Get your child a New Zealand passport when born overseas

If you were born in NZ or have been granted NZ citizenship you can register your child as an NZ citizen by descent and get them a New Zealand passport.

Your child is a citizen by descent when they are born or adopted, but to get your child a New Zealand passport you must register them.

If you are a citizen by descent you can travel on a New Zealand passport and are entitled to live and work in NZ. You mostly have the same rights as any NZ citizen.

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 your child an NZ passport, you need to register their citizenship. You can order them a passport at the same time when you fill out the form.

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

Get yourself a New Zealand passport when born overseas

Getting a New Zealand passport

You can order your child a New Zealand passport at the same time as you register their citizenship by descent.

How long it takes

It takes up to 50 working days to process a complete application to register your child’s citizenship and order them a passport.

Urgent applications cost more and take up to 10 working days. You cannot make an urgent application if your case involves an overseas adoption.

Applications may require checks with external agencies to verify the descent claim. In some cases external checks can take months to complete. We will contact you directly if this applies to your application.

What it costs

Registering your child’s citizenship by descent and ordering a passport costs NZD$319.40, AUD$306 or GBP£166.

Form

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

1. Documents you need

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.

2. Complete the application and sign the form

Application for New Zealand citizenship by descent and passport — child (PDF 734KB)

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

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

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, debit or prepaid gift card (for example Prezzy card) — add your payment details to the form.
• EFTPOS — only available when you visit an office in person.
• Money order — only available if you are applying from overseas.

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.