New Zealand Announces How Long Foreigners Must Live in Country Before Getting Citizenship
- New Zealand's government has outlined the exact number of years foreign nationals must reside in the country before they can apply for citizenship
- Applicants must meet specific physical presence requirements, including a minimum number of days spent in New Zealand each year over a five-year period
- The rules also cover what happens when a prospective citizen plans to live abroad after gaining citizenship, with only a handful of exceptions allowed
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New Zealand has detailed the residency conditions that foreign nationals must satisfy before they can qualify to become citizens of the country.
According to the official New Zealand government website, there are certain conditions regarding how long one must stay before becoming a citizen.
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Residency conditions for New Zealand citizenship
The government announced that foreigners who wish to obtain citizenship must first demonstrate that they have been living in the country as residents for at least five continuous years.
During this period, applicants must hold either a current residence visa or a permanent residence visa. Those on a standard residence visa are also required to ensure that any conditions attached to their visa have been met or formally cancelled before they can proceed with a citizenship application.
Permanent resident visa holders, by contrast, do not have conditions to worry about.
Days Counted Matter as Much as Years
Beyond the five-year requirement, the government also sets out precise physical presence thresholds that applicants must hit. Specifically, a person must have been physically present in New Zealand for at least 240 days within each 12-month period across those five years, and must have accumulated a total of at least 1,350 days in the country over the full five-year window.
Falling short of these figures is a real risk for frequent travellers. Any absence exceeding four months in a single 12-month period, whether through one extended trip or several shorter ones, could disqualify an applicant.
Similarly, spending more than 15 months outside New Zealand in total across the five years could cause an application to fail.
One notable exemption applies to those serving New Zealand's interests abroad. Time spent overseas on Crown service for the New Zealand government is treated as if it were time spent inside the country, meaning it still counts towards the presence requirement.
Intention to Stay Is Also Assessed
Meeting the time thresholds alone is not sufficient. Applicants must also demonstrate a genuine intention to continue living in New Zealand after becoming citizens.
However, the government does make allowances for those who know they will be based overseas after citizenship is granted, provided the reason falls within a recognised category.
These include working for the New Zealand government or for an international organisation of which New Zealand is a member, such as the United Nations, being employed by a New Zealand-based entity abroad, or accompanying a New Zealand citizen spouse or partner on Crown service overseas.
Legit.ng has also published residency years for foreigners who want to become Qatari citizens.
Citizenship: Australia mentions residency years for foreigners
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that Australia's Department of Home Affairs has outlined the residence requirement foreigners must meet before applying for citizenship.
Applicants must have lived in Australia on a valid visa for a number of years before the date they apply for citizenship.
The rules also specify how much time applicants are allowed to have spent outside Australia during that period.
Source: Legit.ng
