Overseas with a NZ Resident Visa due to expire or has already expired?

Good news. The Minister of Immigration approved extensions to the travel conditions of Resident Visas for those stuck overseas.

There are two groups covered by the Ministers decision.

Group One

People approved residence of New Zealand with a Resident Visa issued but did not arrive for the first time to activate the visa. This group will get a 12 month extension of current travel conditions. If the travel conditions (date first entry must be made) expired on or after 02/02/2020 a new visa will be issued valid for 12 months.

Anyone in this group will still require a border exemption before booking and/or checking in for a flight to New Zealand. Border exemptions are hard to get and take weeks to be processed. Take advice.

Group Two

People who have already arrived in New Zealand to activate their visa (arrival triggers a two year visa validity from the first date of arrival) and then left the country (and are still overseas). This group will receive a 12 month extension to their current travel conditions. If the travel conditions expired on or after 02/02/2020 a new visa will be issued valid for 12 months.

Once people in Group Two have new visas they can travel to New Zealand without applying for a border exemption. However, there is no escaping the mandatory 14 days in managed isolation or quarantine on arrival. For more information read

When will the new visas be issued?

We expect the new Resident Visas to be sent automatically by email in November. We anticipate some delay due to the number of visas that need to be issued.

Malcolm Pacific Immigration will send new visas onto our clients upon receipt. If you are not a client of Malcolm Pacific Immigration contact Immigration NZ at the end of November if the replacement visa has not arrived.