*** Transcriber's Note: Please set your voice synthesiser to read most punctuation. When you encounter the caret sign (^) at the end of a line, please enter the applicable information, if necessary. *** Department of Internal Affairs – Te Tari Taiwhenua DRG002 Application for NZ citizenship by descent and passport Adult (16 years of age or older) Last updated 25 May 2024 Who can apply? Any person born outside New Zealand on or after 1 January 1978, and whose mother or father was a New Zealand citizen (otherwise than by descent) at the time of their birth or adoption can apply for registration of New Zealand citizenship by descent. Your mother or father will have either been born in New Zealand or will have received a grant of New Zealand citizenship before you were born. If you meet these requirements but were born before 1 January 1978, please contact the Citizenship Office. Our contact details are further below. If you are applying for your child who is under 15 years or under, please use the Child form. Read all instructions carefully Fill in this form yourself. If you cannot fill in this form yourself because you have a disability or a language difficulty, someone else can fill in the form for you. This person must complete the statutory declaration. Need a passport too? You can use this form just to register your citizenship by descent, or to register your citizenship by descent and apply for a New Zealand passport. There is no need to complete a separate passport form. How long will it take? For current processing timeframes, visit govt.nz/registercitizenship. Where should I start? Answer the questions below to see what you should do. The questions below are based on the legal requirements for a citizenship by descent application. The results from the questions are only a general indicator to give you some idea of your eligibility for citizenship by descent. These questions do not form part of the formal assessment process. A formal assessment will be carried out by the Department of Internal Affairs, should you choose to apply for citizenship. For more detailed information, please read the rest of the application form or visit our website citizenship.govt.nz Do you want to apply for New Zealand citizenship and one of your parents is a New Zealand citizen? (Yes or no) ^ If no: You might need a ‘Citizenship by Grant’ application form. Please look on our website or contact the Citizenship Office to find out more. If yes: Continue to next question. Were you born outside New Zealand? (Yes or no) ^ If no: If you were born in New Zealand you may be a New Zealand citizen by birth. Please look on our website or contact the Citizenship Office to find out more. If yes: Continue to next question. Are you adopted? (Yes or no) ^ If yes: Please read the “What documents do I need to provide” section of the form carefully. Applicants who are adopted need to provide extra documents and information. If no: You are ready to start. Continue to find out who needs to fill out this form and what documents you are going to need. Need help? 1300 559 535 (AUS) 0800 22 51 51 (NZ) +64 (4) 462 0651 citizenship.govt.nz passports.govt.nz 1 Who fills in this form? You (the Applicant), the person applying for citizenship by descent. You will also need a ‘New Zealand Parent’, and a witness to help you complete this application form. If you have two parents who are both New Zealand citizens (other than by descent), you can choose either parent to be the ‘New Zealand Parent’, when completing this form. If the birth mother or claim parent is unable to sign the application, please contact us. 2 What documents do I need to provide? Check the information below to see which documents you and your ‘New Zealand Parent’ need to provide. Remember, we need original documents. We will return all your original documents to you by courier. Any documents not in English will be translated as part of your application. If you would like a copy of the translation, download a ‘Request for Translation’ from our website (govt.nz) and include this with your application. Note: we may request additional documents during processing. You (the Applicant): Birth certificate (Full official state-issued) This document needs to be the original birth certificate. Hospital certificates are not accepted. It must have your full name, place and date of birth, gender and both parents’ names. If your country’s birth certificate does not have all this information on it, please contact the Citizenship Office. Photocopies cannot be accepted. 2 photos You must provide 2 identical, passport-size photos. These photos must meet certain requirements. Please see the photo section for more information. Passport or state issued photo ID You need to provide a current passport. If you do not have a passport (or it has expired), you need to provide another piece of official identification that contains your photograph (for example, a current driver licence from any country). A certified copy is acceptable. This can be certified by a Justice of Peace, Notary, Sworn Police Officer, Court Registrar, NZ Embassy/NZ Consulate staff member or Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) staff authorised to do so. Change of name documents (if you have changed your name) If your name has changed for any reason (for example, marriage, adoption, statutory declaration) you need to provide an official state-issued change of name document (for example: the adoption order or statutory declaration). Note: If this name change happened in New Zealand, you do not need to send the documents. The Citizenship Office can access them electronically. Adoption documents (if you have been adopted) You must provide all original adoption documents if you have been adopted outside New Zealand. Adoptions from other countries have different requirements. For more information, please see our website or phone the Citizenship Office. New Zealand Parent: Their most recent New Zealand passport number Get them to enter their most recent New Zealand passport number in question 24 of this form. If they do not have a New Zealand passport, they need to provide a current photo identification document (for example a driver licence). A certified copy is acceptable. This can be certified by a Justice of Peace, Notary, Sworn Police Officer, Court Registrar, NZ Embassy/NZ Consulate staff member or DIA staff authorised to do so. Their change of name documents (if they have changed their name) If their name has changed for any reason (for example: marriage, civil union, adoption, statutory declaration) they need to provide an official state-issued change of name document (for example: their marriage certificate or adoption order). Note: If this name change happened in New Zealand, they don’t need to send the documents. The Citizenship Office can access them electronically. 3. Everyone who is applying for citizenship by descent must supply 2 identical colour photos. Your witness will need to write your full name on the back of one of the photos and sign and date it. Do not attach your photos to the application form. We can only accept undamaged photos. Your passport-size photos need to be: • Recent colour photos, less than 6 months old. • Be a full front, close up view of the head and shoulders with the head covering 70% to 80% of the photograph. • Be taken with a neutral expression (not smiling or frowning) with your mouth closed. • Show you looking straight at the camera, and your head not tilted. • Show your eyes open and clearly visible, and no hair in your eyes. • Without sunglasses. Tinted prescription glasses may be worn as long as eyes are still visible. • A true image and not altered in any way. • Clear, sharp and in focus with minimum reflective light on face. No redeye. • With a plain light coloured background (not white). • Be of good quality colour and on high quality photographic paper, with no ink marks on the image (no inkjet printers). • Passport-sized (45mm x 35mm). • Glasses frames must not obscure the eyes. • Do not trim the photos. 4. The sections numbered 4 to 15 are about you (the Applicant). 5. What is your full name? Copy the names from your birth certificate. You must provide the original state issued birth certificate with the application. If your name has been legally changed (by adoption etc.), then use the new name details from that document. Title (select one of the following options): Mr (Yes or no) ^ Mrs (Yes or no) ^ Ms (Yes or no) ^ Miss (Yes or no) ^ Other (please specify) (Yes or no) ^ Surname or family names ^ First and middle names ^ 6. Where were you born? Copy the city, town or village and country of birth from your birth certificate. City, town or village where you were born ^ Country where you were born ^ 7. What is your date of birth? (DD/MM/YYYY) ^ 8. What is your gender? Male (Yes or no) ^ Female (Yes or no) ^ Other (Yes or no) ^ 9. What is your height and eye colour? Height, in centimetres ^ Eye colour, for example: Brown, Blue, Green, Grey, Hazel, Black ^ 10. What is your passport number? If you have a current passport you need to write the number here ^ I do not have a current passport (Yes or no) ^ 11. Are you adopted? (Refer to section 2 for the documents you need to provide.) (Yes or no) ^ If no, go to question 12. If yes, please write your adoption date and country of adoption below: Date of adoption (DD/MM/YYYY) ^ Country of adoption ^ 12. Has your name been legally changed for any reason? (Refer to section 2 for the documents you need to provide.) This could be because you got married, were adopted, changed your name by deed poll etc. (Yes or no) ^ If no, go to question 13. If yes, please select an option below to show how your name has been changed: Marriage or civil union (Yes or no) ^ Deed poll or statutory declaration (Yes or no) ^ Adoption (Yes or no) ^ Other (please specify) (Yes or no) ^ Write the name you had before it was legally changed ^ 13. What is your home address and contact details? Unit and/or house number ^ Street name ^ Suburb ^ Place name (city, town, village) ^ State or territory ^ Postcode ^ Country ^ Your contact number: Country code ^ Area code ^ Phone number ^ Mobile number ^ Your email address ^ 14. What is your postal address? This is the address we will return your documents to. Please note that in most cases courier services cannot deliver to Post Office boxes. Same as my residential address (Yes or no) ^ If yes, go to question 15. If no, continue below. I want the documents sent to this address (Yes or no) ^ Your name ^ Unit and/or house number ^ Street name ^ Suburb ^ Place name (city, town, village) ^ State or territory ^ Postcode ^ Country ^ 15. Emergency contact Write the name and contact details of a person who can be contacted in case of emergency. Your emergency contact’s name (first name and surname) ^ Emergency contact’s number: Country code ^ Area code ^ Phone number ^ Emergency contact’s email address ^ 16. The questions numbered 16 to 24 are for the New Zealand parent To be the New Zealand Parent on this application, you need to have either been born in New Zealand, or received a grant of New Zealand citizenship before your child was born. If you received your New Zealand citizenship by descent, you cannot be the ‘New Zealand Parent’ on this application. 17. Parent’s claim to New Zealand citizenship This is where the applicant’s parent provides evidence of their New Zealand citizenship. Please select one of the following. I was: Born in New Zealand (Yes or no) ^ Given a grant of New Zealand citizenship (Yes or no) ^ Born in Niue, Tokelau or Cook Islands (the original birth certificate must be provided) (Yes or no) ^ 18. What is your relationship to the person who is claiming New Zealand citizenship by descent? Please select one of the following: Birth parent (Yes or no) ^ Adoptive parent (Yes or no) ^ Other parent (please state) (Yes or no) ^ 19. What is your full name? Copy the names from your birth or citizenship certificate. If your name has been legally changed (by marriage, civil union, adoption etc.), then use the new name details from that document. Title (select one of the following options): Mr (Yes or no) ^ Mrs (Yes or no) ^ Ms (Yes or no) ^ Miss (Yes or no) ^ Other (please specify) (Yes or no) ^ Surname or family names ^ First and middle names ^ 20. Has your name been legally changed for any reason? (Refer to section 2 for the documents you need to provide.) This could be because you were adopted, got married, changed your name by deed poll etc. (Yes or no) ^ If no, go to question 21. If yes, please select an option below to show why your name has changed: Marriage or civil union (Yes or no) ^ Deed poll (Yes or no) ^ Adoption (Yes or no) ^ Other (please specify) (Yes or no) ^ Write the name you had before it was legally changed ^ 21. Where were you born? Copy the town, city or village and country of birth from your birth certificate. City, town or village where you were born ^ Country where you were born ^ 22. What is your date of birth? (DD/MM/YYYY) ^ 23. What is your gender? Male (Yes or no) ^ Female (Yes or no) ^ Other (Yes or no) ^ 24. What is your New Zealand passport number? Write the number of your most recent New Zealand passport here ^ This is the end of the New Zealand parent section. Please go to question 30, and read the Privacy Act section. Then complete question 32. 25. The sections numbered 25 to 29 are for the applicant’s other parent. To complete this application form we need both parents’ details. One parent’s details must be in the ‘New Zealand Parent’ section and the other parent’s details must be in this section. 26. What is your full name? Copy the names from your birth or citizenship certificate. If your name has been legally changed (by marriage, civil union, adoption etc.), then use the new name details from that document. Title (select one of the following options) Mr (Yes or no) ^ Mrs (Yes or no) ^ Ms (Yes or no) ^ Miss (Yes or no) ^ Other (please specify) (Yes or no) ^ Surname or family names ^ First and middle names ^ 27. Has your name been legally changed for any reason? This could be because you were adopted, got married, changed your name by deed poll etc. (Yes or no) ^ If no, go to question 28. If yes, please select an option below to show why your name has changed: Marriage or civil union (Yes or no) ^ Deed poll or statutory declaration (Yes or no) ^ Adoption (Yes or no) ^ Other (please specify) (Yes or no) ^ Write the name you had before it was legally changed ^ 28. What is your date of birth? (DD/MM/YYYY) ^ 29. What is your relationship to the person who is claiming New Zealand citizenship by descent? Please select one of the following: Birth parent (Yes or no) ^ Adoptive parent (Yes or no) ^ Other parent (please state) (Yes or no) ^ This is the end of the other parent's section. Please go to question 30, and read the Privacy Act section. Then complete question 33. 30. Privacy Act information - who should read this? You, your ‘New Zealand Parent’ and ‘Other Parent’ need to read the information in this section. Each person needs to write their name and sign at the bottom of the section to say that they have read and understood the information. Collection, authorisation and use of information in support of this application. This application form requires you to produce certain information in support of your application. The decision to supply the information is voluntary. If you do not produce sufficient information to enable a claim to New Zealand citizenship by descent to be determined, the application will be declined. We need to collect this information to see if the requirements of the Citizenship Act 1977 are met, to process the application and for other lawful purposes. The information you provide in this form is collected and held by: Department of Internal Affairs, PO Box 10680, Wellington, New Zealand. Information held by the Citizenship Office and Passport Office can be used in authorised information matching programme by the Electoral Enrolment Centre, the Department of Internal Affairs, the Inland Revenue Department, the New Zealand Transport Agency, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Development, and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment as authorised by statute. Details are available on the Department of Internal Affairs website – dia.govt.nz or call +64 (4) 462 0651. You have a right of access to and correction of personal information you have provided under the Information Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act 2020. Please contact the Citizenship Office for more details. WARNING: It is an offence against the Passports Act 1992 to knowingly or recklessly make a statement that is false or misleading in a material particular for the purposes of gaining a New Zealand passport. It is also an offence to knowingly or recklessly give false information or conceal any facts for the purpose of gaining New Zealand citizenship for oneself or on behalf of someone. If you do so, you may be denied/lose New Zealand citizenship, face criminal charges, or both. By signing below you declare the following: • The statements made in this application are to the best of my knowledge true, complete and correct. • If false information has been provided I understand that any citizenship certificate/passport issued on the basis of that information may be cancelled and the matter referred to the New Zealand Police. • I understand that information may be obtained about me to determine my eligibility for this application by way of an authorised information matching programme in accordance with the Births, Deaths, Marriages and Relationships Registration Act 2021. • I authorise any necessary additional enquiries including the disclosure of personal information about myself for the purpose of determining eligibility for this application. My authorisation includes, but is not limited to, any information held by the Department of Internal Affairs. • If I have also applied for a New Zealand passport at the same time, I authorise my information to be taken from or shared with the New Zealand Passport Office for the efficient processing of both applications. • I understand that if I have possession of a forged or false New Zealand travel document, I may be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, a fine not exceeding NZ$250,000 or both. 31. You, the applicant (must sign) I have read and understood the information above relating to the collection and use of information for this application, and I authorise the use and disclosure of my information as outlined above. Full name ^ Signature (SIGN HERE) ^ Date (DD/MM/YYYY) ^ 32. New Zealand parent (must sign) I have read and understood the information above relating to the collection and use of information for this application, and I authorise the use and disclosure of my information as outlined above. Full name ^ Signature (SIGN HERE) ^ Date (DD/MM/YYYY) ^ 33. Other parent (must sign) I have read and understood the information above relating to the collection and use of information for this application, and I authorise the use and disclosure of my information as outlined above. Full name ^ Signature (SIGN HERE) ^ Date (DD/MM/YYYY) ^ 34. The next section is for your witness. Get the person who wants to be your witness to complete all the following section. Make sure you give your witness your 2 identical photos so that they can complete the details on the back of one photo, see question 41. 35. This section numbered 35 to 42 is for the witness. Before you fill in this section, please read the statements carefully to make sure you can be a witness. The witness must: • not be a relative or part of the family group of the applicant • not live at the same address as the applicant • be aged 16 years or over • have known the applicant for more than 12 months If you meet the above criteria go to question 36. 36. Do you hold a New Zealand passport? (Yes or no) ^ If no, go to question 37. If yes, what is your passport number? ^ Now go to question 39. 37. You only need to answer this question if you do not have a New Zealand passport. You must still meet all the requirements in section 35. Which of the following groups describes your current job? Registered medical professional (for example, a doctor, nurse, dentist, pharmacist, physio etc) (Yes or no) ^ Teacher (primary or secondary teacher or university lecturer) (Yes or no) ^ Minister of religion (Yes or no) ^ Lawyer (Yes or no) ^ Police officer (Yes or no) ^ Kaumatua (Yes or no) ^ None of the above (Yes or no) ^ If none of the above — Stop, you cannot be a witness for this application. 38. If you do not hold a New Zealand passport, complete the following fields for your place of work or organisation you are involved with. Name of organisation ^ Registered name ^ Organisation address ^ Contact number (Reception or Administration) ^ Organisation website or social media link ^ If you are unable to supply a website or social media organisation page with a staff list please supply a letter from your employer or leadership team on letterhead confirming your employment and how long you have worked there. 39. What is your full name and date of birth? Title, please select one of the following options: Mr (Yes or no) ^ Mrs (Yes or no) ^ Ms (Yes or no) ^ Miss (Yes or no) ^ Other (please specify) (Yes or no) ^ Surname or family names ^ First and middle names ^ What is your date of birth? (DD/MM/YYYY) ^ 40. Where do you live? Please write the details of your residential address and contact details. Unit and/or house number ^ Street name ^ Suburb ^ Place name (city, town, village) ^ State or territory ^ Postcode ^ Country ^ Contact number: Country code ^ Area code ^ Phone number ^ Email address ^ 41. Do you have the applicant’s 2 photos? The witness needs to write three things on the back of one of the photos: • the full name of the applicant • sign the back of photo • today’s date Please check carefully. Have you written the 3 things on the back of one of the photos correctly? Do not staple, glue or paperclip photos to the application as this may cause damage. Ensure your photo has been correctly witnessed to avoid delays in processing. Witness to: • write full name of the applicant • sign back of photo • write today’s date I declare that: • I am 16 years of age or over. • I have known the applicant for more than 1 year • The information I have given is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge. • The person in this photo is the person named in section 5. • I have written the full name of the applicant, signed my name and written the date on the back of one photograph. • I understand that if I have provided false information, this passport can be cancelled and I can, by law, be fined or imprisoned. 42. Witness declaration and Privacy Act information If you are acting as a witness for this application, you need to read all the information in this section. Then fill out the name of the applicant, the number of years you have known them, and then sign and date the bottom of this section. Collection, authorisation and use of information in support of this application. As a witness for this application you are required to provide personal information. The decision to supply the information is voluntary. If you do not want to supply this information or authorise access to your personal information you cannot act as a witness. We need to collect your information to help with processing this citizenship and passport application and for other lawful purposes. The information you provide in this form is collected and held by: Department of Internal Affairs, PO Box 10680, Wellington, New Zealand. You have a right of access to and correction of personal information you have provided under the Information Privacy Principles of the Privacy Act 2020. Please contact the Citizenship Office for more details. I have known Applicant’s full name (as shown in question 5) ^ For (write years in format YY) ^ (write months in format MM) ^ Signature of witness (SIGN HERE) ^ Date (DD/MM/YYYY) ^ This is the end of the witness section. 43. This is where you apply for your PASSPORT. If you do not want a passport, please leave this question blank. You need to select the option below to apply for a passport. If you wear a head covering, please contact us. I want to apply for a passport (to be issued to me in the name listed in question 5 of this application). (Yes or no) ^ 44. Citizenship and passport application fees What do you need to pay? Application Fees vary depending on which country you lodge your application in. Choose the country you are sending your application to and select which service you need below. If you reside outside of New Zealand, and are sending your application to New Zealand for processing, we will exclude the GST amount from the New Zealand application fees. Note: You cannot make an urgent application if your case involves an overseas adoption. Select the service you need: Fees if lodged in New Zealand: Citizenship NZD $204.40 (Yes or no) ^ Citizenship & passport NZD $419.40 (Yes or no) ^ Urgent citizenship & passport NZD $634.40 (Yes or no) ^ Courier delivery cost will be charged based on your delivery destination — see courier costs table for further details. Fees if lodged in Australia: Citizenship AUD $165.00 (Yes or no) ^ Citizenship & passport AUD $418.00 (Yes or no) ^ Urgent citizenship & passport AUD $671.00 (Yes or no) ^ Courier delivery cost will be charged based on your delivery destination — see courier costs table for further details. Fees if lodged in the UK: Citizenship GBP £86.00 (Yes or no) ^ Citizenship & passport GBP £219.00 (Yes or no) ^ Urgent citizenship & passport GBP £352.00 (Yes or no) ^ Courier delivery cost will be charged based on your delivery destination — see courier costs table for further details. 45. Courier costs Delivery destination: New Zealand Lodged in New Zealand — NZD $5.00 (including GST) Lodged in Australia — Lodge your application in New Zealand Lodged in the United Kingdom — Lodge your application in New Zealand Delivery destination: Australia Lodged in New Zealand — NZD $13.00 Lodged in Australia — AUD $12.00 Lodged in the United Kingdom — Lodge your application in Australia Delivery destination: United Kingdom Lodged in New Zealand — NZD $27.00 Lodged in Australia — Lodge your application in the United Kingdom Lodged in the United Kingdom — GBP £13.00 Delivery destination: Asia Pacific countries Lodged in New Zealand — NZD $22.00 Lodged in Australia — AUD $20.00 Lodged in the United Kingdom — Lodge your application in New Zealand or Australia Delivery destination: United States Lodged in New Zealand — NZD $32.00 Lodged in Australia — AUD $30.00 Lodged in the United Kingdom — GBP £16.00 Delivery destination: European countries (excluding the UK and countries listed below) Lodged in New Zealand — NZD $43.00 Lodged in Australia — Lodge your application in the United Kingdom Lodged in the United Kingdom — GBP £21.00 Delivery destination: Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Malta, Switzerland, Serbia, Libya, Pakistan, Ukraine Lodged in New Zealand — NZD $51.00 Lodged in Australia — Lodge your application in New Zealand or the United Kingdom Lodged in the United Kingdom — GBP £25.00 Delivery destination: Russia, Iran, Nepal, Belarus Lodged in New Zealand — NZD $56.00 Lodged in Australia — AUD $52.00 Lodged in the United Kingdom — GBP £27.00 Delivery destination: Rest of world Lodged in New Zealand — NZD $45.00 Lodged in Australia — Lodge your application in New Zealand or the United Kingdom Lodged in the United Kingdom — GBP £22.00 46. Payment details for citizenship and passport application fees What do you need to pay? Fees vary depending on which country you are sending your application to. Make sure you have selected the service you require in question 44. Select the method of payment you want: Credit card or debit card (Yes or no) ^ EFTPOS (in person only) (Yes or no) ^ Preloaded payment card (e.g. Prezzy card — do not post card) (Yes or no) ^ If credit card, debit card or preloaded card, please complete the card details below. Card details: Visa (Yes or no) ^ MasterCard (Yes or no) ^ Amex (Yes or no) ^ Name as it appears on card ^ Card number ^ Expiry date (MM/YY) ^ Security code/CSC (Last 3 numbers on the reverse side of card. UK only) ^ I authorise the Department of Internal Affairs to charge the total amount across to my credit or debit card. Cardholder signature (CARDHOLDER SIGN HERE) ^ 47. Lodging your application and documents By post If you want to post us your application, we advise you to use a ‘track and trace’ courier bag from New Zealand Post (within New Zealand) or registered mail (from overseas) to keep track of your original documents. We will send your documents back to you by courier. New Zealand Courier or post to: The Citizenship (Descent) Office Service Delivery and Operations Department of Internal Affairs PO Box 10680 Wellington 6140 New Zealand Australia Courier or post to: Department of Internal Affairs GPO Box 365 Sydney NSW 2001 Australia (Express Post, Standard Mail, Registered Mail) United Kingdom Courier or post to: Department of Internal Affairs 1 Pall Mall East London SW1Y 5AU United Kingdom Hand deliver to one of our offices For office locations, please visit govt.nz/citizenship or call us on 0800 22 51 51 or if outside New Zealand +64 (4) 462 0651. End of applicant form. Office use only: Date Received (DD/MM/YY) ^ NOTES 25 May 2024 Name ^ Office use only: Documents List Applicant: Applicant’s birth certificate (Original or photocopy) ^ 2 x passport photos (Original or photocopy) ^ State Issued ID (Original or photocopy) ^ Applicant’s change of name certificate (Original or photocopy) ^ Fee (Original or photocopy) ^ Other: (Original or photocopy) ^ Documents List Parent: Parent’s passport (Original or photocopy) ^ Parent’s state-issued photo ID (Original or photocopy) ^ Parent’s marriage/civil union certificate (Original or photocopy) ^ Parent’s change of name certificate (Original or photocopy) ^ Other: (Original or photocopy) ^ End of Office use only section.