Citizenship timeframes
Check this page regularly for up-to-date citizenship processing times.
The oldest applications now being assessed were submitted in May 2021.
The times given below are estimates only. Some applications may take longer due to:
- external checks with other government agencies
- the applicant not meeting 1 or more of the requirements for New Zealand citizenship on the date they applied.
Application process stages | Estimated timeframe |
---|---|
Application allocated to a case officer | 11 months |
Outcome of application | 1 month to 6 weeks |
Allocation to a ceremony | 1 to 2 months |
Total application process | 13 to 15 months |
Citizenship ceremonies:
Citizenship ceremonies are not currently being held. Instead, the Citizenship Office will send your citizenship certificate by courier post within 2 months.
If you asked to attend a citizenship ceremony in a group, we will let each person in your group know whether their application has been approved before we send your certificates.
As at | Applications |
---|---|
31 May 2021 | 21,288 |
24 June 2021 | 22,691 |
30 July 2021 | 23,860 |
31 August 2021 | 25,831 |
30 September 2021 | 28,006 |
29 October 2021 | 28,816 |
30 November 2021 | 29,117 |
24 December 2021 | 29,071 |
31 January 2022 | 29,969 |
28 February 2022 | 30,869 |
31 March 2022 | 32,066 |
29 April 2022 | 30,111 |
31 May 2022 | 26,877 |
Table 2 records the number of unallocated citizenship applications as at the last working day of the month where data was available. The most recent figure is the total number of unallocated applications.
The accuracy of any administrative data is subject to human error. This data has been collated to the best of our ability and may have a small variance to any alternative publications.
About the current timeframes
Urgent applications
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