Partner of a Worker Work Visa — New Zealand

The Partner of a Worker Work Visa lets you live and work in New Zealand while your partner holds, or is applying for, an eligible New Zealand work visa. You do not need your own job offer.

You must be living together when you apply and show that the partnership is genuine and stable. Unlike the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa, this temporary work visa does not impose a blanket 12-month cohabitation minimum. INZ still considers how long you have lived together and the strength of the evidence.

The visa is normally granted for the same duration as your partner's work visa. It does not itself grant residence, but it gives open work rights under the conditions described below.

If your supporting partner is a New Zealand citizen or resident and you want a temporary work visa, use the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa instead.

This route is different from the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa, which is for partners of New Zealand citizens or residents and generally requires 12 months of living together for residence.

Your partner must hold an eligible New Zealand work visa or have an application in progress. You may apply at the same time, but INZ will not grant your visa until the supporting partner's work visa is approved.

A partner cannot normally support this visa if they hold:

• a work visa valid for 6 months or less (except a Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa);
• a Working Holiday Visa;
• a Fishing Crew Work Visa;
• an RSE Limited or Supplementary Seasonal Employment Work Visa;
• a Domestic Staff of a Diplomat Work Visa;
• a Skilled Migrant Category Job Search Visa; or
• an AEWV/legacy Essential Skills role that does not meet the current family-support scenario.

Seasonal AEWV categories also have separate family restrictions. Check the supporting worker's eVisa conditions and INZ's current “Bringing family if you have a work visa” page rather than assuming every work visa can support family.

Partners of Post-Study Work Visa holders and many other work-visa holders can qualify without the AEWV pay table, provided the supporting visa is eligible.

For an Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) holder, eligibility depends on occupation, skill level and pay. Common current scenarios include:

These rates took effect on 9 March 2026 and can change with the immigration median wage. The precise scenario matters; the simple statement “all AEWV holders can bring a partner” is wrong.

The partner-work visa applicant does not personally need to earn these amounts. They are support criteria for the worker who holds the AEWV.

You and your supporting partner must be living together in a genuine and stable relationship when you apply. Marriage or a civil union does not remove the living-together requirement.

Build a dated relationship timeline and provide evidence across several categories:

• tenancy agreements, property records, utility bills or official mail showing the shared address;
• joint accounts, shared purchases, insurance, transfers or division of household costs;
• travel, photos, messages and records showing time spent together;
• children or shared caregiving responsibilities, where applicable; and
• statements from people who recognise the relationship.

INZ looks at how long you have been together and living together, but the temporary Partner of a Worker Work Visa does not require everyone to prove 12 full months. The 12-month requirement applies to specified residence pathways, including the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa.

Explain periods apart for work, study, family or immigration reasons and show how the relationship continued. Uploading only a marriage certificate and photos is usually weaker than evidence of a shared household.

Current open-work conditions let you do any legal work, in any job, anywhere in New Zealand, provided you hold any occupational registration required for the role. You cannot provide commercial sexual services or operate/invest in a business that provides them.

You may work as a sole trader or own a business. Under the current open-work conditions, an owner-operator cannot employ other people directly or indirectly. Check the exact conditions on your eVisa because older partner visas may still carry restricted conditions; eligible holders can apply to vary them.

You may study for up to 3 months in any 12-month period. Longer study generally requires an appropriate student visa.

You also need an IRD number and must meet New Zealand tax obligations when working.

Most applicants apply online. The correct partnership forms are:

• INZ 1198 — Partnership-Based Temporary Visa Application for a paper work/visitor application (or use the online application); and
• INZ 1146 — Form for Partners Supporting Partnership-Based Temporary Entry Applications, completed by the supporting partner.

INZ 1017 and INZ 1015 are not the standard application/support pair for this visa.

Prepare:

• passport or certificate of identity;
• 1 acceptable photo online or 2 for a paper application;
• relationship and living-together evidence;
• completed INZ 1146 and evidence of the supporting partner's visa/job/pay where relevant;
• chest X-ray, medical examination and police certificates if required;
• English translations required by INZ;
• evidence of funds if requested; and
• onward travel or enough additional money to buy a ticket, if required.

An acceptable financial sponsor uses the separate Sponsorship Form for Temporary Entry. That is different from the partner who supports the partnership basis of the visa.

Apply online through Immigration New Zealand unless you need the paper INZ 1198 route.

1. Confirm that the worker's visa and, for AEWV holders, job/pay scenario can support a partner work visa.

2. Gather a continuous set of living-together and relationship evidence.

3. Have the supporting partner complete INZ 1146.

4. Complete the online application, upload clear documents and pay the fee.

5. Monitor the INZ account and respond to any request by its deadline.

As of 23 July 2026, INZ lists the fee from NZD $1,630 and reports 80% processed within 8 weeks. The amount can vary by applicant location and fees/timeframes change, so verify the live visa page before payment.

INZ may take longer where it must verify relationship evidence, supporting-worker eligibility, pay, health or character.

The visa normally expires on the same date as the supporting partner's work visa. If the worker receives a new visa, the partner must make a new application; the dependent visa does not automatically extend.

Apply before the current visa expires and provide updated evidence that you still live together in a genuine and stable partnership. Recheck support rules on the new application date because AEWV thresholds and occupations can change.

This temporary visa does not convert automatically to residence. Long-term options may include being included in the worker's later residence application or, after the supporting partner becomes a New Zealand citizen/resident and the residence requirements are met, applying for the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa.