The New Zealand Partnership visa allows you to live and work in New Zealand based on your genuine and stable relationship with a New Zealand citizen or resident. Whether you’re married, in a civil union, or in a de facto relationship, this visa provides a clear pathway from a temporary work visa to full residence. New Zealand is notably welcoming of diverse relationships — same-sex partnerships are treated identically to opposite-sex ones throughout the immigration process.
Not sure if the Partnership visa is right for you? Take our 2-minute New Zealand Visa Match quiz to see all NZ immigration routes you qualify for.
Overview
The Partnership pathway typically works in two stages:
- Partnership Work Visa: A temporary visa (usually 1-2 years) that lets you live and work in NZ while your relationship is assessed for genuineness.
- Partnership Residence Visa: After 12 months of living together in NZ on the work visa (or immediately if you’ve been together 5+ years), you can apply for permanent residence.
Eligibility Requirements
- Genuine and stable relationship: You must be in a genuine partnership with an NZ citizen or resident. For de facto relationships, you must have been living together for at least 12 months (though not necessarily in NZ).
- Partner eligibility: Your NZ partner must be a citizen, resident visa holder, or holder of a work visa that allows them to support a partner. They must be 18 or older.
- Both partners must be 18+.
- Health and character: Standard requirements (medical exam, police certificates).
- No minimum income, no English language requirement, no age limit, no points test.
- Relationship types accepted: Marriage, civil union, or de facto relationship (including same-sex).
Evidence of Genuine Relationship
Immigration New Zealand evaluates your relationship across several dimensions:
- Living together: Shared address, joint tenancy agreements, shared utility bills.
- Financial interdependence: Joint bank accounts, shared assets, financial support of each other.
- Social recognition: Photos together over time, statutory declarations from friends/family, joint invitations to events.
- Commitment: Duration of relationship, shared responsibilities, future plans, knowledge of each other’s families and backgrounds.
- Communication: Phone records, messages, video call logs (especially important for periods of separation).
You should provide strong evidence across multiple categories. Immigration NZ specifically looks for evidence that is spread across the duration of the relationship — not just concentrated around the application date.
Application Process
- Apply for a Partnership Work Visa. Submit your application online with relationship evidence, health certificate, and police clearance.
- Live and work in NZ. Use the work visa to build your life in New Zealand alongside your partner.
- Apply for Partnership Residence after 12 months of cohabitation in NZ (or immediately if your relationship is 5+ years old).
- Provide updated relationship evidence for the residence application — showing your relationship has continued and deepened.
- Receive Resident Visa.
Costs and Fees
- Partnership Work Visa: NZD $750
- Partnership Residence Visa: NZD $2,460
- Medical examination: NZD $400-$600
- Police clearances: NZD $50-$200 per country
- Relationship evidence preparation: Minimal cost if done yourself
Total: approximately NZD $4,000-$5,000 for both stages.
Timeline
- Work visa processing: 3-10 weeks
- Living together requirement: 12 months in NZ (waived if 5+ years together)
- Residence processing: 6-18 months
- Total to residence: 18 months to 3 years
Tips
- Start documenting your relationship from the beginning. The more historical evidence you have (photos, communications, shared finances across years), the stronger your application.
- Joint bank account is powerful evidence. Open one as early as possible and use it for shared expenses.
- Statutory declarations matter. Get detailed statements from family and friends who know your relationship. Specific anecdotes are more convincing than generic praise.
- For long-distance relationships: Provide comprehensive communication evidence — call logs, message screenshots with dates, flight bookings for visits.
- Be prepared for a potential interview. Immigration NZ may interview you and your partner separately to verify the relationship’s authenticity. Ensure you both know key details about each other’s lives.