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Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Was at least 1 of your parents born in New Zealand, or given citizenship by grant before you were born?

You are a citizen by descent

Have you registered as a citizen?
When you register, you can get yourself a New Zealand passport.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you want to apply for citizenship by grant?
If you have citizenship by grant you can pass it on to children born outside New Zealand — as long as it is granted before the child is born.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you a Samoan citizen?
If you are from Samoa, you might not have to meet the same requirements as everybody else.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Were you in New Zealand on 14 September 1982?
The requirements you have to meet depend on when you arrived in New Zealand. If you are not sure you were in New Zealand on this date, you can check your passport or contact Immigration NZ

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you have proof you were in New Zealand on 14 September 1982?
To see what you can use as proof, check the requirements if you are from Samoa.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Have you spent any time in New Zealand after 14 September 1982, with resident status?
You have New Zealand resident status if you have one of these:

  • a residence permit
  • a resident visa
  • a permanent resident visa, or
  • Australian citizenship or Australian permanent residency.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you aged 15 or under?
Some children might not have to meet the same requirements as adults.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Is at least 1 of your parents a New Zealand citizen?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you intend to live in New Zealand once granted citizenship?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you aged 13 or under?
Children aged 14 and 15 have to meet different requirements.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you have any charges pending or have you been convicted of any offence?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you able to speak English in everyday situations?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you applying with a parent?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you intend to live in New Zealand once granted citizenship?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you aged 13 or under?
Children aged 14 and 15 have to meet different requirements.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you have any charges pending or have you been convicted of any offence?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you able to speak English in everyday situations?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Does the parent you are applying with have New Zealand resident status?
They have New Zealand resident status if they have one of these: 

  • a residence permit 
  • a resident visa
  • a permanent resident visa, or 
  • Australian citizenship or Australian permanent residency.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you intend to live in New Zealand once granted citizenship?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you aged 13 or under?
Children aged 14 and 15 have to meet different requirements.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you have any charges pending or have you been convicted of any offence?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you able to speak English in everyday situations?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you intend to live in New Zealand once granted citizenship?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do any of the following apply to you?

You have:

  • 100 or more demerit points on your driver licence in the last 2 years
  • been convicted of a crime in the last 3 years
  • spent any time in prison in the last 7 years
  • had a prison sentence of more than 5 years
  • an undischarged protection order.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Can you speak English in everyday situations?

You may not meet the requirements

Based on your answer to the previous question, you may not meet the requirements for New Zealand citizenship.

Check the full list of requirements

The result of your self-check is only an indicator. It is not legal advice. You will be fully assessed if you apply.

If you have any questions, contact the Citizenship Office.

Register your citizenship

You register your citizenship by completing the Application for New Zealand Citizenship by Descent and Passport form.

In the form, you can choose to:

  • register your citizenship, or
  • register your citizenship and order a passport.

Register as a citizen by descent and get a passport

If you are living in NZ

You may be eligible for citizenship by grant.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship by grant

If you were born before 1978

If you were born before 1978, the way you get citizenship may be different.

You need to contact the Citizenship Office.

The result of your self-check is only an indicator of your eligibility. It is not legal advice. You will be fully assessed if you apply.

If you have any questions, contact the Citizenship Office.

You may meet the requirements

Applying for citizenship costs:

  • $ 470.20 — adult
  • $ 235.10 — child

How to apply for NZ citizenship

The Citizenship Office will let you know whether your application has been approved. Find out about our current processing timeframes:

Citizenship timeframes

The result of your self-check is only an indicator of your eligibility. It is not legal advice. You will be fully assessed if you apply.

If you have any questions, contact the Citizenship Office.

You may meet some requirements

You may meet the requirements for:

  • character, and
  • language.

You have one last step:

What are the presence requirements?

You must have spent a certain amount of time in New Zealand with resident status in the last 5 years.

The result of your self-check is only an indicator. You will be fully assessed if you apply.

If you have any questions, contact the Citizenship Office.

You may meet the requirements

It costs $ 235.10 for a child to apply for citizenship.

How to apply for NZ citizenship

The Citizenship Office will let you know whether your application has been approved. Find out about our current processing timeframes:

Citizenship timeframes

The result of your self-check is only an indicator. It is not legal advice. You will be fully assessed if you apply.

If you have any questions, contact the Citizenship Office.

You may meet some requirements

You have one last step

Children must have spent a certain amount of time in New Zealand with resident status to meet the presence requirements.

You need:

  • the passport or travel document number of the child who is applying.

The result of your self-check is only an indicator. You will be fully assessed if you apply.

If you have any questions, contact the Citizenship Office.

You may meet some requirements

You have one last step:

Which parent?

Use the parent who will complete the consent section of your application for citizenship. If that parent does not meet the presence requirements, but your other parent does, use the parent that does meet the requirements.

Are you a parent doing this for your child?

You may already have checked if you meet the presence requirements. If so, you have checked all requirements.

You may meet some requirements

You meet requirements for:

  • language, and
  • character.

You have one last step: check you meet the requirement for ‘presence in NZ’

You must have spent a certain amount of time in NZ with resident status to meet the presence requirements.

You need:

  • your passport or travel document number.

The result of your self-check is only an indicator. You will be fully assessed if you apply.

If you have any questions, contact the Citizenship Office.

Thank you

You can choose to apply for citizenship by grant later.

Citizenship by grant can be passed on to children born outside New Zealand, as long as it is granted to one parent before the child is born.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you intend to live in New Zealand once granted citizenship?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you aged 13 or under?
Children aged 14 and 15 have to meet different requirements.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you have any charges pending or have you been convicted of any offence?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you able to speak English in everyday situations?

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Are you aged 13 or under?
Children aged 14 and 15 have to meet different requirements.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Based on your answer to the previous question you may not be eligible for New Zealand citizenship.

Check the eligibility requirements if you are from Samoa

The result of your self-check is only an indicator. It is not legal advice. You will be fully assessed if you apply.

If you have any questions, contact the Citizenship Office.

Check you meet the requirements for citizenship

Do you have New Zealand resident status?
You have New Zealand resident status if you have one of these:

  • a residence permit
  • a resident visa
  • a permanent resident visa, or
  • Australian citizenship or Australian permanent residency.

You may meet some requirements

You may meet the requirements for:

  • language, and
  • character.

You have one last step

Children must have spent a certain amount of time in New Zealand with resident status to meet the presence requirements.

You need:

  • the passport or travel document number of the child who is applying.

The result of your self-check is only an indicator. You will be fully assessed if you apply.

If you have any questions, contact the Citizenship Office.