New Zealand Citizenship

Citizenship

Qualifying for citizenship is controlled by the Citizenship Act 1977, and you have to meet all the rules that are set out in this law.

Special rules apply to children under 16, and in very special cases, citizenship may be granted by the Minister of Internal Affairs.

If you are a New Zealand citizen and your children are born overseas, they may qualify for citizenship. Take advice.

To qualify for New Zealand citizenship in most cases people must:

• Be a New Zealand resident (hold a Permanent Resident Visa).
• Live in New Zealand as a resident for 5 years immediately before the application is lodged; spend at least 240 days in New Zealand in each of those 5 years, and the total number of days spent in New Zealand over the 5 years is 1,350 or more.
• Speak English to a basic conversational level.
• Be of good character.
• Intend to live in New Zealand once citizenship is granted.

Useful Information

The Malcolm Pacific Immigration team of advisers and experts take away the stress and worry of navigating the complex world of understanding New Zealand Citizenship.

Helpful Links

Culture & History

Education in New Zealand

Employment in New Zealand

Migrant To Kiwi

To complete your migration journey you might want to consider becoming a New Zealand citizen.

There are benefits to being a New Zealand citizen. The most obvious is that you get the freedom to travel on a New Zealand passport, which is highly regarded around the world and provides visa-free access to many countries.

Some of the benefits are not so obvious such as playing sports internationally for New Zealand, standing for parliament, access to education (some scholarships require you to be a New Zealand citizen) and access to certain jobs (mainly government) where being a citizen is a requirement.

Final word

A word of warning. New Zealand recognises dual nationality, allowing you to hold a New Zealand passport and keep your current passport (dual citizenship). But some countries do not allow their citizens to hold dual citizenship. Check first before you apply.

When you want help with immigration or citizenship, don’t forget to come back to us!