Application for New Zealand Citizenship by Adult (16 years of age or older) Descent & Passport 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 at the bottom of this page. 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 in the boxes below to see what you should do. The questions in the boxes 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 You might need a ‘Citizenship by Grant’ application form. Please look on our website or contact the Citizenship Office to find out more. Do you want to apply for New Zealand citizenship and one of your parents is a New Zealand citizen? NO YES 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. Were you born outside New Zealand? NO YES You are ready to start. Turn the page to find out who needs to fill out this form and what documents you are going to need. Are you adopted? NO YES Please read the “What documents do I need to provide” table on page 2 of the form carefully. Applicants who are adopted need to provide extra documents and information. Office use only DD MM YY Date Received NOTES 31 January 2025 Name 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? 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 below 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 on page 6 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. Check the tables 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. 24 3 Everyone who is applying for citizenship by descent must supply 2 identical colour photos. Your passport-size photos need to be: 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. • 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 to are about you (the Applicant). 4 15 5 What is your full name? Title (tick one of the following options) Surname or family name(s) First and middle names 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. Mr Mrs Ms Miss Other (please specify) 6 Where were you born? City, town or village where you were born Country where you were born Copy the city, town or village and country of birth from your birth certificate. What is your date of birth? D D M M Y Y Y Y 8 What is your gender? Male Female Other 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 below. I do not have a current passport 11 Are you adopted? (Refer to section 2 for the documents you need to provide.) Date of adoption Country of adoption Yes. Please write your adoption date and country of adoption in the boxes below No go to 12 M Y D Y Y Y M D Has your name been legally changed for any reason? (Refer to section 2 for the documents you need to provide.) Write the name you had before it was legally changed in the space below This could be because you got married, were adopted, changed your name by deed poll etc. Yes please tick a box below to show how your name has been changed No go to 13 Marriage/civil union Deed poll/Statutory declaration Adoption Other (please specify) 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 Your email address Country code Phone number Mobile number Area code Area code Phone number Mobile number Country code What is your postal address? Your name Unit and/or house number Street name Suburb Place name (city, town, village) State or territory Postcode Country 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 go to 15 I want the documents sent to this address Emergency contact Your emergency contact’s name (first name/surname) Emergency contact’s number Emergency contact’s email address Write the name and contact details of a person who can be contacted in case of emergency. Country code Area code Phone number 16 The questions numbered to are for the New Zealand parent 24 16 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 Please tick one of the following. I was: Born in New Zealand Born in Niue, Tokelau or Cook Islands Given a grant of New Zealand citizenship This is where the applicant’s parent provides evidence of their New Zealand citizenship. (the original birth certificate must be provided) 18 What is your relationship to the person who is claiming New Zealand citizenship by descent? Please tick one of the following Birth parent Adoptive parent Other parent (please state) 19 What is your full name? Title (tick one of the following options) Surname or family name (s) First and middle names 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. Mr Mrs Ms Miss Other (please specify) Has your name been legally changed for any reason? (Refer to section 2 for the documents you need to provide.) Write the name you had before it was legally changed in the space below This could be because you were adopted, got married, changed your name by deed poll etc. Yes please tick a box below to show why your name has changed Marriage/Civil Union Deed poll Adoption No go to 21 Other (please specify) 21 Where were you born? City, town or village where you were born Country where you were born Copy the town, city or village and country of birth from your birth certificate. What is your date of birth? Y M M D Y D Y Y What is your gender? Male Female Other 24 What is your New Zealand passport number? Write the number of your most recent New Zealand passport below. This is the end of the New Zealand parent section. Please go to question , and read the Privacy Act section. Then complete question 32. 30 25 The sections numbered to are for the applicant’s other parent. 25 29 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? Title (tick one of the following options) Surname or family name(s) First and middle names 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. Mr Mrs Ms Miss Other (please specify) 27 Has your name been legally changed for any reason? Other (please specify) Write the name you had before it was legally changed in the space below This could be because you were adopted, got married, changed your name by deed poll etc. Yes please tick a box below to show why your name has changed Marriage/Civil Union Deed poll/ Statutory Declaration Adoption No go to 28 28 What is your date of birth? D D M M Y Y Y Y 29 What is your relationship to the person who is claiming New Zealand citizenship by descent? Please tick one of the following. Birth parent Adoptive parent Other parent (please state): This is the end of the other parent’s section. Please go to question , and read the Privacy Act information section. Complete question 33. 30 30 Privacy Act information - who should read this? 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. 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 page to say that they have read and understood the information. 31 You, the applicant (must sign) Full name Signature Date 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. D D M M Y Y Y Y SIGN HERE 32 New Zealand parent (must sign) Full name Signature Date 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. Y Y D D M M Y Y SIGN HERE 33 Other parent (must sign) Full name Signature Date 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. M M Y Y Y Y D D SIGN HERE 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 to 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: If you meet the above criteria go to 35 42 • 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 36 36 Do you hold a New Zealand passport? 39 37 Yes What is your passport number? now go to No go to 37 Registered medical professional (for example, a doctor, nurse, dentist, pharmacist, physio etc) Teacher (primary or secondary teacher or university lecturer) Minister of religion Lawyer Police officer Kaumatua None of the above Stop, you cannot be a witness for this application. 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? 34 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/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 tick one of the following options Surname or family name(s) First and middle names What is your date of birth? Mr Mrs Ms Miss Other (please specify) Y Y Y D D M M Y 40 Where do you live? Unit and/or house number Street name Suburb Place name (city, town, village) State or territory Postcode Country Contact number Email address Please write the details of your residential address and contact details. 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? 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 . 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. 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 5 Office use only Documents List Applicant Original Photocopy Documents List Parent Original Photocopy Parent’s passport Parent’s state-issued photo ID Parent’s marriage/civil union certificate Parent’s change of name certificate Other: Applicant’s birth certificate 2 x passport photos State Issued ID Applicant’s change of name certificate Fee Other: 42 Witness declaration and Privacy Act information 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. Signature of Witness Date This is the end of the witness section. 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. I have known Applicant’s full name (as shown in question ) For 5 M M Y Y Years Months SIGN HERE D D M Y Y Y Y M This is where you apply for your PASSPORT. If you do not want a passport, please leave this question blank. 43 You need to tick the box 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 of this application). 5 44 Citizenship and passport application fees Fees if lodged in New Zealand Fees if lodged in Australia Fees if lodged in the UK Citizenship NZD $204.40 Citizenship AUD $165.00 Citizenship GBP £86.00 Citizenship & passport NZD $419.40 Citizenship & passport AUD $418.00 Citizenship & passport GBP £219.00 Urgent citizenship & passport NZD $634.40 Urgent citizenship & passport AUD $671.00 Urgent citizenship & passport GBP £352.00 Courier delivery cost will be charged based on your delivery destination — see courier costs table for further details. Courier delivery cost will be charged based on your delivery destination — see courier costs table for further details. Courier delivery cost will be charged based on your delivery destination — see courier costs table for further details. 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 tick which service you need in the boxes 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. 45 Courier costs Delivery destination Lodged in New Zealand Lodged in Australia Lodged in the United Kingdom New Zealand NZD $5.00 (including GST) Lodge your application in New Zealand Lodge your application in New Zealand Australia NZD $13.00 AUD $12.00 Lodge your application in Australia United Kingdom NZD $28.00 Lodge your application in the United Kingdom GBP £14.00 Asia Pacific countries NZD $23.00 AUD $21.00 Lodge your application in New Zealand or Australia United States NZD $34.00 AUD $32.00 GBP £17.00 European countries (excluding the UK and countries listed below) NZD $45.00 Lodge your application in the United Kingdom GBP £22.00 Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Croatia, Greece, Macedonia, Malta, Switzerland, Serbia, Libya, Pakistan, Ukraine NZD $54.00 Lodge your application in New Zealand or the United Kingdom GBP £26.00 Russia, Iran, Nepal, Belarus NZD $56.00 AUD $52.00 GBP £27.00 Rest of world NZD $47.00 Lodge your application in New Zealand or the United Kingdom GBP £23.00 46 Payment details for citizenship and passport application fees Tick the method of payment you want Credit card/Debit card please complete the card details below EFTPOS (in person only) Preloaded payment card (e.g. Prezzy card — do not post card) Card details Name as it appears on card Card number Expiry date Security code/CSC (UK only) (MM) (YY) (last 3 numbers on the reverse side of card) What do you need to pay? Fees vary depending on which country you are sending your application to. Make sure you have ticked the service you require in question 44 . Visa MasterCard Amex CARDHOLDER SIGN HERE I authorise the Department of Internal Affairs to charge the total amount across to my credit or debit card. 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 Australia United Kingdom Courier or post to: The Citizenship (Descent) Office Service Delivery and Operations Department of Internal Affairs PO Box 10680 Wellington 6140 New Zealand Courier or post to: Department of Internal Affairs GPO Box 365 Sydney NSW 2001 Australia (Express Post, Standard Mail, Registered Mail) 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. If you are applying through the United Kingdom office, you must post or courier your application. You cannot deliver your application in person.