How to Find Your ANZSCO Code for a New Zealand Visa
Your ANZSCO code, not your job title, decides whether you appear on New Zealand's Green List at all. Codes run from four to six digits, several codes cover more than one job title, and the same code can appear in different rows of the instrument. Match the code to what you actually do, then check that code against Appendix 13.
Quick Facts
| Item | Detail (as at August 2026) |
|---|---|
| What ANZSCO is | Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations |
| What it governs in NZ | The Green List and the Skilled Migrant Category |
| What it no longer governs | Job Check and AEWV — those use the National Occupation List from 3 November 2025 |
| Code length | 4 to 6 digits; some Green List entries are coded at four digits |
| Cost to look up | Free |
| Time it takes | Minutes, if you work from duties rather than job title |
| Authoritative source for Green List roles | Appendix 13 itself |
| Common trap | Assuming your employer's job title maps to one code |
Why the code matters more than the title
Employers in New Zealand name roles however they like. Appendix 13 does not. Every Green List occupation carries an ANZSCO code, and it is the code that Immigration New Zealand records and assesses.
Two consequences follow. A generous job title does not put you on the Green List. And an unglamorous job title does not keep you off it — "site foreman" is expressly covered by Project Builder (133112) on Tier 1, and "site supervisor", "site manager" and "build manager" are given as common titles for Building Associate (312112) on Tier 2.
The classification follows the duties. That is the whole method.
What an ANZSCO code looks like
ANZSCO is hierarchical. Each additional digit narrows the description.
| Digits | Level | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Major group | 2 — Professionals |
| 2 | Sub-major group | 25 — Health Professionals |
| 3 | Minor group | 252 — Health Therapy Professionals |
| 4 | Unit group | 2523 — Dental Practitioners |
| 6 | Occupation | 252312 — Dentist |
Most Green List entries are six digits. A handful are not.
Four-digit codes on the Green List
Five dental specialisms are coded at the four-digit level 2523: oral medicine, oral surgery, public health dentistry, restorative dentistry and special needs dentistry. That is how the instrument writes them. If your specialism is one of those five, 2523 is your code — not a longer one you have derived yourself.
One code, several job titles
Codes legitimately repeat across the Green List. These are the ones that most often cause confusion:
| Code | Job titles it covers on the Green List |
|---|---|
| 252311 | Dental Specialist, Endodontist, Orthodontist, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Oral Pathologist, Paedodontist, Periodontist, Prosthodontist |
| 311299 | Audiometrist, Orthotic and Prosthetic Technician, Perfusionist (cardiac) |
| 251211 | Medical Imaging Technologist, Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technologist |
| 411214 | Dental Therapist, Oral Health Therapist |
| 311213 | Medical Laboratory Technician, Medical Laboratory Pre-Analytical Technician |
| 272112 | Addiction Practitioner / Alcohol & Drug Clinician, Drug and Alcohol Counsellor |
These repeats are not transcription errors. They are how Appendix 13 is written, and they are one of the reasons automated counts of the Green List disagree with each other. The Green List occupation count explains the rest.
Step 1: Write down what you actually do
Before you look anything up, write four or five sentences describing your daily work: what you operate, who you treat or supervise, what you are responsible for signing off, and what qualification or licence lets you do it. This is the material a classification decision is made from.
Step 2: Search Appendix 13 for the occupation, not the title
Open Appendix 13 – Green List and search the page for likely occupation names. It is a single page containing all 201 occupations across both tiers, and it is the checkable source for whether an occupation is listed.
If your occupation is not there, that is a complete answer for Green List purposes. It is not an answer for the Skilled Migrant Category, which uses ANZSCO skill levels rather than the Green List.
Step 3: Use INZ's skill-level tool for the code itself
Immigration New Zealand publishes a "Find your job's skill level" tool built on ANZSCO. It returns the code and the skill level for occupations across the classification, not only Green List ones.
Note that INZ's occupational registration lookup tool is a different thing — it is a client-side application with no downloadable occupation table behind it. It is useful for checking whether a New Zealand occupation is regulated, but it is not a source you can quote a Green List code from. For Green List purposes, Appendix 13 is the source.
Step 4: Read the requirement attached to that code
Finding your code is half the job. The requirement cell next to it is the other half, and it varies enormously: mandatory registration for some occupations, a named qualification for others, an hourly rate for the twelve ICT roles, three years of farm experience for Dairy Cattle Farmer.
Where the occupation sits in a merged row — the auditor row, the dental row, the teaching row — the requirement written above your job title applies to you.
Step 5: Check whether you also need an NOL classification
If a work visa comes before your residence application, your role will additionally be classified under the National Occupation List for Job Check and AEWV purposes. That is a separate exercise with a separate list. See ANZSCO vs the National Occupation List.
Common mistakes
Choosing the code with the best-sounding title. ANZSCO classification is not aspirational. A code that does not match your duties is a misstatement on a visa application, and providing false or misleading information carries serious consequences.
Assuming an Australian code transfers cleanly. ANZSCO is shared with Australia, but New Zealand's instruments select from it differently and New Zealand has no numbered visa subclasses. An Australian skills assessment does not decide a New Zealand ANZSCO classification for Green List purposes.
Using a National Occupation List classification for a residence application. The Green List and SMC do not use it. Two live classifications, two purposes.
Assuming the code carries a skill level you can use everywhere. ANZSCO skill levels drive the SMC pay test; NOL skill levels drive work-visa settings. What each level controls sets out the difference.
When the answer is genuinely unclear
Some roles sit honestly between two codes — a hybrid technical role, a small-employer job that spans two occupations, a title that exists in your country and not here. Immigration New Zealand assesses the substance of the role, and there is no self-service ruling you can obtain in advance.
At that point you are asking whether your particular duties satisfy a particular classification. That is tailored immigration advice. In New Zealand it may only be given by a licensed immigration adviser or a New Zealand lawyer, and the licensing law applies whether or not the adviser is paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is my ANZSCO code and how do I find it?
It is the six-digit (occasionally four-digit) code that classifies your occupation. Find it by describing your actual duties, then matching them against Appendix 13 for Green List purposes or INZ's skill-level tool for the wider classification.
Why do two different jobs share the same ANZSCO code?
Because ANZSCO groups occupations by function. Medical Imaging Technologist and MRI Technologist both sit at 251211; several dental specialties share 252311. Appendix 13 lists the job titles separately while keeping the shared code.
Is a four-digit ANZSCO code valid for the Green List?
Yes, where the instrument uses one. Five dental specialisms are coded at 2523 in Appendix 13, and that is the correct code for them.
Does my ANZSCO code decide my pay requirement?
Sometimes. Thirty-three Green List occupations carry a pay threshold tied to the code — for example NZ$45.50 an hour for both auditor codes. Others are gated by registration or qualification instead.
Do I still need an ANZSCO code if my work visa used the National Occupation List?
Yes, if you are applying for residence under the Green List or the SMC. Those instruments are written in ANZSCO.
Can I change my ANZSCO code later?
The code follows the role. If you move into different work, the classification for a later application follows the new duties, not the old code.
What if my occupation does not appear anywhere in Appendix 13?
Then there is no Green List pathway for it. Other routes remain — see occupations with no Green List pathway.
