From 25 September 2026, Immigration New Zealand has introduced new age and evidence requirements for dedicated partnership-based visa categories.
Both the person applying for the visa and the partner supporting the application must now be 18 or older when the application is submitted.
INZ will recognise partnership evidence only from the period when both people were aged 18 or over.
Which partnership visas are affected?
The new requirements apply to:
- Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa
- Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa
- Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa
- Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa
- Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa
- Partner of a Worker Work Visa
- Partner of a Student Visitor Visa
- Partner of a Student Work Visa
- Partner of an NZ Scholarship Student Work Visa
Which applications are not affected?
The changes do not apply where a partner is included in:
- a residence application under the Skilled stream;
- a Business residence application;
- an International or Humanitarian application;
- another non-partnership-based Family category; or
- a general visitor visa application.
Applications submitted before 25 September 2026 are not affected. Visas already granted are also unaffected.
How does the change affect partnership residence applications?
Applicants for partnership-based residence must generally show that they have lived together for at least 12 months.
Under the new requirements, that 12-month period can begin to count only once both partners are aged 18 or older.
INZ explains that, in practice, a person cannot qualify for partnership-based residence until both the applicant and supporting partner are at least 19.
For example, time spent living together while one partner was 17 will not count towards the required 12 months of living together for a partnership-based residence application.
What about temporary partnership visas?
Temporary partnership visas do not have an express requirement for 12 months of living together.
However, applicants must still provide sufficient acceptable evidence—dating from after both partners turned 18—to demonstrate that they are living together in a genuine and stable relationship.
INZ cautions that simply turning 18 will not usually result in immediate eligibility. The couple must still provide enough eligible evidence to meet the requirements of the particular visa.
What partnership evidence may be relevant?
Depending on the application, evidence may include:
- joint tenancy or accommodation records;
- correspondence addressed to both partners at the same residence;
- shared bank accounts or financial commitments;
- household bills;
- photographs and communication records;
- evidence of time spent together;
- statements from family members or friends; and
- other records demonstrating that the couple lives together in a genuine and stable relationship.
For applications covered by the new rules, evidence from a period when either person was under 18 will not be recognised as partnership evidence.
Check the current requirements before applying
INZ has advised that some online application forms may not be updated immediately. Applicants and advisers should therefore check the latest visa requirements before submitting an application.
Couples should also carefully review the dates covered by their evidence, particularly where either partner has recently turned 18.
The official announcement is available from Immigration New Zealand.