New Zealand student visa guide

The Fee Paying Student Visa is for students paying international tuition themselves or with family support, a loan or a partial scholarship. You apply online with an offer of place from an approved education provider, proof of tuition and living funds, and a ticket or money to leave New Zealand. It is issued for the period of study you have paid for, up to 4 years.

Use the guide below as a planning reference, then check the official source before you pay anything or submit an application.

Tips from experience

• Check the INZ list of student visa wait times by provider before you choose your school.
• Apply at least 3 months before travel and avoid the October to March peak if you can.
• Keep the funds in an account with a clear history, not a sudden large deposit.
• Use the offer of place template details so your letter has everything INZ needs.
• Book the chest X-ray early, because results must be under 3 months old when INZ receives them.
• Confirm the cost in the INZ fee finder with your own nationality and location before paying.

Documents most applicants need are marked required. Others depend on your case or on what the office asks for. Build a printable checklist.

• Passport information page scan Required

  Valid for at least 3 months after you plan to leave New Zealand.

• Acceptable photo Required

• Offer of place from an approved provider Required

  With the provider's signed declaration.

• Evidence of tuition fees paid Required

  Or approval in principle first, then the receipt.

• Evidence of living funds Required

  Bank statements, scholarship, loan sanction letter, sponsor sharing ID or INZ 1014 form.

• Outward travel ticket or funds for one Required

• Chest X-ray certificate If asked

  For stays over 6 months from countries without a low incidence of tuberculosis.

• Medical certificate If asked

  INZ says full fee-paying students do not usually need one, but it may ask.

• Police certificates If asked

  If 17 or older and staying 24 months or more in total.

• Work permission letters If asked

  From parent and provider if aged 16 or 17.

• Certified English translations If asked

  For police or medical certificates not in English.

Indicative government fees only. School fees, translations, tests, courier and service charges are extra.

Living funds

NZ$20,000 for one year

Basis

For tertiary, English language or other non-compulsory study, INZ asks for NZD 20,000 for each year of study, or NZD 1,667 for each month if the study is shorter than 1 year. Separately, you must show tuition paid for 1 course or 1 year of study, whichever is shorter.

Tuition included

No, add your first year tuition

You also need a ticket out of New Zealand or extra money to buy one, on top of the living funds. School students (Years 1 to 13) need NZD 17,000 a year. A sponsor or a guarantor using the Financial Undertaking for a Student form (INZ 1014) can replace your own funds. For longer courses, a credible plan for later years strengthens the application.

Typical decision time

INZ shows that 80% of applications from Nigerian applicants are currently decided within 7 weeks. INZ also publishes wait times by education provider. Student visa processing is busiest between October and March.

How early you can apply

Apply once you have an offer of place. From outside New Zealand you can apply with a conditional offer and get approval in principle, then send the unconditional offer and tuition receipt before the visa is issued.

Latest sensible time to apply

INZ asks students to apply at least 3 months before they plan to travel.

1. 1

   Get an offer of place

   Apply to an approved provider that is a signatory to the Pastoral Care Code. The offer must show the course, length, full time status, holiday dates and the provider's signed declaration.

2. 2

   Arrange tuition payment

   Pay tuition for 1 course or 1 year, whichever is shorter, or wait for approval in principle and pay then. Keep the receipt.

3. 3

   Gather funds evidence

   Show NZD 20,000 for each year, or a sponsor's sharing ID or an INZ 1014 guarantor form, plus money for an outward ticket. The money must come from a source INZ can confirm.

4. 4

   Book a chest X-ray if needed

   Stays over 6 months need a chest X-ray if you are a citizen of, or spent more than 3 months in the last 5 years in, a country without a low incidence of tuberculosis. Use an approved clinic. Results must be under 3 months old.

5. 5

   Get police certificates if needed

   If you are 17 or older and will spend 24 months or more in New Zealand, include police certificates under 6 months old from your country of citizenship and any country where you lived 5 years since age 17.

6. 6

   Apply online and pay

   Create an INZ online account, complete the form, upload a passport scan, photo and documents, and pay the application cost.

7. 7

   Wait for the decision

   Respond quickly to any request. If approved you receive an eVisa. Complete the New Zealand Traveller Declaration before you fly.

Work and post study rules change often. Confirm them on the official source before you plan around them.

• INZ was not satisfied that you genuinely intend to study, for example the course does not fit your background.
• Funds were below NZD 20,000 a year or came from a source INZ could not verify.
• No outward ticket or extra money to buy one.
• Health requirement not met or chest X-ray missing.
• Police certificate missing, out of date or not translated.
• The offer of place lacked required details or was from a provider not approved for international students.

Refused before? Read what to do after a visa refusal.