INZ 1146, INZ 1198, and INZ 1002: NZ Partner Visa Forms Explained

New Zealand's partner visa process involves multiple INZ forms, and the confusion about which one each person needs to complete — and what the tricky fields mean — is one of the most common reasons applications attract requests for further information. Here is a clear breakdown of the three forms most relevant to partnership-based visa applications, who fills in each one, and where applicants most often go wrong.

INZ 1146: Form for Partners Supporting Partnership-Based Temporary Entry Applications

The INZ 1146 is completed by the New Zealand-based supporting partner — the citizen or resident who is sponsoring the visa applicant's temporary application. It is not the applicant's form. The applicant's form is INZ 1198.

INZ 1146 is required for temporary partnership applications: the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa, the Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa, and the Culturally Arranged Marriage Visitor Visa. It is not used for residence applications — the residence pathway uses a different sponsorship declaration embedded within the residence application itself.

The form asks the supporting partner for their personal details, immigration history, current visa status, sponsorship history, and character declarations.

The most consequential sections:

Previous sponsorships. The form asks whether the supporting partner has previously sponsored a partner for a temporary visa and, if so, the outcome. This is where sponsors who have previously been in relationships that involved immigration applications need to disclose accurately. INZ cross-references this against system records.

Character declarations. The form requires the supporting partner to declare whether they have been convicted of any offense involving domestic violence or an offense of a sexual nature within the last seven years. A "yes" answer does not automatically disqualify the sponsorship but triggers a detailed assessment. Answering "no" when the answer should be "yes" constitutes misrepresentation, which is a character issue of the most serious kind for all subsequent applications.

Clean Slate protection. If the supporting partner's previous convictions fall under New Zealand's Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004 — generally meaning minor convictions resulting in small fines, now more than seven years old, with no subsequent offenses — they are legally permitted to answer "no" to the conviction question for those concealed convictions. However, this only applies to convictions that actually qualify under the Clean Slate Scheme. If in doubt, seek legal advice rather than guessing.

Current visa status. If the supporting partner holds a temporary visa rather than citizenship or residence, the form confirms their eligibility to sponsor — and their visa type must be one that permits partnership sponsorship. AEWV holders sponsoring under this form need to verify they meet the applicable wage thresholds.

The completed INZ 1146 is submitted as part of the temporary visa application, uploaded through the Immigration Online portal.

INZ 1198: Partnership-Based Temporary Visa Application

INZ 1198 is the main application form completed by the visa applicant — the person who needs the visa, not the New Zealand-based sponsor. This is the form most people mean when they say they are "filling in the partner visa form."

INZ 1198 applies to all partnership-based temporary visa applications: the Partner of a New Zealander Work Visa, the Partner of a New Zealander Visitor Visa, and the Partner of a Worker Work Visa (for partners of AEWV holders).

The form covers the applicant's personal details, passport information, current immigration status, travel history, relationship history, and character and health declarations.

The sections applicants most often mishandle:

Relationship history. The form asks applicants to describe their relationship — how they met, when cohabitation began, the address where they live together. Applicants often write cursory responses, when INZ expects a reasonably detailed account that aligns with the relationship chronology they are submitting. If the form says "we met in 2022" but the relationship chronology attached to the application provides a detailed account starting in April 2022 with specific location and circumstances, those must be consistent.

Current immigration status. If the applicant is already in New Zealand on a visitor visa, working holiday visa, or any other temporary status, this section must accurately reflect that status including the expiry date. An applicant who is applying for a partner work visa while their current visa has already expired has a significant problem that should have been addressed before lodging.

Character declarations. The form asks about criminal convictions, deportations, overstays, and previous visa refusals or declines in any country. Accuracy here is not optional. INZ shares information with other immigration authorities and border agencies. Discrepancies between what is declared and what INZ discovers through checks trigger automatic misrepresentation concerns.

Health status. The form asks about existing medical conditions. Most applicants who are applying for the temporary work visa (not residence) do not need a medical certificate, but the health disclosure on the form must still be accurate.

INZ 1198 is also the form used when applying for the temporary visitor variant — the Partnership Visitor Visa. If your New Zealand partner cannot yet sponsor a work visa because they hold a temporary visa below the relevant thresholds, a visitor visa applied for on INZ 1198 buys time while the situation resolves.

INZ 1002: Residence Application Form

INZ 1002 is the residence application form used for the Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa. It is a different form from INZ 1198 and is used when the couple has reached the 12-month cohabitation threshold and is applying for permanent residence rather than a temporary visa.

The INZ 1002 is a substantially more detailed document than either of the temporary visa forms. It captures the full history of the relationship from inception, all addresses at which both partners have lived since the beginning of the relationship (not just the current address), and requires extensive financial, health, and character information for both the principal applicant and any secondary applicants (partner or dependent children) included in the application.

What makes INZ 1002 different from the temporary forms:

Sponsorship declarations within the form. For residence applications, the New Zealand partner's sponsorship is formalized within the INZ 1002 itself rather than through a separate INZ 1146. The sponsor signs and declares within the main residence form rather than submitting a separate sponsor document.

Medical certificate requirements. For the residence application, the principal applicant and any included dependents must submit a Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201), completed by an INZ-approved panel physician. This requirement does not apply to temporary work visa applications. The medical certificate must be obtained and submitted as part of the residence application lodgement.

Police certificates. The residence application requires police certificates from every country where the applicant has lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years (plus the country of citizenship). These must be current — obtained within the timeframe INZ specifies for the particular country.

The relationship chronology. INZ 1002 requires a comprehensive written timeline of the relationship, cross-referenced to the supporting documentary evidence. This chronology is the narrative that connects the documents and demonstrates to the officer why the evidence proves a genuine and stable 12-month cohabitation. It must be consistent with every form, every letter, and every piece of documentary evidence submitted alongside it.

Dependent children. If dependent children are being included in the residence application, each child requires their own section within INZ 1002, with birth certificates and their own health and character information where applicable.

The Forms in Context: What You Submit Together

A complete temporary partner work visa application typically includes:

• INZ 1198 (your application form, as the visa applicant)
• INZ 1146 (your New Zealand partner's supporting form)
• Passport copies for both of you
• Evidence of your New Zealand partner's citizenship or resident visa status
• Shared residence evidence (tenancy agreement, utility bills, bank statements)
• Financial interdependence evidence (joint bank account statements or overlapping address history)
• Relationship chronology and supporting statements
• Photographs from multiple dates and settings
• Communication records if there was any period of long-distance separation

A complete resident visa application adds to this:

• INZ 1002 (the full residence application form, replacing INZ 1198)
• Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201) from an approved panel physician
• Police certificates from the country of citizenship and all countries of previous residence (12+ months in the past 10 years)
• Comprehensive 12-month cohabitation evidence with no monthly gaps
• English language evidence or ESOL pre-purchase receipt (if required)
• Documents for included dependent children

The New Zealand Partner Visa Guide provides completed examples of how the relationship chronology should be structured, a month-by-month cohabitation evidence planner, and checklists that map which documents support which sections of each form — so that the forms and the evidence tell a consistent, complete story rather than a fragmented one.

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