Character Requirements
Every New Zealand visa applicant must meet good character requirements. In practice this means disclosing criminal history, immigration history and anything that bears on honesty, and satisfying INZ that you are a person New Zealand should admit. Non-disclosure is treated more seriously than most of the things people fail to disclose.
Quick Facts
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Who it applies to | All applicants, every visa type |
| Police certificates required | Applicants aged 17 and over staying 24 months or longer |
| Police certificate recency | Must be less than 6 months old when you submit |
| Upfront police certificates (2026) | Applications lacking one may be declined without further contact |
| False or misleading information | A ground for deportation liability |
| Waiver | Character waivers exist for some categories; the test is not published by INZ |
Why it matters
Character is one of the three universal requirements, alongside health and identity. It is also the one most often failed by accident.
The reason is that the assessment is not only about what you did. It is about what you told INZ. False or misleading information supplied in an application is itself a ground for deportation liability — years later, on a visa that was granted, to a person who is otherwise settled. An undisclosed conviction from a decade ago is usually a smaller problem than the fact that it was undisclosed.
There is a second reason character has become higher-stakes in 2026. INZ now expects police certificates to be provided upfront where required, and applications lacking one may be declined without further contact. There is no follow-up letter and no chance to fix it. See the upfront police certificate rule.
What the requirement covers
INZ assesses character across several areas:
- Criminal history, including convictions, charges and, in some categories, matters that did not result in conviction.
- Immigration history, including previous declines, overstaying, breaches of visa conditions, and removal or deportation from any country.
- Truthfulness in this and previous applications, including omissions.
- Associations and conduct relevant to New Zealand's interests, in a small number of cases.
Police certificates are the standard evidence. The published general rule is that applicants aged 17 and over who plan to stay in New Zealand for 24 months or longer must provide one, and that it must be less than 6 months old at submission. Some categories require certificates from your country of citizenship and from any country where you have lived for an extended period; the Dependent Child Resident Visa, for example, requires them for anyone 17 or over from countries of citizenship and any country where they spent 12 or more months in the past decade.
INZ has also confirmed that applicants who have already provided police certificates in a previous visa application may not need to provide them again. Detail is at police certificates for NZ visa applications.
Character waivers
Where a character issue exists, some categories allow INZ to consider granting the visa anyway. This is a character waiver. It weighs the nature and seriousness of the issue, how long ago it was, and the applicant's circumstances.
INZ does not publish the waiver test on its public pages, and it explicitly recommends taking legal advice where character is in issue. A person in this position needs individual advice from a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer — not a checklist. Background reading is at character requirements and character waivers.
What people get wrong about character
"It was a long time ago, so it does not count." Age of an offence is relevant to how it is weighed. It is not relevant to whether it must be disclosed.
"It was dismissed, so there is nothing to declare." Read the question INZ actually asks. Several application questions extend beyond convictions. Answering a broad question narrowly is how honest people end up with a false-information finding.
"A discharge without conviction protects me." The Act that passed its third reading on 21 November 2025 changed the position for residence visa holders so that a discharge without conviction no longer shields them from deportation consideration. Commencement dates for that Act were not established at the time of writing, so confirm the current position before relying on it either way.
"A licensed adviser can make it go away." They cannot. What they can do is present the disclosure and any waiver argument properly, which materially changes outcomes in ways a self-prepared application often does not.
"Character only matters for residence." It applies to every visa, including visitor visas and an NZeTA. NZeTA requests are refused on character grounds regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the character requirements for a New Zealand visa?
All applicants must meet good character requirements. INZ assesses criminal history, immigration history and truthfulness in this and earlier applications. Police certificates are the standard evidence where the stay is long enough to trigger them.
Who needs a police certificate for a New Zealand visa?
Applicants aged 17 and over who plan to stay in New Zealand for 24 months or longer. The certificate must be less than 6 months old when you submit the application. Some categories require certificates from more than one country.
Can I get a New Zealand visa with a criminal record?
Having a conviction does not automatically end an application. INZ assesses character individually, and some categories allow a character waiver to be considered. What matters most is full, accurate disclosure. See moving to New Zealand with a criminal record, and take licensed advice before applying.
What happens if I do not declare something?
False or misleading information supplied in an application is a ground for deportation liability, and it can follow you into later applications as a character concern. It is treated as a distinct issue from whatever was not declared. See false or misleading information in a visa application.
What is a character waiver?
A decision by INZ to grant a visa despite a character issue, weighing seriousness, time elapsed and circumstances. INZ does not publish the test on its public pages and recommends seeking legal advice where character is in issue.
Does character apply to an NZeTA as well as a visa?
Yes. Character requirements apply across the system, including to visa-waiver travellers requesting an NZeTA. A character concern is one of the reasons an NZeTA request can be declined.
