# New Zealand Citizenship Residency rule, New Zealand. Page: https://usecountr.com/trackers/residency-nz-citizenship/ ## Summary To apply for New Zealand citizenship by grant, you must have been in New Zealand for at least 1,350 days in the 5 years before you apply, and for at least 240 days in each of those 5 years. Both numbers must be met. Only days on which you had the right to live in New Zealand with no end date count, so days as a tourist, student or temporary worker do not. The 5 years are counted back from the day you apply. The Department of Internal Affairs checks the days and the Minister of Internal Affairs decides. - Goal over 5 years: At least 1,350 days in New Zealand - Goal in each year: At least 240 days in each of the five 12-month periods - Period: The 5 years immediately before the day you apply - Which days count: Days when you were entitled to live in New Zealand indefinitely - Law: Citizenship Act 1977, section 8 - Run by: Department of Internal Affairs ## Who it applies to - Residents and permanent residents who plan the first day on which they can apply for citizenship. - People who travel abroad for work or family for several months each year. - Australian citizens and permanent residents who have lived in New Zealand for 5 years. - People who came on a work or student visa first and became residents later. - Residents with conditions on their visa that must be met or removed before they apply. ## The rule Section 8 of the Citizenship Act 1977 sets the requirements for citizenship by grant. The presence requirement has two parts, and you need both. You must have been present in New Zealand for a minimum of 1,350 days during the 5 years immediately before the date of your application. You must also have been present for at least 240 days in each of those 5 years. Each year is a 12-month period counted back from the day you apply, not a calendar year. The days count only if, on those days, you were entitled to be in New Zealand indefinitely. In practice this means days on a resident visa or a Permanent Resident Visa. Australian citizens and Australian permanent residents who live in New Zealand also count their days. If you held more than one visa in the 5 years, each one must have allowed you to live in New Zealand with no end date. Days on a visitor, student or work visa are not counted. Any conditions on your resident visa must be met or cancelled before you apply. A Permanent Resident Visa has no conditions. The Government explains the numbers in another way: you may not qualify if you were out of New Zealand for more than 4 months in any of the 12-month periods, or for more than 15 months in total in the 5 years. Presence is one of several requirements. You must also intend to keep living in New Zealand, be of good character, know enough English and understand the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship. The Minister of Internal Affairs makes the decision and looks at the whole application. Why it exists: Citizenship gives a passport and the right to live in New Zealand for life, and it cannot easily be taken back. The state wants to see that the applicant has already lived in the country for most of 5 years and in every one of those years, so that the link is real and steady and not built in one long stay. ## Counting the days You count the days you were in New Zealand with the right to live there with no end date, inside the 5 years that end on the day you apply. This rule is a goal: you want 1,350 days in total and 240 days in each year. 1. Choose the day you plan to apply and count back 5 years. For 1 November 2026, the period is 1 November 2021 to 31 October 2026. 2. Check that you held a resident visa, a Permanent Resident Visa or Australian status for the whole 5 years. 3. Split the 5 years into five 12-month periods, each one ending on the day before the anniversary of your application day. 4. Count your days in New Zealand in each period. Each one needs at least 240 days. 5. Add the five numbers. The total must be at least 1,350 days. 6. If either test fails, move the planned application day later and count again. How Countr counts it: Countr counts every day on which you were in New Zealand for any part of the day, over the 60 months that end today, and shows your progress towards 1,350 days. It also checks that each of the five years, counted back from today, has at least 240 days. The app cannot see your visa. You enter your resident status yourself, and tourist days do not count. Time abroad on New Zealand Crown service can be recorded separately. Special cases, the language test, the character test and the intention to stay are outside the count. ## Examples ### Exactly on the line Kiri applies on 1 November 2026. Her 5 years, from 1 November 2021 to 31 October 2026, contain 1,826 days, because 29 February 2024 falls inside them. She was abroad for 90 days in each of the first four years and for 116 days in the last year, which is 476 days in total. That leaves 1,350 days in New Zealand, and her lowest year has 249 days. She meets both tests with no day to spare. ### Every year is fine, but the total is short Omar also applies on 1 November 2026. He spends 100 days abroad every year, so each year has at least 265 days in New Zealand, well above 240. But 100 days in 5 years is 500 days away, and 1,826 minus 500 leaves 1,326 days. He is 24 days short of 1,350. The yearly test alone would let him be away for 125 days a year. The 5-year total is the stricter test. ### Work visa first, resident visa later Elena moved to Wellington in 2020 on a work visa and received her resident visa on 1 March 2022. She has hardly left the country. On 1 November 2026 she has lived in New Zealand for more than 6 years, but only the days since 1 March 2022 count, because before that date she was not entitled to stay indefinitely. Her first possible day to apply is 1 March 2027, when she has 5 full years as a resident. ## Exceptions - Time abroad on Crown service for the New Zealand Government counts as time in New Zealand. - Section 8 lets the Minister accept fewer days in exceptional circumstances that are particular to the applicant, but only if the applicant was in New Zealand for at least 450 days in the last 20 months, with the right to stay indefinitely on each of those days. - Section 8 lets the Minister waive the presence requirement for an applicant who was present in the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau, after consulting the Minister of Immigration. - Samoan citizens and children can have different presence requirements, set out on separate Government pages. - Conditions on a resident visa, for example on a parent category visa, must be met or cancelled before the application. ## Common misconceptions - "Five years of living in New Zealand on any visa is enough." Only days with the right to stay indefinitely count. Years on a work, student or visitor visa are not part of the 5 years. - "If I have 240 days every year, I qualify." Five years of 240 days make 1,200 days, which is 150 days short of 1,350. You need both the yearly minimum and the 5-year total. - "The years are calendar years." Each year is a 12-month period counted back from the day you apply. A long trip from December to March can fall into one period or two, depending on your application day. - "I can be away 4 months every year." The limit of 4 months applies to each year, but there is also a limit of 15 months in total. Four months away in each of 5 years would be 20 months. ## Questions and answers ### How many days can I be outside New Zealand in the 5 years? Five years have 1,826 or 1,827 days, depending on leap years. With 1,350 days needed in New Zealand, you can be away for 476 or 477 days in total, and in each year you need 240 days in the country. ### What happens if one year has only 239 days? You do not meet the presence requirement on that application day, even with a high total. You can apply later, when that year has dropped out of the 5 years or the periods have moved enough. ### Do days in Australia count if I am an Australian citizen? No. Australian citizens and permanent residents can count their days in New Zealand, because they may live there indefinitely. Days spent in Australia are days outside New Zealand. ### Does the Permanent Resident Visa count change this? No, the two are separate. The Permanent Resident Visa looks at 184 days in each of 2 years. Citizenship looks at 1,350 days in 5 years with 240 days in each year. ### Do I have to stay in New Zealand after I apply? You must intend to keep living in New Zealand after you become a citizen. You may be asked about your travel plans for the next 12 months and may need to show that New Zealand is your home. ### Who checks my days? The Department of Internal Affairs checks your presence against border records when it processes the application. The Minister of Internal Affairs makes the final decision. ## Sources - [New Zealand Government - Presence requirements for NZ citizenship](https://www.govt.nz/browse/passports-citizenship-and-identity/nz-citizenship/requirements-for-nz-citizenship/presence-requirements/) - [Citizenship Act 1977, section 8 - New Zealand Legislation](https://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1977/0061/latest/whole.html) --- Countr is an app for iPhone that counts your days in every country for visa, tax and residency rules, from the photos on your phone and your location. It explains rules and counts days. It does not give legal or tax advice. https://apps.apple.com/app/country-days-tracker-countr/id6810720800