Parent Boost Visitor Visa New Zealand: Opens 29 September 2025

From 29 September 2025, New Zealand is launching something pretty exciting for families all over the world, the Parent Boost Visitor Visa. This is not a short-term visit visa, it’s a big step forward in helping parents spend real, quality time with their children living in Aotearoa.

If you are a New Zealand citizen or resident with your parents living overseas, this new visa could allow them to stay with you for up to 5 years at a time and potentially 10 years, if they qualify for a second visa.

Let’s break it all down!

What exactly is the Parent Boost Visitor Visa?

Simply put, it is a long-term visitor visa specifically for parents of NZ residents and citizens. It gives them the freedom to live in New Zealand for up to 5 years per visa and they can come and go as they please during that time.

Even better! There is an option to reapply for another 5-year visa, granted all the conditions are met.

But what is important to note is this visa is for visiting only. It is not a pathway to residency and applicants have to promise to leave when their time is up.

Who Can Apply? (And Who Can’t)

To apply, the parent must:

• Be outside of New Zealand when applying and when the visa is granted

• Be sponsored by an adult child (aged 18+) who is a NZ citizen or resident

• Pass health and character checks

• Prove they are genuine visitors with ties to their home country 

• Show they have enough money or that their sponsor does

Important: Parents with dependent children are not eligible.

Financial Requirements for Parent Boost Visitor Visa New Zealand

To make sure parents are not financially dependent on public support, applicants must show their financially independent. There are three ways to do this:

Option 1: Sponsor’s Income

Parents can be sponsored if the sponsor earns at least the median wage.

• Joint sponsors must earn significantly more.

• Extra income is needed for each additional parent.

Option 2: Parent’s Own Income

Parents can qualify through steady personal income.

• Singles and couples must meet minimum income levels.

• Income must be ongoing and reliable.

Option 3: Parent’s Savings

Parents may also qualify through personal savings.

• Must be fully owned, not borrowed or gifted.

• Higher savings needed for couples than singles.
  

  

  How Sponsorship Works

  Sponsorship is a major part of the application. The sponsor must:

  • Be an adult child of the applicant

  • Be a New Zealand resident or citizen

  • Agree to provide support while the parent is in NZ

  • Understand that if the rules are broken, they could also be held responsible

  Joint sponsors are allowed and can be:

  • Two adult siblings

  • An adult child and their partner

  • A child of the parent and a child of the parent’s partner

  Health Rules & Insurance

  Because this is a long stay, New Zealand wants to make sure visitors are healthy and covered (insurance) in case of emergencies.

  
  

  Health:

  
  

  • Medical certificates must show you are of acceptable health.

  • First visa: you can reuse a certificate if it’s less than 12 months old.

  • Mid-visa check & second visa: you will need a new certificate, no older than 3 months.

  • No medical waivers: you must meet the health standard, if not then you won’t get the visa.

  
  

• Insurance:

• 
  

  • You must have approved health insurance the entire time you're in NZ

  • The first 12 months must be bought after your application is approved in principle

  • Insurance must cover the following (in NZD):

    • Emergency medical care

    • Cancer treatment

    • Repatriation

    • Return of remains

      
      

  • Insurance from overseas is allowed (but only from acceptable providers) Note: No insurance = no visa

  What Happens After You Get the Visa?
  

  Once approved, it becomes valid once you arrive in New Zealand.

  • You will have 6 months to enter the country

  • The 5-year countdown starts on the day you land

  • You can travel in and out of NZ freely

  • After 3 years, but before the 4th, you must leave NZ for a mid-visa compliance check

    This includes a new medical check and proof that you’ve kept your insurance going

  • If everything checks out, you can return and finish your stay

  Thinking Long-Term? 

  
  

Once your first 5-year visa is finished, you can re-apply for another, if you meet all the requirements again.

That means another full set of documents, updated insurance, health checks and financial records. In total, you could spend 10 years now with your loved ones in New Zealand.

The Parent Boost Visitor Visa is ideal if you are looking to spend longer time with your family in NZ without the pressure of permanent migration. With the provision to stay for 5 or even 10 years, brings peace of mind to both parents and their children.

Make sure you’re prepared ahead of the 29 September 2025 launch date!