NZ Immigration Health Requirements, Medical Exam, and Police Certificate Guide

Two of the most commonly misunderstood components of any New Zealand residence application are the medical examination and police certificate requirements. Both seem straightforward — they're not. The rules around what's required, which documents are accepted, and when to obtain them have specific technical requirements that, if missed, result in application delays or outright declines. Here's the complete operational picture.

The Health Requirement Standard

New Zealand requires all residence applicants to demonstrate an "acceptable standard of health." This means the applicant does not currently have a condition that imposes "undue demand" on the country's public health services — meaning a condition that would cost NZD $41,000 or more in health services over a 5-year period.

The health requirement applies to the principal applicant and every person included in the application (partner, dependent children, and any other dependents).

Meeting the health standard requires a full medical examination, including:

• General physical examination by an approved panel physician
• Chest X-ray (to screen for tuberculosis and other respiratory conditions)
• Blood tests (for some applicants, based on age or risk assessment)

An applicant who has a pre-existing condition will not automatically fail the health requirement. INZ makes an assessment based on the likely treatment cost and demand on public services. Many applicants with managed conditions — controlled diabetes, for example — are routinely approved. The concern is acute or ongoing high-cost conditions.

Panel Physicians: Who Can Conduct Your Medical

INZ only accepts medical results from approved "panel physicians" — doctors who have been authorized by INZ to conduct immigration medical examinations. You cannot use your family GP or any other doctor.

The panel physician list is searchable on the Immigration New Zealand website by country and region. In major NZ cities (Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch), there are multiple panel physician clinics. In India, they are concentrated in major cities — New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad. Applicants in smaller cities or rural areas may need to travel to reach an approved clinic.

Cost: approximately NZD $500 per adult. Children's examinations are lower, typically $200–$350.

The eMedical System: No Paper Certificate Needed

In most countries, panel physicians use INZ's eMedical portal to submit examination results directly to INZ electronically. When this system is used, you do not need to carry a physical medical certificate to your visa appointment or include one with your paper application — INZ receives the results automatically and links them to your application file.

Countries covered by eMedical include India, South Africa, the Philippines, China, the UK, and most other major source countries. If you're in a country not covered by eMedical, the panel physician will issue you a paper certificate to include with your application.

Regardless of method, results must be less than three months old at the time of application lodgement. Do not book your medical examination too early — if your application takes longer than expected to prepare, you may need a second examination.

The Submission-Ready Policy (December 2025)

As of December 8, 2025, INZ implemented a significant policy change: applications submitted without all required documents — including health results — will no longer be held open while the applicant gathers missing items. Applications that are incomplete at submission face immediate decline or the grant of a significantly shorter visa.

The practical implication: do not lodge your residence application until your medical examination results are submitted by the panel physician and your police certificates are in hand. Previously, you could lodge an application and provide outstanding documents within a few weeks. That option is no longer available.

Police Certificate Requirements

Police clearances are mandatory for every person aged 17 or older who is included in the application. Certificates are required from:

• Your country of citizenship, regardless of how long you've lived there
• Every country where you have spent 12 months or more cumulatively in the last 10 years

This second requirement is the one most applicants underestimate. If you spent 2 years studying in the UK, worked for 18 months in Australia, and have lived in India your whole life, you need police certificates from India, the UK, and Australia.

Validity: Police certificates must be less than 6 months old at the date of application submission. This creates a coordination challenge: you can't obtain police certificates from three countries simultaneously, and the one you get first will start ageing while you wait for the others.

Practical approach: start the police certificate process for the country with the longest processing time first. India's Ministry of External Affairs Regional Passport Office certificates, for example, can take 3–6 weeks. UK ACRO certificates typically arrive in 2–3 weeks. Australian police certificates (from the Australian Federal Police) usually arrive within a week.

The India-Specific Rule Change (December 2025)

Effective December 1, 2025, INZ no longer accepts police certificates issued by local Indian police stations for Indian nationals residing in India. All Indian nationals applying for New Zealand visas must obtain their certificate from the Regional Passport Office (RPO) of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

This change was introduced because INZ identified verification integrity issues with station-level certificates. The RPO certificate (also called the Police Clearance Certificate through the Passport Seva portal) is the correct document.

How to obtain it:

1. Apply online through the Passport Seva portal (passportindia.gov.in)
2. Pay the fee (approximately INR 500)
3. Book an appointment at your regional RPO
4. Attend the appointment with original documents
5. Certificate is issued within 2–7 working days depending on the RPO

For Indian nationals residing outside India, the requirement is a police certificate from your current country of residence, not from India. Confirm current residency requirements with the relevant embassy or consulate.

Character Assessment: What "Good Character" Means

Beyond the police certificate, INZ conducts its own character assessment. Having a police certificate that shows no criminal history helps, but INZ also considers:

• Convictions in any country, even if they don't appear on the certificate
• Immigration violations (overstays, visa condition breaches, misrepresentation)
• Associations with certain criminal organisations

Minor historical offences (a single minor traffic conviction, for example) are usually handled through a waiver process. More serious convictions — particularly any involving violence, dishonesty, or narcotics — are subject to more rigorous scrutiny and may result in a character waiver being required (or declined).

If you have any criminal history, include full details in your application. Concealing a conviction that INZ later discovers is treated as misrepresentation and is a ground for visa cancellation far more serious than the original offence.

Timing Your Medical and Police Certificates

Given the 6-month validity on police certificates and the 3-month validity on medical results, the optimal approach for most applicants is:

1. Complete your NZQA IQA and confirm your points eligibility (months 1–3)
2. Secure your AEWV job offer and start work in New Zealand (months 3–12+)
3. Begin police certificate applications once you know your application lodgement date is approaching — typically 4–6 weeks before you plan to file
4. Book your medical examination appointment in the same 4–6 week window
5. Lodge your application once all documents are in hand

This sequence ensures that health results and police certificates remain valid throughout the assessment period without needing to be repeated.

The New Zealand Skilled Migrant Category Guide includes a document validity tracker that helps you coordinate the timing of your health and character evidence alongside the rest of your application preparation.

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