the evidence period separately. Being married, having photographs together or holding a temporary partner visa does not by itself establish residence eligibility.
Official guidance reviewed November 2, 2026. This independent guide explains the category and evidence organisation; Immigration New Zealand decides applications.
Who this partnership residence route is for
Start with the official visa page, then confirm that it is the right category for the supporting partner’s actual immigration status. A partner who holds only a temporary worker or student visa is a different starting situation from a New Zealand citizen or resident.
| Question | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Supporting partner | New Zealand citizenship or residence and eligibility to support |
| Age and evidence period | Both adults; qualifying evidence after both turned 18 |
| Shared life | Required period living together in a genuine and stable partnership |
| Applicant requirements | Identity, health, character and any other applicable conditions |
| Family | Eligibility and evidence for any dependent children included |
INZ recognises qualifying marriages, civil unions and de facto relationships, including same-sex partnerships. Read the current partnership definition and evidence guidance. A marriage certificate can help explain the relationship, but it does not replace the shared-home and genuine-partnership evidence.
For a wider comparison of initial residence routes and travel rights, see our New Zealand resident visa guide.
Resident, work and visitor partner visas answer different questions
The Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa and Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa are temporary categories with their own requirements. They should not be treated as automatic first stages that every residence applicant must complete.
Someone who has already built the required eligible cohabitation evidence overseas may be in a different position from a couple who has not yet shared a home for the required period. Conversely, a temporary visa does not waive the residence requirement. Choose the route by the actual facts, not by copying another couple’s sequence.
If applying from inside New Zealand, maintain a separate lawful-status plan. The residence page warns that an applicant must have a valid visa while waiting and may need to apply for an appropriate new temporary visa. A pending residence application does not itself establish permission to remain or work.
How the age rule affects the 12-month calculation
Use the date when both people were 18 as an eligibility checkpoint. A long relationship may include an earlier period that the current category does not recognise for this purpose. Older forms or articles referring to parental consent for a 16- or 17-year-old should not be used to override the present dedicated-category rules.
Illustrative example: one partner turns 18 later than the other. Their history begins before that birthday, but the qualifying evidence period for this application must be assessed from after both were 18. A wedding anniversary or the first message exchanged does not replace that date check.
What living together means
INZ describes living together as sharing a home as partners. Visits while maintaining separate homes, holiday accommodation and simply being flatmates do not establish the same thing. Establish the genuine household arrangement, not just matching addresses on one document.
Keep four dates distinct: when the relationship began, when you first shared a home as a couple, when each shared address changed, and the proposed application date. This makes it easier to see whether the documents cover the relevant period or only recent weeks.
Do not call every night together “living together” without considering the household facts. If the situation is complicated, read the official assessment guidance and obtain appropriate individual advice rather than turning a planning worksheet into a legal conclusion.
A document checklist organised by what each item proves
The purpose of the file is to make the real relationship understandable. It is not a competition to upload the largest number of photos. Use the current official requirements and relevant requests in your application to decide what is needed.
| Evidence area | Examples described in official guidance | Organising question |
|---|---|---|
| Shared home | Tenancy or property records, household accounts, mail to the shared address | Which people, address and dates does this actually identify? |
| Shared responsibilities | Financial arrangements and household or family commitments | What part of the shared life does the record explain? |
| Public recognition | Relevant letters, social records and dated photos | Who recognises the relationship, and when? |
| History and continuity | Relationship milestones and communication during relevant periods | Does the chronology agree with the rest of the file? |
Jointly addressed documents can be useful, but the official guidance also discusses individual mail sent to the shared address. Do not invent a joint account or rewrite a tenancy because your circumstances differ from a sample checklist.
Use genuine records and concise explanations where needed. Keep sensitive account numbers and private material secure, and follow INZ’s instructions on what must be visible. A public blog comment or social-media group is not the right place to upload a full application bundle.
Build a clear partnership timeline
INZ provides an optional partnership timeline and evidence checklist PDF. It asks about meeting, starting to live together, milestones and periods apart. It is an organising aid, not a waiver of the category’s requirements.
For your own preparation, connect events to evidence rather than writing a long narrative that cannot be checked:
| Period or event | Fact to record | Evidence link or unresolved point |
|---|---|---|
| First shared home | Actual move-in date and address | Identify the genuine records covering the start |
| Later shared address | Move date and household arrangement | Explain how the records connect the two addresses |
| Period apart | Start/end dates and reason | Relevant supporting records and communication |
| Before submission | Continuing partnership and current shared circumstances | Check consistency with the application and supporting form |
Illustrative example: Alex and Sam have a tenancy beginning in March, household correspondence in June and September, and a later move. Their useful task is to connect those documents to the actual shared-home history and explain the move. Repeating the same photo many times does not fill a missing address period.
Use the upload instructions currently displayed in the application. If combining records into PDFs, keep them legible, dated and indexed. Retain the original documents separately. The optional checklist’s examples are not a mandatory identical file set for every couple.
How to explain periods living apart
The official partnership assessment instructions explain that a separation does not automatically require refusal. Its reasons, duration and the surrounding relationship circumstances matter. That does not mean all time spent apart automatically counts as living together.
Record the actual dates and reason, explain how contact was maintained, and identify relevant supporting records. Keep the account consistent with travel, employment and address information. Do not conceal a separation because you think a perfectly uninterrupted story will look stronger.
A situation involving a long or complicated period apart needs an individual assessment. General examples cannot determine whether a particular couple meets the residence category.
Check the supporting partner’s eligibility early
Check citizenship or residence evidence, relevant immigration history and the official eligibility conditions. Previous participation in successful residence applications as a partner can matter, including some situations where the person was an applicant rather than simply a sponsor. Do not reduce the review to the question “Have you sponsored someone before?”
INZ’s eligible-partner section contains limits concerning recent and repeated successful residence participation, along with other restrictions. Where prior relationships or applications are involved, read that section fully and obtain advice if its application is unclear.
The supporting partner must complete the current Partnership Support Form for Residence, INZ 1178. Check that names, relationship history and dates agree with the applicant’s information. Download the current form from INZ rather than using an undated copy passed between applicants.
If the supporting partner’s New Zealand residence comes through Australian citizenship or permanent residence, the official category has a New Zealand-living requirement. Do not assume an Australian passport alone resolves every supporting-partner condition.
How to prepare and submit the application
- Confirm the correct visa category, age, qualifying period and supporting-partner eligibility.
- Build the relationship chronology and map genuine evidence to it.
- Prepare identity, support-form and any applicable child documents.
- Follow the current health, character and translation instructions.
- Use the official application link, review declarations and upload readable files.
- Pay the applicable charge, submit and retain the confirmation.
- Monitor requests and keep lawful status while awaiting a decision.
Medical and police evidence can have timing requirements. Schedule them using the current instructions instead of ordering every document at the start and assuming it will remain current indefinitely. Certified English translations are required for relevant non-English documents; follow INZ’s translator and submission rules.
For the health part of this residence application, see our medical certificate, panel physician and eMedical guide. Confirm the category-specific examination and timing before arranging evidence.
Our New Zealand application guide explains the practical difference between a saved draft, a submitted application, a payment and a visa decision.
Cost and processing time
The official category page reviewed on November 2, 2026 displays a charge from NZD 5,360. Check the current amount for your circumstances before paying. Translation, medical, police-document or optional professional-service expenses are separate budget items.
Published processing figures change and describe other applications, not a guaranteed completion date for yours. Evidence requests and individual circumstances can affect the process. Avoid treating an estimate as a fixed date for leaving employment, ending a tenancy or purchasing non-refundable travel.
Overseas couples and the five-year Permanent Resident Visa exception
You do not need to manufacture a temporary-visa stage merely because the couple is overseas. Use the official category and application instructions for your circumstances. A particular exception can also matter for long-established partners of New Zealand citizens.
Under the official partnership residence instructions, a Permanent Resident Visa may be granted where the other partnership requirements are met, the couple has lived together in a genuine and stable relationship for at least five years, and the New Zealand citizen partner meets the specified overseas-residence history. The overseas-residence definition includes spending less than three months in New Zealand in each relevant 12-month period, with the reference period depending on where the application is made.
It is not a blanket rule that every five-year relationship qualifies. Check the citizenship, shared-life, overseas-history and remaining conditions together. Our Permanent Resident Visa guide covers the ordinary later route for existing residents; this partnership exception needs its own assessment.
After approval: read residence and travel conditions separately
An ordinary resident grant permits indefinite residence while still having travel conditions. Record any first-entry date and return-travel expiry from the actual eVisa. Before an overseas trip, compare the planned return with those conditions.
Use INZ’s resident visa conditions guidance if a travel-condition variation or later Permanent Resident Visa may be needed. Approval for one person does not remove the need to check the grants and travel documents for other family members.
Review the applicant and supporting partner as two connected files
A relationship timeline is only one part of preparation. Review the applicant’s identity and evidence alongside the supporting partner’s status, history and support form. Put unresolved questions in the file before submission instead of treating the application as complete because the couple has many photographs.
| Record | Consistency check |
|---|---|
| Shared-home evidence | Addresses, dates and explanations agree with the actual living arrangements |
| Partner support | The correct person, current form and relevant immigration history |
| Periods apart | Reasons and dates are explained without describing every separation as living together |
| Family and identity | Names and individual records agree across the application |
Use the official category instructions and any direct request for the required evidence. This comparison is an organising aid, not a substitute for the relationship or supporting-partner tests.
For related tasks, use our medical evidence guide, processing-time explanation and INZ enquiry guide. Keep those administrative steps distinct from the residence decision.
November 4, 2026 update: review the applicant and supporting partner as two connected files. Current official references checked for this added guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Is a marriage certificate enough for this resident visa?
No. The shared-home period, genuine and stable partnership, supporting-partner eligibility and remaining category requirements must also be established.
Can unmarried partners apply?
A qualifying de facto partnership can be recognised. The actual relationship and evidence requirements still apply.
Must all evidence be in both names?
Not necessarily. INZ discusses jointly and individually addressed records showing the shared home. Follow the official requirements and provide genuine evidence for the circumstances.
Can time together before both turned 18 count?
The current dedicated-category guidance requires the qualifying evidence to be from after both partners turned 18. Check the dates before assessing the 12-month period.
Does a residence application extend my temporary visa?
Do not assume so. Maintain a separate lawful-status plan and follow the official advice if the existing visa may expire while the residence application is pending.
Is permanent residence automatic after two years?
No. The ordinary later Permanent Resident Visa has its own application and requirements. A specific overseas-partner exception may apply in some cases.
GlobalVisora is an independent information publisher, not Immigration New Zealand or a licensed immigration advisory service. Examples are illustrative and do not assess an individual couple’s eligibility or evidence.