Obtaining New Zealand permanent residence provides a person with the right to remain living indefinitely in New Zealand with access to all the normal work, business, education, property and health privileges available to New Zealanders.

However, New Zealand citizenship is required to travel on a New Zealand passport, for employment in some public service or Government positions, in order to purchase particular rural and coastal property or to represent New Zealand at the Olympic Games or other international events. In order to access these additional privileges the grant of New Zealand citizenship must be made. A New Zealand passport can be applied for only once New Zealand citizenship has been granted or conferred.

To be eligible for New Zealand citizenship a person must:

· Intend to live permanently in New Zealand

. Have a reasonable understanding of English

· Be of good character

· Hold New Zealand Permanent Residence, and have lived in New Zealand, for 5 years

· Understand the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship

The Citizenship policy changed in April 2005. If a person had obtained, or applied for, New Zealand permanent residence prior to 21 April 2005 then different criteria apply.

Children born in New Zealand on or after 1 January 2006 will automatically be New Zealand citizens only if one of their parents was a New Zealand citizen or held residence status at the time of the birth.

Generally speaking, in order to apply for New Zealand citizenship an applicant must meet the above eligibility criteria and have held a New Zealand residence permit for 5 years. During this period they must have spent at least 1350 days (some 45 months out of 60 months) actually in New Zealand and at least 240 days in New Zealand in each of these five years. This is the requirement for ordinary residence.

There are a number of policies which apply to specific categories of applicants such as children of New Zealand citizens and PathwaysNZ welcomes enquiries seeking clarification of citizenship matters.

Citizenship applications are made on an individual and not family basis and a separate application is required for each person in a family.

All New Zealand citizenship and passport applications are processed by the Department of Internal Affairs.

Citizenship applications presently take around 8-10 months to process while passport applications only take a few days.