A Limited Visa admits you for one express purpose and strips the usual fallbacks: no onshore switching, no Section 61, no appeal rights. What it is, why INZ offers it instead of a visitor visa, and when to accept one.
Written by the ProVisas Editorial Team. ProVisas is a licensed New Zealand immigration advisory firm (IAA Licence 201301110).
A Limited Visa admits you to New Zealand for one express purpose, and only that purpose: once it is achieved, you must leave (immigration.govt.nz). What makes it different from a visitor visa is not the purpose but what it removes. A Limited Visa holder cannot apply onshore for any other visa type, cannot make a Section 61 request, and has none of the appeal rights other visa holders have. Understanding those restrictions matters most at one specific moment: when you applied for a visitor or student visa and INZ offers you a Limited Visa instead.
INZ grants Limited Visas for an express purpose such as a short course of study as a full fee-paying student, a special event (a wedding, funeral, anniversary, reunion, conference, seminar, graduation, sports tournament or religious ceremony), medical treatment, a family emergency, or seasonal work for a Recognised Seasonal Employer. Other specific purposes can qualify if INZ agrees with your reason for coming.
The visa lasts as long as needed to achieve the purpose rather than a fixed period. It costs from NZD $505 and 80% of applications are decided within 3 weeks (as at 28 August 2026, immigration.govt.nz). You need evidence of the purpose (an invitation, an offer of place, a treatment schedule), funds of NZD $1,000 per person per month (NZD $1,250 if studying) or an acceptable sponsor, and plans to leave at the end of the stay. A partner and dependent children aged 19 or under can be included, except on RSE Limited Visas, where family apply separately.
Because INZ’s own guidance says Limited Visas go to two groups: people who choose one, and people “who would not be accepted for another type of visa because of a risk that they might remain in New Zealand after their visa expires” (INZ 1070). If your visitor visa application raised overstay-risk concerns, a Limited Visa is INZ’s way of saying yes to the visit while removing every mechanism for extending it.
Before substituting one for a visitor visa you applied for, INZ invites you to comment. That window is the moment to decide, because accepting changes your legal position substantially. If your circumstances point to a genuine short visit, the restrictions may cost you nothing; if there is any realistic chance you will want to extend, switch category, or deal with a complication onshore, the restrictions bite hard.
Not from inside New Zealand. The intended pattern is achieve the purpose, leave, and apply for any other visa from offshore. This is the restriction that catches people with longer-term plans: an onshore pathway that would be routine from a visitor visa (a partner work visa application, a student visa after a short course) simply is not available. If New Zealand is part of a longer-term plan, raise that during the comment window and take advice before accepting the Limited Visa, because the standard visitor visa preserves options the Limited Visa forecloses.
Applications are on paper, using the ordinary form for your purpose and stating the Limited Visa reasons in it: the Tourist/Business Visitor Visa form (INZ 1189) for tourism or business, the Student Visa form (INZ 1012) for study, or the Visitor Visa form (INZ 1017) for other purposes. RSE work has its own application. The fee structure behind the NZD $505 headline is a NZD $325 application fee plus the NZD $80 immigration levy and NZD $100 IVL on the May 2026 fee schedule; the student variant differs. Our guide to how INZ processes applications covers what happens after you lodge.
A visa granted for one express purpose, such as a short course, a special event, medical treatment, a family emergency or Recognised Seasonal Employer work. It lasts as long as the purpose requires, costs from NZD $505, and carries hard restrictions: no onshore application for any other visa type, no Section 61 request, no appeal rights, and it expires if you leave New Zealand.
INZ’s guidance says Limited Visas go to applicants who would not be approved for another visa because of a risk they might remain after expiry, as well as people who choose one. It lets INZ approve the visit while removing every onshore extension mechanism. INZ invites you to comment before substituting one for the visitor visa you applied for; that window is the time to make your case or take advice.
Only another Limited Visa, and only for the same express purpose if you need more time to achieve it. No other visa category can be applied for from inside New Zealand, Section 61 requests are unavailable, and a pending further Limited Visa application does not keep you lawful past your expiry date, so you must lodge early or plan to leave.
Work is prohibited unless the visa was granted for Recognised Seasonal Employer work. Study is allowed only where it is the express purpose of the visa, and then only the specific course at the specific provider and location listed on it. Breaching these conditions creates deportation liability with no right of appeal.
By leaving New Zealand first. There is no onshore transition from a Limited Visa: you achieve the express purpose, depart before expiry, and apply for the next visa from offshore. If you expect to want a longer-term pathway, raise it before accepting a Limited Visa, because a standard visitor visa keeps onshore options open that a Limited Visa removes.
If you are weighing a Limited Visa offer against pressing for the visitor visa you applied for, the visitor visa page sets out what the standard visa preserves; if a visa has already expired, Section 61 explains the position for other visa holders and why Limited Visa holders sit outside it.
Current as at 28 August 2026, based on Immigration New Zealand policy. For advice on your own situation, talk to a ProVisas Licensed Immigration Adviser (IAA Licence 201301110).
Last reviewed . Information may have changed since this article was reviewed. For your specific case, talk to a licensed immigration adviser.
guides
A Group Visitor Visa covers people arriving in New Zealand together for the same purpose, from NZD $271 with a stay of about 1 month. How the group roles work, what changed on 24 August 2026, and when a tour escort needs a work visa instead.
Read moreguides
Aged 66+ with NZD 750,000 to invest? The Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa allows renewable two-year stays. Investment, income, and funds thresholds.
Read moreguides
The Critical Purpose Visitor Visa closed to new applications on 31 July 2022 when the border fully reopened. Here is what it was, why it ended, and which visa now covers each purpose it used to serve.
Read more