Every New Zealand Visa: The Complete Product Index
New Zealand offers 168 visa products: 40 visitor, 9 student, 39 work, 33 residence, 45 working holiday and work exchange schemes, and 2 others. The count comes from Immigration New Zealand's own visa lookup, enumerated on 20 August 2026. New Zealand has no numbered visa subclasses — that is the Australian system.
Quick Facts
| Total visa products | 168 |
| Visitor | 40 (including the NZeTA, Transit Visa and APEC Business Travel Card) |
| Student | 9 |
| Work | 39 (excluding working holiday schemes) |
| Residence | 33 |
| Working holiday and work exchange | 45 |
| Other | 2 — the Interim Visa and the Limited Visa |
| Numbered subclasses | None. New Zealand does not use them |
| Source | INZ's own visa lookup, enumerated 20 August 2026 |
Where the number 168 comes from
Every page on immigration.govt.nz carries a "Visa lookup" component. Its full option list is INZ's own canonical enumeration of every visa product it offers, with official names and URLs. Extracted and counted on 20 August 2026, that list holds 170 entries: 168 visa products plus two how-to pages, being "How to get a temporary visa decision reviewed" and "How to get a visa sticker for a passport".
INZ does not publish a headline count anywhere, and no other site publishes this enumeration. It is a straightforward count of INZ's own list.
It will drift. INZ adds and retires products without a changelog and without notice. Three examples inside the last twelve months are set out at the end of this page. Treat 168 as the count on 20 August 2026 and re-check against INZ's lookup before quoting it as current.
Visitor visas — 40
The largest group, and by far the most varied.
The mainstream products: Visitor Visa · Visa Waiver Visitor Visa · New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA) · Transit Visa · Group Visitor Visa · Business Visitor Visa · APEC Business Travel Card to visit New Zealand · APEC Business Travel Card (ABTC) and Virtual ABTC for New Zealanders
Family and relationship visitors: Child of a New Zealander Visitor Visa · Child of a Student Visitor Visa · Child of a Worker Visitor Visa · Child of Military Visitor Visa · Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa · Guardian Visitor Visa · Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa · Parent Boost Visitor Visa · Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa · Partner of a Student Visitor Visa · Partner of a Worker Visitor Visa · Partner of Military Visitor Visa
Purpose-specific visitors: Academic Visitor Visa · Adoption Visitor Visa · Adoption Pre-citizenship Visitor Visa · Arts and Music Festival Visitor Visa · Medical Treatment Visitor Visa · Occupational Registration Visitor Visa · Short-term Entertainment Act Visitor Visa · Sports Events Visitor Visa · Temporary Retirement Visitor Visa · Visiting Media Visitor Visa
Travel and transport: Antarctic Traveller Visitor Visa · Crew joining a Ship or Plane Visitor Visa · Escort of Medical Patients Visitor Visa · Private Yacht or Plane Visitor Visa · Super Yachts Visitor Visa · Tour Escort Visitor Visa
Protective and special status: Dismissed Worker Visitor Visa · German Law Student Visitor Visa · Pitcairn Islander Visitor Visa · Refugee Claimant Visitor Visa · Trafficking Child Victim Visitor Visa
Some of these exist for extremely narrow populations. The Antarctic Traveller Visitor Visa, the Super Yachts Visitor Visa, the German Law Student Visitor Visa, the Tour Escort Visitor Visa and the Escort of Medical Patients Visitor Visa each cover a specific, small group and have almost no coverage anywhere in English outside INZ's own page.
See all New Zealand visitor visas.
Student visas — 9
The smallest group, and it is smaller than most people expect.
Fee Paying Student Visa · Pathway Student Visa · English Language Student Visa · Exchange Student Visa · Foreign Government Supported Student Visa · NZ Government Scholarship Student Visa · Dependent Child Student Visa · Vocational Trainee Student Visa · Trafficking Child Victim Student Visa
Note that the Guardian Visitor Visa — for a parent or guardian accompanying a young student — sits in the visitor group, not the student group. And the Post Study Work Visa is classified as a work visa, not a student visa.
See all New Zealand student visas.
Work visas — 39
This count excludes the 45 working holiday and work exchange schemes, which INZ groups separately.
Mainstream and skilled: Accredited Employer Work Visa · Specific Purpose Work Visa · Post Study Work Visa · Student and Trainee Work Visa · Essential Skills Work Visa · Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa · Talent (Accredited Employer) Work Visa · Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Work Visa · South Island Contribution Work Visa · Business Investor Work Visa · Entrepreneur Work Visa
Partner and family: Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa · Partner of a Worker Work Visa · Partner of a Student Work Visa · Partner of an NZ Scholarship Student Work Visa · Partner of Military Work Visa
Seasonal and primary industries: Recognised Seasonal Employer Limited Visa · Supplementary Seasonal Employment Work Visa · Peak Seasonal Visa · Global Workforce Seasonal Visa · Primary Sector Trainees Work Visa · Fishing Crew Work Visa
Bilateral and country-specific: China Skilled Workers Visa · China Special Work Visa · Indonesia Special Work Visa · Philippines Special Work Visa · Republic of Korea Special Work Visa · Vietnam Special Work Visa · Thai Chefs Work Visa · Japanese Interpreters Work Visa · Work Exchange Scheme Work Visa
Specialist and protective: Religious Worker Work Visa · Entertainers Work Visa · Domestic Staff of a Diplomat Work Visa · Migrant Exploitation Protection Work Visa · Victims of Family Violence Work Visa · Trafficking Victim Work Visa · Working Holiday Extension Work Visa · APEC Business Travel Card to visit New Zealand
Two of these are live pages for closed products. The Essential Skills Work Visa closed on 4 July 2022 and was replaced by the Accredited Employer Work Visa; its page remains up for reference. The status of the Long Term Skill Shortage List Work Visa could not be confirmed either way, so we say nothing definitive about it. A page existing in INZ's lookup is not proof a product is open to new applications.
See all New Zealand work visas and closed and legacy New Zealand visas.
Residence visas — 33
Skilled and work-based: Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa · Straight to Residence Visa · Work to Residence Visa · Care Workforce Work to Residence Visa · Transport Work to Residence Visa · South Island Contribution Resident Visa · Talent (Accredited Employer) Resident Visa · Talent (Arts, Culture, Sports) Resident Visa · Long Term Skill Shortage List Resident Visa · Religious Worker Resident Visa · Employees of Relocating Business Resident Visa
Family: Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa · Dependent Child Resident Visa · Parent Resident Visa · Parent Retirement Resident Visa · Intercountry Adoption Resident Visa
Investor and business: Active Investor Plus Visa · Business Investor Resident Visa · Entrepreneur Resident Visa · Investor 1 Resident Visa · Investor 2 Resident Visa · Global Impact Permanent Residence Visa
Pacific and humanitarian: Pacific Access Category Resident Visa · Samoan Quota Resident Visa · Pitcairn Islander Resident Visa · Refugee Family Support Resident Visa · Community Sponsored Refugee Resident Visa · Victims of Family Violence Resident Visa · Trafficking Victim Resident Visa
Status and legacy: Permanent Resident Visa · Second or Subsequent Resident Visa · Australian Resident Visa · 2021 Resident Visa
Two structural points. Investor 1 and Investor 2 are closed legacy categories. And New Zealand's residence system is two-stage: a Resident Visa is granted first, carrying travel conditions, and a Permanent Resident Visa follows once commitment requirements are met. That two-stage structure differs from most countries and is the single most common source of confusion in New Zealand residence content — see resident visa vs permanent resident visa.
The Global Impact Permanent Residence Visa is unusual in granting permanent residence directly, and it is priced at NZ$6,490. It is barely covered anywhere outside INZ.
See all New Zealand resident visas.
Working holiday and work exchange schemes — 45
Forty-five separate schemes, one per participating country or territory. All 45 are first-come-first-served, opening at 10:00 New Zealand time on a published date. Thirty-two are capped; thirteen are uncapped and open year-round.
The 32 capped schemes: Argentina · Austria · Brazil · Chile · China · Croatia · Czech Republic · Estonia · Hong Kong SAR · Hungary · Israel · Korea · Latvia · Lithuania · Luxembourg · Malaysia · Malta · Mexico · Peru · Philippines · Poland · Portugal · Singapore (Work Exchange Programme) · Slovakia · Slovenia · Spain · Taiwan · Thailand · Turkey · United Kingdom · Uruguay · Vietnam
The 13 uncapped schemes: Belgium · Canada · Denmark · Finland · France · Germany · Ireland · Italy · Japan · Netherlands · Norway · Sweden · United States
The United Kingdom scheme is capped at 15,000 — the largest cap in the system, but a cap nonetheless. Korea is second at 3,000 and Spain third at 2,000.
Singapore's is formally the Work Exchange Programme Visa, not a working holiday visa, which is why the group is named "working holiday and work exchange".
No scheme exists for India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, or any African country. That is a frequent and damaging misconception, and it is one of the most common false claims in New Zealand immigration content aimed at South Asian readers. See working holiday schemes by country and capped and uncapped working holiday schemes.
Other — 2
Interim Visa — granted automatically while an onshore application is being decided, so that the holder stays lawfully in New Zealand. It is not applied for and has no fee line. See interim visas explained.
Limited Visa — granted for an express purpose and cannot be varied to another visa type while the holder is in New Zealand. See limited visas explained.
What changed in the last twelve months
Three movements inside this index since mid-2025 show why the count needs a date attached.
| Change | When |
|---|---|
| Entrepreneur Work Visa closed to new applications | 27 August 2025 |
| Business Investor Visa opened | 24 November 2025 |
| Seasonal Specific Purpose Work Visa closed to new applications, replaced by the Global Workforce Seasonal Visa and the Peak Seasonal Visa | December 2025 |
Sources disagree on the exact day in December for the third of those, so no day is given here.
Note also that the Entrepreneur Resident Visa remains open to existing Entrepreneur Work Visa holders even though the work visa closed. Closure of a work visa does not imply closure of the matching residence category, and content that assumes it does is wrong.
New Zealand has no visa subclasses
New Zealand identifies its visas by name and never by a subclass number. Numbered subclasses are the Australian system, and content applying an Australian-style three-digit code to a New Zealand visa has been copied across from Australian sources without being checked.
If a website, an agent or an AI answer gives you a numbered New Zealand visa, everything else it tells you should be treated as unverified.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many visas does New Zealand have?
168, as enumerated from Immigration New Zealand's own visa lookup on 20 August 2026: 40 visitor, 9 student, 39 work, 33 residence, 45 working holiday and work exchange schemes, and 2 others.
What are the main types of New Zealand visa?
Four families. Visitor visas for temporary stays, student visas for study, work visas for employment, and resident visas for living permanently. Working holiday schemes sit inside the work family but are counted separately, and the Interim and Limited Visas sit outside all four.
Does New Zealand use visa subclass numbers?
No. New Zealand names its visas; it does not number them. Subclass numbers belong to the Australian system.
What is the rarest New Zealand visa?
Several products serve tiny populations — the Antarctic Traveller Visitor Visa, the Super Yachts Visitor Visa, the German Law Student Visitor Visa, the Escort of Medical Patients Visitor Visa and the Tour Escort Visitor Visa among them. Each has a live INZ page and essentially no independent coverage.
How many working holiday schemes does New Zealand have?
45 — 32 capped and 13 uncapped. All are first-come-first-served and open at 10:00 New Zealand time on a published date. Singapore's is formally a Work Exchange Programme Visa rather than a working holiday visa.
Is there a New Zealand digital nomad visa?
No. New Zealand has no digital nomad visa product. What exists instead is a condition: all visitor visas applied for on or after 27 January 2025 permit remote work for an overseas employer with no limit on the amount. See remote work on a visitor visa.
How many resident visas does New Zealand have?
33, spanning skilled and work-based categories, family categories, investor and business categories, Pacific and humanitarian categories, and status products such as the Permanent Resident Visa and the Second or Subsequent Resident Visa.
Why do some closed visas still have pages?
INZ leaves pages up for reference after a product closes, because existing holders still need the information. The Essential Skills Work Visa closed on 4 July 2022 and its page remains live. A page existing is not evidence a visa is open.
Primary source: Immigration New Zealand's visa lookup, present in the page source of every page at immigration.govt.nz, enumerated programmatically on 20 August 2026. INZ publishes no headline count and no changelog for additions or retirements, so this index carries its verification date and should be re-checked before being quoted as current.
This page is general information about published visa categories. It is not immigration advice and does not assess which visa suits your circumstances.
