Interim Visa
An interim visa keeps you lawfully in New Zealand while INZ decides your next application. INZ's rule is that where your current visa will run out during assessment, it will normally grant one. You do not apply for it and there is no fee — it is granted automatically.
Quick Facts
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| What it does | Keeps you lawful in New Zealand while a new application is assessed |
| How you get it | Granted automatically. There is no application and no form |
| Fee | None. No interim visa fee appears in the INZ Fees Guide, May 2026 |
| Named types | 2021 Interim Visa and Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa |
| Conditions | Depend on the visa you held before and the visa you applied for |
| Duration (2021 Interim Visa) | 12 months, or 2 months from a decline or withdrawal |
| Travel | Leaving without first requesting a travel visa expires a 2021 Interim Visa |
Why it matters
New Zealand has no bridging visa. The interim visa is what does that job, and it does it differently from the Australian product people expect.
The difference that matters is control. You do not choose to be on an interim visa and you cannot apply for one. INZ grants it, on its own assessment, when your existing visa is about to expire mid-assessment. Because it is automatic, people frequently do not realise they are on one, and therefore do not check what conditions it carries.
Those conditions are the second reason it matters. An interim visa does not necessarily carry the rights of the visa you applied for. It carries conditions set by reference to what you held before. Working outside those conditions is a breach of visa conditions, which is a ground for deportation liability.
How the 2021 Interim Visa works
The 2021 Interim Visa is the fully documented example, and its mechanics illustrate the type.
- Granted automatically where your current visa expires within seven days and a 2021 Resident Visa application is on foot. No separate application is made.
- Takes effect the day after your current visa expires.
- Conditions follow what you held. Previous work or visitor visa holders keep their current visa conditions. Previous student visa holders receive open student conditions, allowing study of any programme at any institution in any location.
- Duration: 12 months — unless the resident visa application is declined or withdrawn, in which case it expires 2 months from the date of that decision.
- The travel trap. Holders can request a visa to travel so they can leave and return on the same visa. If you do not make that request before you leave, your 2021 Interim Visa expires. Leaving without asking first ends the visa.
The second named type is the Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa, granted in the equivalent position for Skilled Migrant Category applicants.
Interim visas are also expressly issued on the newer seasonal visas where a current visa expires during processing.
Work rights on an interim visa
Work rights are the most-asked question and the answer is conditional: it depends on the visa you held and the visa you applied for.
Two verified points help:
- From March 2025, interim work rights were extended to Accredited Employer Work Visa applicants transitioning from other work or student visas. Time on an interim visa also counts toward continuous stay and work experience.
- Where you hold a valid visa including an interim visa, you remain eligible to request reconsideration of a declined temporary visa — INZ names the interim visa explicitly in that eligibility test.
Do not assume rights you have not read on your own visa record. Check what INZ granted rather than what you expected. Detail is at interim visas explained and work rights.
What people get wrong about it
Calling it a bridging visa. New Zealand does not have one. The interim visa is the functional equivalent but it is not the same product and the rules differ. See bridging visa (and why New Zealand does not have one).
Assuming you get one. INZ says it will normally grant one. Normally is not always.
Assuming it carries the rights you applied for. It carries conditions set by reference to the visa you held before, not the visa you want.
Travelling on it. This is the expensive mistake. Leaving New Zealand without first requesting a travel visa expires a 2021 Interim Visa, and you are then outside the country with no visa and an application in progress.
Assuming there is a fee to pay. There is none. No interim visa fee line appears in the INZ Fees Guide, which is consistent with it being granted rather than applied for. Anyone charging you for an interim visa application is charging you for something that does not exist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an interim visa in New Zealand?
A visa INZ grants automatically so you can stay lawfully while it assesses your next application. INZ's published rule is that where your visa will run out during assessment, it will normally give you one.
Do I have to apply for an interim visa?
No. It is granted automatically, not applied for. There is no form and no fee — no interim visa fee appears in the INZ Fees Guide of May 2026.
Can I work on an interim visa in New Zealand?
It depends on the visa you held before and the visa you have applied for. Conditions are set by INZ when the interim visa is granted, and they are stated on your visa record. From March 2025, interim work rights were extended to AEWV applicants transitioning from other work or student visas.
How long does an interim visa last?
The 2021 Interim Visa lasts 12 months, or expires 2 months after the underlying application is declined or withdrawn. Other interim visas carry their own duration, set when granted.
Can I leave New Zealand on an interim visa?
Not without first requesting a visa to travel. If you leave a 2021 Interim Visa without making that request, the visa expires and you cannot return on it.
Is an interim visa the same as a bridging visa?
No. New Zealand has no bridging visa. The interim visa does a similar job but is granted automatically rather than applied for, and it has its own conditions and its own travel rule.
