Providing your passport for online applications

If you have applied for a visa online, you may need to provide a digital copy of your passport or send us your passport so we can verify your identity.

Applying for your visa online

If you are applying for a visitor, student or work visa

You do not need to send us a physical copy. You must send us a high-quality scan of your passport.

Provide a scanned copy of your current and recent passports, including:

the photo page, and
all pages with visa records, and entry and exit stamps.

File formats for uploading documents and photographs

If you are including your partner or dependent children in your application, you must send us high-quality scans of their passports too.

Other online applications

If you are applying for another type of visa online we will email you if we need your physical passport to confirm your identity.

You may not need to send us your passport if you are:

already in New Zealand, or
outside New Zealand and are from a visa waiver country or China.

Transfer a visa to a new passport

If you renew your passport before you travel, you must transfer your eVisa or the visa label to your new passport.

Transferring your visa to a new passport

You may not be able to come to New Zealand if your visa and passport do not match in our system.

Providing your physical passport

If we need to see your physical passport to confirm your identity, we will:

email you after you submit your application
tell you on the acknowledgement page when you complete your online application.

Most people do not need to provide their physical passport.

If you are not sure if you need to send your passport, check the final page of your completed visa application in your Immigration Online account.

Warning

If you do not send your passport within the time we specify, we may delay processing your application or decline it.

Sending your passport from outside New Zealand

If you are applying from outside New Zealand, send your passport to your nearest Visa Application Centre (VAC) or Immigration New Zealand (INZ) office. We must receive it within 20 working days from when we ask for it. Most people use a courier or postal tracking service to send us their passports.

Find your nearest VAC

Postal addresses for sending paper documents

Countries that cannot use a VAC

We will contact you with instructions about where and how to send your passport if you:

do not have access to a VAC, or
are from Algeria, Morocco or Tunisia and applying from one of those countries.

Sending your passport in New Zealand

Check our postal addresses page for where to send your passport in New Zealand. Use a signature-required courier service so it arrives quickly.

Postal addresses for sending paper documents

Sending your passport to a VAC

You may have to pay a fee to send your passport to a VAC. You can find the handling fee on the website of your nearest VAC. Fill in the filters and select the tab called ‘Passport handling for online application’.

VFS Global for individuals| VFS Global

Getting your passport returned from a VAC or INZ office

If you sent your passport to a VAC, they contact you with the tracking details after they send your passport back to you. If you have any questions or concerns about the return of your passport, contact the VAC directly.

Note

The VAC may not send your passport back to you until after we have made a decision about your visa application.

If you sent your passport to an INZ office, you receive a tracking number after we send it back to you. Contact the courier company if you have any questions about delivery. For any other questions or concerns, contact us.

Urgent return of passports

If you need your passport urgently, contact the INZ officer processing your application.

When you contact them, include:

your client number or application number
why you need your passport urgently, and
your contact information.