How to get New Zealand citizenship in 2026
Which residence visa leads to a passport, how the 1,350 days are counted, the citizenship test from late 2027, the fee from 28 August 2026, the oath ceremony and the right to live in Australia.
In short
- Time: 5 years on a residence visa, and the count starts on the day it is granted; investment gives a residence visa, and the passport follows on general terms.
- Days: at least 1,350 days in the country over 5 years and at least 240 days in each year, counted back from the day you apply.
- English and test: spoken English and good character; a 20-question test starts in late 2027, and earlier applicants skip it.
- Fees and timing: $360 per adult and $180 per child from 28 August 2026, with 90% of applicants getting a decision within 4 months.
- Passport: dual citizenship allowed, 180+ countries visa-free and the right to live and work in Australia.
In detail
New Zealand citizenship is granted after 5 years on a residence visa, with at least 1,350 days in New Zealand over those 5 years and at least 240 days in each year, plus spoken English and good character. From 28 August 2026 the fee is $360 per adult, and 90% of applicants get a decision within 4 months.
New Zealand allows dual citizenship. Amounts use the rate of 7 October 2026, 1.786 New Zealand dollars per US dollar, rounded up, with New Zealand dollars in brackets.
How long do you live in New Zealand before citizenship?
You apply for New Zealand citizenship after 5 years of living in the country with the right to stay indefinitely, if over those 5 years you spent at least 1,350 days in New Zealand and at least 240 days in each year. That is the requirement of section 8 of the Citizenship Act 1977.
Naturalisation, or citizenship by grant, is New Zealand citizenship by application after living in the country, and the Department of Internal Affairs decides on it.
The 5 years are counted back from the day you apply, and each 12-month period is checked separately. The margin for travel is up to 4 months abroad in any 12 months and up to 15 months over the 5 years, and work abroad for the New Zealand government counts as time in the country.
Conditions on a residence visa, such as the 5 or 10 years of the parent category, are met before applying, and Immigration New Zealand lifts them free of charge. A permanent resident visa is optional for citizenship: the residence visa already gives the right to stay indefinitely.
The third condition is the intention to live in New Zealand after the oath or to work abroad for its government, an international organisation it belongs to or a New Zealand employer. 1,350 days is almost 4 years in the country: prices and districts are in the guides to Auckland and Wellington.
Which residence visa leads to a New Zealand passport fastest?
The fastest path to a New Zealand passport is a residence visa granted straight away: to specialists on tier 1 of the Green List of skilled occupations, partners of citizens and investors. The 5-year count for citizenship starts with the residence visa, and years on a work visa come before it.
Data for 2026, fees per Immigration New Zealand:
| Route to residence | Main condition | Fee | Time to the citizenship application |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green List, tier 1 | a job in a listed occupation with an accredited employer, age up to 55 | $3,700 (6,450) | 5 years from the residence visa |
| Green List, tier 2 | 24 months of work in a listed occupation | $3,700 (6,450) | about 7 years: 2 years of work and 5 years |
| Skilled Migrant | 6 points for a degree, income or registration and work in the country | $3,700 (6,450) | 5 years from the residence visa |
| Partner of a citizen or resident | 12 months of living together | $3,100 (5,360) | 5 years from the residence visa |
| Business Investor | from $560,000 (1 million) in an operating business in the country | $7,000 (12,380) | about 8 years: 3 years of business and 5 years |
| Active Investor Plus | from $2.8 million (5 million) for 3 years or from $5.6 million (10 million) for 5 years | $16,000 (27,470) | 5 years and 1,350 days in the country |
A New Zealand residence visa is the indefinite right to live, work and study in the country, and with it the clock for citizenship starts.
Can you get New Zealand citizenship through investment?
Investment in New Zealand gives a residence visa, and the investor then gets citizenship on the general terms, after 1,350 days in the country within 5 years.
An Active Investor Plus invests from $2.8 million for 3 years or from $5.6 million for 5 years, and the visa itself needs only 21 days in the country over 3 years. If the goal is a passport, the family moves right after the residence visa, and the days build up from the first entry.
A Business Investor buys an operating business in the country from $560,000 and runs it personally: the residence visa comes after 3 years, or after 12 months with an investment from $1.2 million (2 million). You also show $280,000 (500,000) for the family's living costs, are aged up to 55 and speak English, and working in your own business adds days toward citizenship by itself.
The conditions for active investors are on the page New Zealand residency by investment, and the company for the investment is set up through company registration in New Zealand. Since 6 March 2026 investors buy homes in the country from $2.8 million: more in buying an apartment in New Zealand.
The capital arrives by bank transfer, and the route is covered in how to send money to New Zealand. Want to invest and get a passport for the whole family? Ask a manager which programme leads to citizenship fastest.
How does New Zealand citizenship work by marriage, birth and descent?
Marriage or a civil union with a New Zealand citizen speeds up the residence visa, and the time to the passport stays the same: 5 years and 1,350 days in the country.
Partner of a citizen: a residence visa after 12 months together
The partner of a citizen or resident gets a residence visa if the couple has lived together for at least 12 months since age 18. The 2026 fee is $3,100 (5,360 New Zealand dollars), processing takes about 7 months, and children up to 24 are included in the application.
A couple that has lived together abroad for at least 5 years gets a permanent visa straight away from Immigration New Zealand, if the citizen also lived abroad in those years. Days for citizenship build up after the move.
Birth in New Zealand and citizenship by descent
A child born in New Zealand since 1 January 2006 is a citizen by birth if at least one parent is a citizen or holds a visa with the right to live in the country indefinitely. The child of parents on temporary visas gets citizenship by grant once the child has the right to stay indefinitely, for example in one application with the parents.
A child born abroad to a New Zealand citizen by birth or by grant is a citizen by descent and is registered for $160 (278 New Zealand dollars). Children of a citizen by descent born in New Zealand are citizens by birth. For future children born abroad to also become citizens by descent, the parent first gets citizenship by grant.
Children in one application with their parents
A child under 16 needs no 1,350 days if a parent is already a citizen or applies at the same time and meets the requirements. The fee for a child is $180 (320 New Zealand dollars), and children under 14 need neither English nor a character check.
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What English, character and test do you need for New Zealand citizenship?
New Zealand citizenship needs spoken English, good character and knowledge of a citizen's rights and duties, and from late 2027 these will be checked with a 20-question test. Those who apply before the test starts will not sit it.
English is confirmed with a document if it is not your first language: a school certificate, a degree or university transcript, an international test result or a letter from an employer. If there are questions, a citizenship officer invites you to an interview.
Character counts as good if there is no conviction in the last 3 years, no prison sentence in the last 7 years, never a sentence over 5 years, no active protection order and no open court case in any country. Parking and speed camera fines do not affect the decision.
A police certificate from another country is requested if, while holding a New Zealand residence visa, you lived there more than 4 months in 3 years or more than 12 months in 12 years. The Department of Internal Affairs has described the citizenship test as follows:
- 20 multiple-choice questions in English, with 15 correct answers, or 75%, to pass;
- topics: the Bill of Rights, elections and government, the Treaty of Waitangi, certain offences and travel on a New Zealand passport;
- 3 attempts, then a 30-working-day pause and 3 more attempts;
- exempt: children under 16, applicants aged 65 and over, and those exempt from the language requirement.
The government chose the test provider on 7 October 2026, and the price of an attempt will be announced later. For now, knowledge of rights and duties is confirmed by signing the application, so anyone who reaches 1,350 days before the end of 2027 gains by applying straight away.
How do you apply for New Zealand citizenship?
The citizenship application goes to the Department of Internal Affairs online, in person in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch, or by post, and from 28 August 2026 the adult fee is $360 (641 New Zealand dollars). The steps:
- Counting the days. Check 1,350 days over 5 years and 240 days in each year against your travel dates, and have met visa conditions lifted.
- Documents. A full birth certificate, your passport and a photo no older than 6 months taken by another person.
- Referee. A New Zealand passport holder aged 16 or over who has known you for at least a year, is not a relative and does not live with you.
- English and certificates. A document showing your English and police certificates from other countries where needed.
- Application and fee. The online form through the government login for residents, a choice of oath or affirmation, and payment of $360.
- Identity check. A photo and short video of your face from your phone in the online application save a visit to the office.
Department of Internal Affairs fees, data for 2026: citizenship per the tariff from 28 August 2026, passport per the tariff from 2 May 2025:
| What you pay for | Amount |
|---|---|
| Citizenship by grant, adult aged 16 or over | $360 (641) |
| Citizenship by grant, child under 16 | $180 (320) |
| Registration of citizenship by descent | $160 (278) |
| Adult New Zealand passport, online application after the ceremony | $140 (247) |
The citizenship fee went up by 14.4% on 28 August 2026. A complete application moves faster, since the citizenship office runs part of the checks automatically.
How long does the decision take and when is the citizenship ceremony?
90% of New Zealand citizenship applicants get a decision within 4 months of applying, and 90% of approvals come within 6 months: these are the times the Department of Internal Affairs published in October 2026. You become a citizen on the day you take the oath at the ceremony.
An application is fast-tracked for urgent travel for medical treatment, representing New Zealand, a new job or military service, standing as an election candidate and humanitarian reasons, with a letter and documents.
Local councils hold the ceremonies 2 to 5 months after approval, and the invitation arrives about 4 weeks ahead. You attend within 1 year of the approval date, and a family receives its certificates together.
At the ceremony you take the oath or affirmation of allegiance to King Charles III as King of New Zealand, in English or in Māori. Children under 14 receive the certificate without a ceremony, and the passport is applied for separately with the certificate.
What does a New Zealand passport give: dual citizenship, Australia and 180+ countries?
New Zealand allows dual citizenship: you keep your previous passport, and the New Zealand passport opens more than 180 countries and territories visa-free, with a visa on arrival or with an electronic travel authority.
Your previous citizenship is kept under the law of the other country, and some countries ask their citizens to report a second passport: the rules by country are in dual citizenship in 2026 and can you have dual citizenship.
The main advantage of the passport is Australia: a New Zealand citizen lives and works there on a visa issued at the border. Since 1 July 2023, after 4 years of living in Australia, a New Zealander applies directly for Australian citizenship; for comparison, see Australian residency.
Citizenship adds consular protection and the right to pass citizenship to children born abroad to a resident's rights. Taxes do not depend on it: residence comes from more than 183 days in the country within 12 months or a permanent place of abode, with rates on the page New Zealand taxes and the whole move in the overview moving to New Zealand.
We will help you get New Zealand citizenship
Murblz specialists pick the residence visa for your profession, family or capital, count your days against your travel dates, prepare the certificates and the citizenship application, and see the case through to the ceremony and the passport. If there is time before the citizenship test starts, we will plan an application ahead of it.
The consultation in the chat on the site is free: a manager will check which visa to start with and when you reach 1,350 days. Details and the cost are with the manager. Get a free consultation.
FAQ
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