Extended Visa Duration for Partners of NZ Citizens and Residents

The New Zealand Government has announced an important change for partners of New Zealand citizens or residence visa holders. Starting from 1 October 2024, the maximum duration for work and visitor visas will increase from 2 years to 3 years, provided the couple has lived together for at least 12 months.

This extension gives couples more time to save for residence application fees and aligns with the visa durations offered to partners of temporary migrants.

However, current visas will not be automatically extended. A new application will need to be submitted to take advantage of the longer visa duration.