Which partner visa is there for New Zealand?

Immigration New Zealand's published "from" fee and "80% within" processing time for each, as shown on our visa pages. Fees vary by citizenship and where you apply from, so the figure is a floor.

• Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa — a work visa for the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident. From NZD $1,630; 80% within 6.5 weeks.
• Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa — residence for the partner of a New Zealand citizen or resident. From NZD $5,360; 80% within 7 months.
• Partner of a Worker Work Visa — a work visa for the partner of someone here on an eligible work visa. From NZD $1,630; 80% within 6 weeks.
• Partner of a Student Work Visa — a work visa for the partner of a student on an eligible level 7 to 10 qualification. From NZD $1,630; 80% within 6 weeks.

INZ also publishes visitor visas for partners: the Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa, Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa and Partner of a Student Visitor Visa. They let a partner stay but not work.

The Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa lets you live and work here. INZ says that if you have lived with your partner for less than 12 months, the visa will be for 1 year, and you can apply for more visas up to 3 years in total; with 12 months or more of living together, it can be for up to 3 years.

The Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa is the residence route. INZ says that for some partnership applications, such as this one, evidence of living together must cover a period of 12 months before the application is submitted.

INZ also limits how often a New Zealander can support a partner: citizens and residents can support only 1 partner for residence in a 5-year period, and only 2 partners for residence in total.

The Partner of a Worker Work Visa normally runs for the same length as your partner's visa, and you do not need a job offer. Not every work visa can support it: INZ lists the ones that cannot, including a visa for 6 months or less, a Working Holiday Visa and a lower-skilled job on an AEWV. For an AEWV, INZ sets wage thresholds by skill level, which are on the visa page.

The Partner of a Student Work Visa depends on what your partner is studying: a level 9 or 10 qualification, or an eligible level 7 or 8 qualification. INZ asks for at least NZD $4,200 for your stay.

The common thread across all of them, in INZ's words:

• you and your partner must be aged 18 or older, not be close relatives, and have met each other before applying
• you must be living together in a genuine and stable relationship, and your evidence must be from after you both turned 18
• your partner completes the Form for Partners Supporting Partnership-Based Temporary Entry (INZ 1146) for a temporary visa
• health and character requirements apply to you, and your partner must meet the good character requirements for supporting partners

What counts as evidence is set out in our partnership evidence guide. Whether your own relationship meets the test is a question for INZ or a licensed immigration adviser.

If your current visa runs out while a partner visa is being decided, INZ may give you an Interim Visa, and on many of them you cannot work. Our Interim Visa guide sets out the conditions for each combination.