Get your child an NZ passport when born overseas

What you need to know

If you are a New Zealand citizen by birth or grant and you have a child overseas, you can register them as a New Zealand citizen by descent and get them an NZ passport.

Citizens by descent can travel on an NZ passport and are entitled to live here indefinitely.

Who can get it

If you are a New Zealand citizen by birth or grant, any children you have outside NZ are NZ citizens by descent. To get them an NZ passport, you need to register their citizenship. You can order them a passport at the same time by ticking a box on the form.

Once you turn 16, you apply for citizenship as an adult.

Get yourself an NZ passport when born overseas

If you are a citizen by descent and have a child outside NZ

Citizens by descent can't pass on NZ citizenship to any children they have outside NZ.

If you want your child to be an NZ citizen, you have 2 options: you can apply to be granted NZ citizenship or you can apply for your child to be granted NZ citizenship.

Citizenship by grant for yourself

You can become a citizen by grant before your child is born outside NZ. You must meet the requirements.

Changing from citizenship by descent to citizenship by grant 

Citizenship by grant for your child

You can apply for your child to be granted NZ citizenship. Include a letter with the application form that explains why your child should be granted citizenship even though they don't meet the requirements. You should include any evidence you have.

The letter and evidence could cover:

  • if your child can show a link to NZ
  • if your child has longstanding family or whakapapa ties to NZ
  • if your child has family living in NZ who are NZ citizens
  • the circumstances of you being a citizen by descent
  • why you want your child to be an NZ citizen
  • anything else you think is important.

Apply for NZ citizenship

If you need more information, contact the Citizenship Office.

Email: citizenship@dia.govt.nz

Phone: +64 4 463 9361 (outside NZ)

Freephone: 0800 22 51 51 (NZ only)

If you're thinking about international surrogacy

Under NZ law, children born using a surrogate are unlikely to have any legal relationship with the commissioning parents — the person who gives birth to the child and her partner (if she has one) will be considered the child's legal parents.

Under NZ law, the commissioning parents will need to become the child’s legal parents for the child to be eligible for NZ citizenship — the child will not automatically be a citizen by descent. In NZ this is achieved through adoption.

Adopting a child born via surrogacy

Before you start the surrogacy process, you should talk to a lawyer and to the Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki, the Department of Internal Affairs and Immigration New Zealand.

Ministry for Vulnerable Children Oranga Tamariki

Department of Internal Affairs

Immigration New Zealand

Getting an NZ passport

You can order your child an NZ passport at the same time as you register their citizenship by descent.

How long it takes

It takes up to 30 working days to process a complete application to register your child's citizenship and order them a passport.

You can make an urgent application. This costs more and takes up to 10 working days.

You can not make an urgent application if your case involves an overseas adoption.

What it costs

Registering your child's citizenship by descent and ordering a passport costs NZD$295.70, AUD$318 or GBP£182.

Forms

Application for New Zealand citizenship by descent and passport — child (PDF 1.1MB)

Application for New Zealand citizenship by descent and passport — child accessible alternative (txt 21KB)

How you apply

1. Documents you need

You must bring or send original documents — not copies.

You need to include these 2 documents with your child’s application:

  • your child’s full birth certificate with their parents' names
  • 2 passport photos that meet the photo requirements.

Passport photos

If you do not have your child's full birth certificate, you need to get it from the country where your child was born.

If your child's name was changed outside NZ

Send the original name change certificate with your application. This could be a deed poll certificate, adoption order or other document.

If your child was adopted outside NZ

If you adopted your child outside NZ, talk to the Citizenship Office about what you need to do.

Phone: +64 4 463 9361 (outside NZ)

Freephone: 0800 22 51 51 (NZ only)

Email: citizenship@dia.govt.nz

If your child has changed their gender identity

You can choose to have a different gender on your child's citizenship certificate than what is shown on their birth certificate.

Choosing the gender on your citizenship record

If your documents are not in English

There are 2 ways you can get your documents translated.

1. Get the documents translated by a translation agency in New Zealand or get the Citizenship Office to organise the translation for you.

Send the Citizenship Office your original documents with a note saying which documents need to be translated.

To translate only the information that is needed, it costs NZD$75 for each document. If you use the office in Sydney or London, it costs AUD$65 or GBP£35 for each document.

Adoption documents might cost more to translate. Contact the Translation Service for a quote before you send in your application.

Translation Service contact information

2. Get the documents translated by a government agency or court in the country that issued the documents.

2. Complete the application form

Application for New Zealand citizenship by descent and passport — child (PDF 1.1MB)

Application for New Zealand citizenship by descent and passport — child accessible alternative (txt 21KB)

Both parents need to fill in the application form and someone else needs to witness 1 of the passport photos.

The NZ citizen parent needs to include their most recent New Zealand passport number.

If the other parent can not fill in the form

If the other parent has died, provide their death certificate.

If you are not in contact with the other parent or they can not fill in the form, talk to the Citizenship Office.

Phone: +64 4 463 9361 (outside NZ)

Freephone: 0800 22 51 51 (NZ only)

Email: citizenship@dia.govt.nz

What the witness does

The witness fills in the witness section of the application form. They also write your child's name and the date on the back of 1 of the photos, and then sign it.

The witness must:

  • be over 16
  • have known your child for at least 1 year, or since birth
  • not be related to your child or part of your child's extended family
  • not live in the same house as your child.

The witness must also have a current or expired NZ passport, or be a:

  • registered medical professional, like a doctor, nurse, dentist, pharmacist or physiotherapist
  • registered teacher, like a primary or secondary teacher or university lecturer
  • minister of religion
  • lawyer
  • police officer
  • kaumatua.

3. Submit your application form

Send your completed form with your supporting documents and payment to the Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand, Sydney or London.

You can courier, post or deliver the application in person.

Citizenship Offices contact information

4. Pay the fee

ApplicationIf lodged in New ZealandIf lodged in SydneyIf lodged in London
Citizenship NZ$204.40 AUD$192 GBP£110
Citizenship & passport NZ$295.70 AUD$318 GBP£182
Urgent citizenship & passport NZ$452.23 AUD$533 GBP£306


If you want your documents sent to a different country from the one where you lodged your application, you need to add a courier fee.

International courier fees

You can pay by:

  • credit card
  • cheque or money order in NZD, AUD or GBP depending on which country you are sending your application to, or
  • cash or EFTPOS if you are delivering your application in person.

After you apply

Getting your documents back

If you bring your application into a Department of Internal Affairs public counter, your original documents are copied, certified and given back to you straight away.

If you post or courier your application, the Citizenship Office couriers your original documents to you with your child's citizenship certificate and passport, if you applied for one.

If your application is declined, the Citizenship Office sends you a letter and includes your original documents.

When you find out about your application

The Citizenship Office contacts you if they need more information.

If your application is successful, you are couriered your child's citizenship certificate and passport, if you applied for one.

If your application is declined because your child does not have a claim to NZ citizenship by descent, the Citizenship Office emails you or sends you a letter. You may not get a refund.

Withdrawing your application

You can withdraw your application at any time. You may not get a refund.

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