PARTNERSHIP
Three partnership-based visa variants for partners of New Zealand citizens and residents. Visitor and Work visas build cohabitation toward residence; the Resident Visa is the long-term destination. All variants require evidence of a genuine and stable relationship.
Partnership-based visas come in three variants. The Visitor Visa allows short-term stays without work rights. The Work Visa allows work in NZ for 1 year (cohabitation under 12 months) or up to 3 years (cohabitation 12+ months). The Resident Visa is granted with 12+ months of cohabitation evidence — the long-term destination of the pathway. Choosing the right variant depends on your relationship stage and immigration goal.
The core test for all variants. INZ assesses the relationship across eight dimensions — how long together, commitment, children and care, public recognition, living arrangements, shared tasks, financial support, and shared property. Evidence from official sources (joint tenancy, joint accounts, marriage certificates) weighs more than unofficial sources (letters from friends, social media).
Your supporting partner must be a New Zealand citizen, a New Zealand resident, or an Australian citizen or permanent resident living in NZ on residence. Sponsorship caps: maximum 1 previous partner in the last 5 years; maximum 2 partners total in lifetime. Supporting partner must be 18 or older (16-17 with parental consent) and must not be liable for deportation.
For the Resident Visa: 12 months cohabitation required at application time, evidenced by joint tenancy, joint utilities, and shared mail across the period. For Work and Visitor: no minimum cohabitation, but the supporting partner must be eligible to support residence within 12 months. Living together does NOT include flat-mate arrangements, holidays together, or maintaining separate homes while spending time at each other's places.
Partnership decisions turn on evidence quality. Required: living-together evidence (joint tenancy or rental, joint utilities, joint mail dated across the cohabitation period). Strong: marriage or civil union certificate, birth certificates for shared children, joint bank accounts in active use, joint ownership of assets. Helpful: communication history, photos together, letters of support. If you've had periods of separation, document the reasons, duration, and how the relationship was maintained.
For Residence: chest X-ray + medical (results less than 3 months old at receipt) for the applicant; police certificates for both applicant and supporting partner. For Work or Visitor: chest X-ray if staying more than 6 months from a non-low-TB country; medical if staying 12+ months. Both applicant and supporting partner must meet character requirements; convictions for sexual offences and other specified categories cannot meet character requirements.
INZ application fee: Resident Visa: from NZD $5,360. Work Visa: from NZD $1,630. Visitor Visa: refer to INZ for current fee.
ProVisas advisory fee: Fixed-fee per case where the pathway is standard; time-based for complex matters (including cases with limited evidence, contradictory timelines, or supporting-partner sponsorship history). Specific fees disclosed at consultation and confirmed in your engagement letter.
INZ government fees are passed through at cost. We don't mark up government charges.
Resident Visa: 80% processed within 7 months. Work Visa: 80% within 6 weeks. Visitor Visa: refer to INZ for current processing times. Path to Permanent Resident Visa: 2 years on the Partner Resident Visa. Special case: 5+ years of cohabitation overseas with a New Zealand citizen partner may qualify for direct Permanent Resident Visa grant.
It depends on your relationship stage and immigration goal. If you've lived together less than 12 months, you usually start with a Visitor or Work visa to build cohabitation evidence. Once you've evidenced 12 months of genuine and stable living together, the Resident Visa becomes available. Choosing the right variant for your situation is a strategic decision — talk to a licensed adviser before lodging.
Living as a couple in a shared home. Flat-mate arrangements, holidays together, and maintaining separate homes while spending time at each other's places do NOT count. INZ expects evidence covering the cohabitation period — joint tenancy, joint utilities, joint mail dated through the period.
No. A marriage or civil union certificate establishes the legal status of the relationship but doesn't by itself satisfy the genuine and stable test. INZ wants supporting evidence — joint finances, cohabitation history, communication records, public acknowledgement, shared future commitment. Marriages of convenience are exactly what the genuine-and-stable assessment is designed to screen.
Document them. INZ asks for the reasons for separation, the duration, how you maintained communication, and how the relationship was sustained. They assess whether the reasons are 'genuine and compelling.' Don't hide periods of separation in your timeline — contradictions between applicant statements, supporting partner statements, and documentary evidence are one of the most damaging issues in a partnership case.
Subject to the sponsorship caps. Maximum 1 previous partner in the last 5 years. Maximum 2 partners total in lifetime. If your supporting partner has supported a previous resident visa application, or been included themselves in a previous residence application, this affects whether they can support you now. Talk to a licensed adviser about your specific situation.
Usually no — partnership-based residence typically requires evidence of having lived together for 12 months at the time of application. A narrow special case exists: if your supporting partner is a NZ citizen and you've lived together for 5+ years overseas, you may be granted a Permanent Resident Visa directly. This pathway is narrow; talk to a licensed adviser if you think it applies.
guides
Genuine and stable partnership evidence is the load-bearing element of a partnership-based temporary visa. Required evidence categories, AEWV partner caveats, and why weak evidence is the most common decline reason.
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NZ immigration recognises de facto partnerships alongside marriages and civil unions. 12+ months of genuine and stable cohabitation is the standard de facto threshold. Evidence categories + apostille/translation tips for foreign marriage certificates.
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INZ updated guidelines on the Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa following government intervention. People in arranged marriages overseas can now apply to join their partner via the visitor visa pathway.
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Two related INZ processes: transferring an existing visa to a new passport, and applying for a Parent Resident Visa via two-stage EOI + Full Application. Sponsor income requirements and process details.
Read articleLast reviewed 2026-05-24. Source of truth: Immigration New Zealand →
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