Police Certificate for NZ Partner Visa: Character Requirements and How to Get Them

Every Partnership-based Resident Visa application requires police certificates — both for the principal applicant and, separately, for the sponsoring New Zealand partner. INZ does not take character requirements lightly: there are convictions that will result in an automatic decline, and others that trigger a complex waiver process. This post covers what is required, from whom, and how to obtain police certificates from different countries.

Who Needs a Police Certificate

The principal applicant (you, the foreign partner): You are required to provide offshore police certificates from:

• Your country of citizenship
• Any country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years

If you are a citizen of Country A but have spent the past four years living in Country B, you need certificates from both countries. The 12-month threshold is cumulative, not continuous — if you spent 13 months across two separate stays in a country, you need a certificate from there.

The New Zealand sponsor: INZ obtains New Zealand police records internally. Your sponsor does not need to request their own NZ police certificate — INZ runs a check on them directly. However, if the sponsor has lived overseas for 12 months or more in the past 10 years, they may also be required to provide offshore police certificates from those countries.

Dependent children: Children included in the application who are aged 17 or older are generally also required to provide police certificates.

Character Requirements for Applicants

A visa application will be automatically declined if the applicant:

• Has ever been convicted of an offense resulting in a prison sentence of 5 years or more
• Has received a sentence of 12 months or more within the past 10 years
• Has a documented history of deportation, exclusion, or removal from any country
• Has overstayed a visa in New Zealand or elsewhere
• Has provided misleading or fraudulent information to INZ in a previous application

For residence class visas, convictions are assessed regardless of when they occurred. For temporary visa applications, the assessment window is generally the past 10 years.

If you have convictions that do not reach these thresholds, you can still apply — but the officer will weigh those convictions as part of the overall assessment. A prior minor conviction does not mean automatic decline; it means scrutiny.

Character Requirements for the Sponsor

INZ also assesses the character of the New Zealand sponsor, specifically to protect applicants from entering arrangements with people who have histories of domestic violence or sexual offending. The rules here are strict:

• For residence applications: The sponsor fails the character check if they have ever been convicted of a domestic violence or sexual offense since turning 17, whether in New Zealand or overseas. There is no time limit — a conviction from 20 years ago counts.
• For temporary visa applications where the sponsor holds a temporary work or study visa: the prohibition applies if the conviction occurred within the last 7 years.

New Zealand police records are checked automatically. If the sponsor's criminal history falls under the Clean Slate Scheme (Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004), INZ is legally prohibited from using that information. The sponsor can answer "No" to criminal record questions on the INZ 1146 form if convictions are protected under the scheme.

If the sponsor cannot provide an offshore police certificate because it is genuinely unobtainable from the relevant country, they must instead provide a statutory declaration — a formal sworn statement detailing their attempts to obtain the certificate and declaring the absence of relevant convictions.

How to Obtain Police Certificates From Common Countries

New Zealand: INZ checks these internally. You do not need to obtain one yourself.

Australia: Apply through the Australian Federal Police (AFP) National Police Check. Processing typically takes 2–15 business days for online applications. Visit the AFP website and select the immigration category when applying.

United Kingdom: Apply through the ACPO Criminal Records Office (ACRO) for a Police Certificate, specifically the international criminal records check. Turnaround is typically 3–4 weeks. Note that this is distinct from a basic DBS check — INZ requires the ACRO certificate specifically.

South Africa: The South African Police Service (SAPS) issues police clearance certificates. You can apply in person at a SAPS station or through the SAPS eFiling portal if you are offshore. Processing times are notoriously variable, often 4–8 weeks or longer. If you are outside South Africa, you can also apply through a South African embassy or consulate.

India: Apply through the Regional Passport Office. The process involves submitting Form P (available from the Passport Seva portal) along with supporting documents. Turnaround is typically 4–6 weeks.

Philippines: The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) issues police clearance certificates. Apply online through the NBI website. Processing is generally faster for walk-in appointments than for mailed applications.

Fiji: Apply through the Fiji Police Force headquarters in Suva, or through the nearest police divisional headquarters. An application form and fingerprints are required.

Any country: If you cannot obtain a police certificate from a country — for example, if the country's government no longer exists in the form it did when you lived there, or if it is genuinely impossible to obtain from that jurisdiction — you must contact INZ directly and explain the situation. The officer may accept a statutory declaration in place of the certificate, but this requires INZ approval.

Validity Period

Police certificates are not valid indefinitely. INZ generally requires certificates to have been issued within the past 6 to 12 months of the application date. Check the current INZ guidance for the specific requirement, as this can vary. If your application takes longer to prepare than expected, you may need to renew certificates.

Practical Advice

Start obtaining police certificates early. South African and Indian certificates in particular can take months, and a delayed certificate is one of the most common causes of an otherwise complete application sitting idle. If you have lived in multiple countries, map out every country where you spent 12 months or more in the past decade and initiate certificate requests for each simultaneously.

The New Zealand Partner Visa Guide includes a document checklist that covers police certificates, the Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201), and all other mandatory documents for both temporary and residence applications.

See more New Zealand guides →