Permanent Resident Visa

Five commitment methods — pick the one that fits your facts

INZ recognises 5 distinct methods to demonstrate commitment to New Zealand during your 2-year Resident Visa period. Each method has its own evidence stack; you pick whichever method best matches what you actually did:

Time in New Zealand — present in NZ for 184 days in each of the last 2 years. Most-used method; evidence is passport records + electronic travel data.
Tax residence — NZ tax resident under the IRD residency tests in each of the last 2 years. Evidence is NZ tax returns + IRD records.
Investment — maintained a substantial investment in NZ throughout the period. Evidence is custody statements, asset confirmations, source-of-funds documentation.
Business — established or operated a NZ business across the period. Evidence is Companies Office records, financial statements, operational evidence.
Family circumstances — the base of your family is in NZ (spouse and/or dependent children resident here; primary home in NZ). Evidence is family residence status, property, school enrolment records.

Pick the method that’s strongest on your actual evidence. If you’ve been in NZ for 184+ days a year, take the time method — it’s the simplest to evidence. If you were offshore for work but maintained NZ tax residence, the tax method may fit. The five methods aren’t ranked — they’re alternatives, each independently sufficient.

Travel-condition expiry — the cliff to avoid

A common Resident Visa mistake: travelling offshore late in the 2-year period, then having the 24-month travel condition expire while overseas. If you’re offshore when the travel condition lapses, you can’t re-enter as a resident. You can apply for a Variation of Travel Conditions from offshore (which extends your re-entry right by 12 months at a time), but it’s easier to plan the PRV application before the travel-condition cliff arrives.

Eligibility

Two years on a Resident Visa

You must have held a Resident Visa for at least 2 consecutive years immediately before applying. The 2-year period runs from the date your Resident Visa was issued (or from your first arrival in NZ if granted offshore). The Resident Visa must currently be valid, or have expired within the last 90 days.

Met all conditions of your prior Resident Visa

Any conditions attached to your initial Resident Visa must have been met — these include any work, location, or notification conditions. If you had an SMC6 Resident Visa with skilled-employment conditions, you must have met those throughout the 2-year period. Unmet conditions are a hard block on PRV, even if everything else qualifies.

Commitment method (one of five)

You demonstrate commitment to New Zealand through one of five accepted methods: (1) time in New Zealand — 184 days in NZ in each of the last 2 years; (2) tax residence — being a NZ tax resident in each of the last 2 years; (3) investment — maintaining a substantial NZ investment; (4) business — establishing or operating a NZ business; (5) family circumstances — base of family is in NZ. Most applicants use the time-in-NZ method.

Good character

Police certificates may be required from any country you've lived in for 12+ months since your last residence assessment. Any convictions, ongoing matters, or character issues that emerged during your Resident Visa period are assessed against the PRV character requirements.

Valid travel document

You need a current passport or recognised identity certificate. The PRV is endorsed onto the passport you hold at the time of approval — if you renew your passport later, you'll need to re-stamp the PRV endorsement to the new passport (this is administrative, not a fresh visa application).

Documents required

Current passport, or an identity certificate if you hold one

Visa photograph meeting INZ standards

Evidence of your current Resident Visa, or evidence of expiry within the last 90 days

Travel records for the 184-day-per-year method — passport stamps, electronic travel records, supporting evidence of arrival and departure dates

OR for the tax residence method: NZ tax returns and IRD records for each of the 2 years

OR for the investment method: investment evidence (asset statements, custody confirmations, source of funds)

OR for the business method: companies office records, financial statements, evidence of operating business

OR for the family circumstances method: evidence of family base in NZ (spouse/children residence status, property, school enrolment)

Police certificates if requested by INZ (depends on prior travel and time periods)

Family applicant documents if including partner or dependent children — relationship evidence, prior Resident Visa evidence

Fees & timeline

Fees

INZ application fee: From NZD $315 — substantially lower than initial residence fees.

ProVisas advisory fee: Most PRV applications using the time-in-NZ method are straightforward. Where complexity exists (alternative commitment methods, unmet condition issues, prior travel gaps), fixed-fee per case where the pathway is standard; time-based for complex matters.

INZ government fees are passed through at cost. We don't mark up government charges. The PRV fee is materially lower than initial residence fees because the assessment is narrower.

Typical timeline

80% processed within 3 weeks. The fast turnaround reflects that PRV is a status conversion from existing Resident Visa, not a fresh-look residence decision — INZ is confirming you've met commitment requirements, not re-assessing your residence eligibility from scratch.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between a Resident Visa and a Permanent Resident Visa?

A Resident Visa grants residence with travel conditions — typically a 24-month travel condition window (you can re-enter NZ as a resident during that period, but if you depart and the travel condition expires while you're offshore, you can't re-enter as a resident). A Permanent Resident Visa removes the travel condition entirely — you can leave and re-enter NZ indefinitely without losing residence status. PRV is the long-term destination after demonstrating 2 years of commitment to NZ.

Do I need to be in New Zealand to apply for PRV?

You can apply from inside or outside NZ. Many applicants apply from inside NZ at the end of their 2-year Resident Visa period, but offshore application is allowed if you currently hold a valid Resident Visa (or one that expired within the last 90 days). If your travel condition has expired and you're offshore, you'd typically need to return to NZ on a Variation of Travel Conditions first before the PRV application can progress.

Which commitment method should I use?

Time in NZ (184 days per year for each of the last 2 years) is the most commonly used and easiest to evidence — passport stamps and electronic travel records do most of the work. Tax residence, investment, business, and family-circumstances methods are alternatives for applicants who didn't spend most of their time in NZ but maintained substantial NZ ties. If you're unsure which method best fits your circumstances, talk to a licensed adviser before lodging — the right method shapes which documents you need to gather.

What if I've spent more than 6 months at a stretch outside NZ?

A single long absence isn't fatal — what matters is the aggregate of days in NZ across each 12-month period. If you were in NZ for 184+ days each year despite a long mid-year absence, the time-in-NZ method still works. If you didn't meet 184 days in either of the 2 years, you'd need to use one of the alternative commitment methods (tax residence, investment, business, family circumstances), each of which has its own evidence requirements.

Can my partner and dependent children get PRV at the same time?

Yes — partners and dependent children who were included in your original Resident Visa can apply for PRV alongside you. They need to evidence their own commitment to NZ (typically using the same method you're using) and meet character requirements. Non-principal applicants generally cannot receive PRV before the principal applicant, with limited exceptions.

What happens to my visa if I let my Resident Visa expire without applying for PRV?

If your Resident Visa expires (including travel condition expiry) and you don't apply for PRV or a Variation of Travel Conditions within 90 days of expiry, your residence status lapses. You'd then need to apply for a new residence visa from scratch — not a PRV transition. The 90-day post-expiry window is the practical safety margin, but the right move is to apply for PRV before expiry, not after.