How do you get a Permanent Resident Visa in New Zealand in 2026?

You generally need to have held a resident visa for at least two years in a row, count that period from first arrival or from the grant date if you were already in New Zealand, and hold a current resident visa or one that expired 90 days ago or less. Meet or cancel any section 49 conditions before you lodge. INZ publishes a live fee from NZD 315; check the visa page when you pay.

You must show commitment in at least one of five ways. The common time test is at least 184 days in New Zealand on a resident visa in each of the two years immediately before you apply. Other options include confirmed New Zealand tax residence for those two years, an acceptable NZD 1 million investment held for two years, a qualifying New Zealand business, or establishing a base through presence plus work or home ownership evidence. Tax-status evidence often runs through myIR or Inland Revenue forms: File taxes.

Apply in Immigration Online with passport scans, an acceptable photo, and commitment evidence. Character checks may trigger police certificates. After grant you receive an eVisa. There are no ongoing PRV conditions, but if your passport expires you must transfer the visa to the new passport before you travel. Keep status proof handy for banks and employers: Confirm visa status.

Most people can later apply for citizenship after five years as a resident without holding a PRV first: Apply for citizenship. Eligible residents can also enrol to vote: Register to vote. Earlier temporary work such as an AEWV sits upstream: Get an Accredited Employer Work Visa and Apply for a visa.