If you want to study in New Zealand at school or tertiary level, you may need a student visa.

Our requirements

Find out what you need to do to meet our requirements. You can also find out about what your student visa means for your family.

New Zealand study opportunities

Find out about the study opportunities – where you can study and the qualifications you can gain.

How to apply

Find out how to start the application process – apply for a new visa, apply for a further visa, or change the conditions of your visa.

After you are accepted

Find out more about what you need to do after your application for a student visa has been accepted.

Can I study in New Zealand?

Everyone who comes to study in New Zealand from overseas must meet certain rules and requirements. If you are coming to New Zealand to study for more than three months, you will need a student visa. In this section you can find out whether you need a visa, whether you'll qualify, and what a student visa will allow you to do.

People who do not need a student visa

You don’t need a visa if you are a citizen of New Zealand or Australia, you hold a New Zealand residence class visa, or you are the holder of a current Australian permanent residence visa including a current Australian resident return visa. If there are conditions on your Australian permanent residence visa or resident return visa, then you will need to apply for a student visa.

People undertaking short courses

If you want to undertake one or more short courses which are approved or exempted by New Zealand Qualifications Authority, for no more than three calendar months duration in total, you do not need a student visa or a variation of conditions.

If you hold a temporary visa that is valid for 24 months or more, you can study one or more courses for up to three months in total in each 12-month period.

School-age children

School-age visitor visa holders can attend a primary, intermediate, or secondary school for a single period of study of up to three months per calendar year provided the study finishes within the calendar year. School-age visitor visa holders are not permitted to study in term one of a school year if they undertook a single period of study in term four of the previous year while on a visitor visa.

If you are planning to attend for more than two weeks or are paying fees, you must attend a school that is a signatory to the Ministry of Education's Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students.

Working Holiday Schemes

Participants of the Canada, Germany, Japan, Taiwan and the United Kingdom Working Holiday Schemes may undertake one or more courses of study as long as the total duration of all of the courses undertaken does not exceed six months.

If you hold a working holiday visa from any other scheme you are entitled to undertake one or more short courses as long as the total duration of all the courses undertaken does not exceed three months.

Exchange students

If you have been offered a place in an approved exchange scheme you may apply for a student visa for the duration of your exchange, provided you meet our health and character requirements and are a genuine exchange participant.

You must also provide evidence that you:

have been accepted into an approved student exchange scheme (from the scheme organiser), and
have onward travel arrangements for when your exchange scheme has finished.

You must apply for a student exchange visa before you travel to New Zealand. Only in very special circumstances (as determined by Immigration New Zealand) will a student exchange visa be granted if you are already in New Zealand.

The requirements for a student visa

Before you apply, ensure that you understand the requirements that you need to meet, and the requirements that your course must meet.

Also see our examples to make sure you will be eligible for a visa to study in New Zealand.

What a student visa allows

Find out how long you can stay, whether you can work while studying, who we will refuse entry to, and answers to other questions about student visas.

Partners and children of residence and temporary entry class visa holders

If your partner or parent is in New Zealand and you want to join them here and study, the type of visa you may apply for may depend on factors such as your partner or parent's immigration status.

Apply

If you're sure you need a student visa, and you meet the requirements, find out how to apply.

Children unlawfully in New Zealand accessing compulsory education

If your child is unlawfully in New Zealand and you wish to access education for them under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC) you may wish to view Department of Labour's FAQs on this subject

Applying for a student visa

The application process below is for people who want to apply for a student visa. This may include people who want to travel to New Zealand to study, people who want to stay temporarily in New Zealand to study, and people already here on other types of temporary entry class visas who want to study in New Zealand full time.

The application steps

Complete the form

Print and complete the form Student Visa Application (INZ 1012) PDF. Also available is the Student Visa Guide (INZ 1013) PDF, which will assist you in applying. If you cannot print the form and guide, they are available from your nearest Immigration New Zealand branch.

Make sure you submit everything we require, including the fee

Along with your completed (and signed) application form you will also need to provide all the information listed at the back of the application form and the correct fee. If you do not submit the required information with your application we cannot accept it for processing.

Make sure you meet our health requirements

What you have to provide us with depends on how long you will be staying in New Zealand.

Studying in New Zealand for between six months and one year?

You may also need to provide a completed Temporary Entry X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096) PDF to show you have been screened for tuberculosis (TB).

Studying in New Zealand for more than one year?

You will need to complete a medical examination and a medical and x-ray certificate.

Pregnant women and children under the age of 11 years are not required to submit x-ray certificates unless a special report is required.

For full details on our health requirements, see the Health Requirements Leaflet (INZ 1121) PDF.

Make sure your meet our character requirements

If you are studying in New Zealand for more than two years you will also have to provide a police certificate, less than six months old, from your country of citizenship and from any country in which you have lived for five or more years since reaching 17 years of age.

Lodge your application

If you are applying from outside of New Zealand, your application must be made and approved before you are able to travel to New Zealand. Find out where to send your application.

If you are in New Zealand, please send your student application direct to:

Student Processing Unit
Immigration New Zealand
P O Box 1049
Palmerston North 4440

Student applications may also be placed in the branch student drop box (Auckland Branches only) and will be forwarded to the Student Processing Unit in Palmerston North.

If your education provider is certified with Students Online you can make your application at your nearest certified educational institute.

See our checklist for help to make sure you have everything you need to apply for your visa.

Already here?

If you need to apply for a further student visa to complete your course of study, you will still need to go through the application process. However, if your education institution is on our Students Online list of certified educators, they will be able to process your student visa on campus. Find out which institutes are with Students Online.

Or you may want to change the conditions of your visa if you:

are on another visa type and wish to study part time
are on a student visa and want to change courses and/or course providers, or
want to work while studying.

I’m accepted – tell me more

Before you leave home you can prepare for your trip to New Zealand by finding out about our currency, what you can and can’t bring into the country, driving in New Zealand, and other useful information.

It’s useful to know about Customs regulations when you arrive, what you can buy duty free, and how to get from the airport to your first night’s destination.

We’ve given you some useful tips that will help make your stay easier and more enjoyable. And also included some practical information about settling in to New Zealand in the longer term.

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