After a resident visa
New Zealand Permanent Resident Visa
A Resident Visa and a Permanent Resident Visa are different. The distinction is especially important when planning travel outside New Zealand.
Enquire About Permanent Residence
Understand the two stages
A resident visa can allow an indefinite stay in New Zealand while still having time-limited travel conditions. A Permanent Resident Visa provides indefinite travel in and out of New Zealand, subject to maintaining the visa in a valid passport.
The standard Permanent Resident Visa requirements include at least two consecutive years holding residence, an eligible current or recently expired resident visa, compliance with residence conditions, good character and evidence of commitment to New Zealand. Passing the two-year date alone is not enough.
Showing commitment to New Zealand
Immigration New Zealand recognises five ways to demonstrate commitment. Under the time-in-New-Zealand option, the requirement is generally at least 184 days in each of the two relevant years. Other recognised options have their own evidence requirements.
Do not mix calendar years, financial years and the residence periods that apply to your case. Begin with the dates on your visa and your actual entry and departure history. Check the official guidance before deciding which period to count.
Prepare before booking travel
Keep your current and previous passports, the residence grant and a record of travel. Identify any conditions that still need to be met and any recent change in family circumstances. Where a partner or child was included in an earlier residence application, review their position rather than assuming all family members have identical dates.
Make a short list of your questions before an enquiry: when can you apply, what travel conditions remain, what evidence is available and whether a planned trip affects your position. Avoid leaving the review until an international departure is imminent.
Check related pathways
This page is for people who already hold, or have held, New Zealand residence. For a first residence application, explore Skilled Migrant Category, Straight to Residence, Work to Residence or partnership residence.
Citizenship is also a separate process. Do not treat permanent residence as citizenship or assume it provides a New Zealand passport.
Common questions
Is this the Australian Resident Return Visa?
No. New Zealand has different residence and travel rules. Australian subclasses 155 and 157 do not apply.
Do I receive permanent residence automatically after two years?
No. The relevant application and all applicable requirements must be satisfied.
What happens when my passport expires?
Check Immigration New Zealand's process for transferring the visa to the new passport before travelling. Keep records linking the old and new passports.
General information checked 18 September 2026. Official source: INZ: Permanent Resident Visa. Obtain an individual assessment of travel and residence conditions where needed.