Who can give up their citizenship

You can renounce your New Zealand citizenship if:

• you are aged 18 or over
• you have citizenship of another country, and
• you have full mental capacity (you know what you are doing).

Your application can be denied if:

• you are living in New Zealand, or
• New Zealand is at war when you apply.

Apply to give up your NZ citizenship

You need to complete:

• an application form, and
• 2 copies of a declaration form saying you want to give up your citizenship.

1. Contact the Citizenship Office to get an application pack

The Citizenship Office will post you the application pack with the forms.

Phone

• Freephone 0800 22 51 51 (New Zealand only)
• +64 4 462 0651 (outside New Zealand)

Email

citizenship@dia.govt.nz

Post

New Zealand Citizenship Office
PO Box 10680
Wellington 6143

2. Find a witness

Your forms must be witnessed by an authorised person. This could be a:

• Justice of the Peace
• District Court judge, or
• authorised officer of the Department of Internal Affairs.

You will get a full list of accepted witnesses in the application pack.

3. Documents to include with your application

You need to post the original documents — do not send copies.

Identity documents

You must include:

• your current New Zealand passport — or your expired passport, if you do not have a current one
• your New Zealand citizenship certificate, if you have one
• a statement from Immigration NZ that says what your immigration status will be after you give up New Zealand citizenship.

Proof you are a citizen of another country

You must show proof you are a citizen of another country. This could be:

• an official citizenship certificate, or
• a confirmation of citizenship document.

You cannot use:

• a statement from another country that you will be granted citizenship there after you renounce your New Zealand citizenship, or
• a passport or a birth certificate.

Statutory declaration

If you are living in New Zealand, you also need to provide a statutory declaration explaining why you want to give up your citizenship.

Making a statutory declaration

If you are not living in New Zealand, you do not have to provide a statutory declaration.

Translations of documents that are not in English

If any of your original documents are not in English, you must send us a translation.

Translating documents into English

4. Pay the fee

It costs $398.60 to renounce your citizenship.

You can pay by:

• Credit, debit or prepaid gift card (for example Prezzy card) by adding your payment details to the form.
• Money order — only available if you are applying from overseas.

You will not get a refund if your application is denied.

After you have applied

If your application is accepted, the Citizenship Office will remove your name from the official citizenship register. You will not get your citizenship certificate and New Zealand passport back.

If you want New Zealand citizenship again in the future, you must meet all the requirements to become a citizen by grant.

How to apply for NZ citizenship