All Your Parents Need To Apply For NZ’s Parent Boost Visa

Applications for the new Parent Boost Visitor Visa open on 29 September 2025.

Parents of New Zealand citizens and residents now have the opportunity to spend longer periods with their families through the new Parent Boost Visitor Visa.

The visa allows eligible parents to stay in New Zealand for up to five years, with the ability to leave and re-enter as many times as they wish during that period. A second five-year visa may also be granted, enabling parents to stay for a total of up to 10 years.

Immigration New Zealand has emphasised that this visa is not a pathway to residence, but is designed to give families more meaningful time together.

Eligibility and Application

Applicants must intend to follow all visa rules, use the visa only for temporary visits, and leave New Zealand before it expires. To qualify, parents must:

• Apply from outside New Zealand, both at the time of application and when the visa is granted

• Meet character and health requirements

• Be sponsored by an adult child who is a New Zealand citizen or resident

• Show sufficient funds or income to support their stay, or meet sponsorship income requirements

• Demonstrate genuine ties to their home country.

Once approved in principle, applicants must provide evidence of 12 months of acceptable insurance and sign a declaration confirming they understand the visa’s temporary nature. Immigration New Zealand has warned that non-compliance could result in visa cancellation or deportation.

Applicants are not eligible if they have dependent children.

Conditions of the Visa

• Parents must arrive in New Zealand within six months of the visa being granted.

• The five-year stay begins from the date of first arrival, not the approval date.

• Holders can leave and re-enter freely during the visa period.

• Parents and their partners can travel separately.

• Between three and four years into the visa, holders must leave New Zealand and complete a compliance check, including a fresh medical certificate and evidence that insurance has been continuously maintained.

Health and Insurance Requirements

All applicants must meet an acceptable standard of health, as no medical waivers will be considered. For the first visa, medical certificates from the past 12 months may be reused, but for the compliance check and second visa, certificates must be no older than three months.

Insurance is mandatory and must be maintained throughout the stay. At least 12 months of insurance must be purchased upfront after approval in principle, with evidence provided within three months. Insurance may be sourced from outside New Zealand, provided it meets official standards.

Minimum insurance coverage requirements:

• Emergency medical care: NZD $250,000 per year

• Cancer treatment: NZD $100,000 per year

• Repatriation: NZD $250,000

• Return of remains: NZD $50,000

Failure to maintain insurance could result in visa cancellation, deportation, or ineligibility for future Parent Boost Visitor Visas or Parent Resident Visas.

Financial Requirements

Parents or their sponsors must prove financial self-sufficiency through one of three pathways:

Sponsor’s income:

• A single sponsor must earn at least the median wage to support one parent.

• Joint sponsors must have a combined income of at least 1.5 times the median wage (NZD $104,707.30).

• Each additional parent requires an additional 0.5 times the median wage (NZD $34,902.40).

Parent’s income:

• A single parent must have ongoing income equivalent to the single rate of New Zealand Superannuation (NZD $32,611.28 before tax).

• A couple must have a combined income equal to the couple rate (NZD $49,552.88 before tax).

Parent’s available funds:

• A single parent must have at least NZD $160,000.

• A couple must have at least NZD $250,000.

• Funds must genuinely belong to the parents — borrowed or gifted money is not accepted.

Sponsorship Conditions

Sponsors must be adult children aged 18 or over who are New Zealand citizens or residents. Joint sponsorship is permitted and may involve:

• An adult child and their partner

• Two adult children (siblings)

• One adult child of the parent and one adult child of the parent’s partner.

Immigration New Zealand has stressed that sponsors are critical to ensuring visa holders are supported during their stay and that the programme remains sustainable.