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NZ Interim Visas: When They Start and What They Allow

INZ normally grants an Interim Visa automatically, for no fee, if a temporary visa expires while a new temporary visa application is being assessed. It starts the day after the old visa expires, lasts up to 6 months, ends if the holder leaves New Zealand, and its work and study conditions depend on the old and new visa types.

An Interim Visa is the bridge that lets a person stay lawfully in New Zealand while Immigration New Zealand (INZ) is still deciding on their next temporary visa. People cannot apply for it, it costs nothing, and it arrives by email rather than as a label in a passport. What worries people is the detail: when it starts, how long it lasts, whether they can keep working, and what happens if the application is declined or they leave the country. The answers depend on the visas on either side of the bridge. This guide sets out the rules INZ publishes on its Interim Visa page and its Interim Visa conditions page, plus the April 2025 change to work rights for Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) applicants, as read on 9 October 2026. It explains how the rules work in general. It does not say what a particular person's Interim Visa will allow, because that turns on their exact visa history and application, which is what a licensed immigration adviser reviews.

What an Interim Visa is, and who gets one

INZ describes the Interim Visa as a visa "normally given automatically to allow you to stay in New Zealand if your visa expires while we are assessing your application for another temporary visa". Four features are central.

You cannot apply for it. INZ states: "You cannot apply for an Interim Visa. If you are eligible, we will give it to you automatically."

There is no fee. The Interim Visa page says "There is no fee for an Interim Visa", and the fee finder lists the interim-visa product at no cost.

It starts the day after the old visa expires. The fee finder describes it as "granted automatically" and beginning "the day after your previous temporary visa expires".

It is electronic. INZ says it is given as an eVisa and there is "no physical visa label in your passport, so you do not need to send your passport to us".

INZ's eligibility list on the Interim Visa page has four items: the person has a current temporary visa (a work, student, visitor or other temporary visa); has applied for another temporary visa; is in New Zealand; and has not already been given a Skilled Migrant Category Interim Visa or a 2021 Interim Visa.

Those last two names are not typos. INZ keeps separate Interim Visas for people applying for a Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa under the criteria in force from 9 October 2023 and for the 2021 Resident Visa. The general Interim Visa covers the usual case of a new work, student or visitor visa.

The timing rule that decides eligibility

The point that most often decides whether an Interim Visa arises is when INZ receives and accepts the new application. INZ's page says: "We must receive your new visa application and have accepted it for processing before your current visa expires." And it goes on: "For us to accept it for processing, you must make sure you include all the documents we ask for with your application."

Put together, the rules are:

there must be a current temporary visa when the application is made;

the new application must be a temporary visa application (work, student or visitor);

INZ must have accepted that application for processing before the old visa expires; and

the person must be in New Zealand.

The other side of that timing appears on INZ's page on checking or changing work visa conditions, which says anyone who wants to stay past their expiry date cannot extend the visa but must apply for another temporary visa before it expires, and "should apply for another visa at least 1 month before your current visa's expiry date". That is INZ's published guidance on timing. INZ also says it will email the person "a couple of days before your visa expires to tell you if you will be given an Interim Visa". If no email comes, INZ's page says to check the spam folder before contacting INZ.

One point INZ makes about residence applications: a person who has applied for a resident visa and expects the current visa to expire during assessment "should also apply for a new temporary visa to work, study or visit. That way you will be eligible for an Interim Visa if you need one." The separate Skilled Migrant Category and 2021 Interim Visas are exceptions with their own rules.

How long it lasts and how it ends

INZ gives these limits:

Up to 6 months. "You can stay up to 6 months, while we are deciding on your new visa application." If no decision is made in 6 months the Interim Visa expires.

New visa approved. "Your new visa will start immediately and replace your Interim Visa."

New visa declined. "Your Interim Visa will expire 21 days after your application is declined."

The holder leaves New Zealand. INZ's page carries an alert: "If you leave New Zealand your Interim Visa will expire."

Note what is missing from that list. An Interim Visa does not give the right to travel and return. INZ's own wording is that leaving ends it. The Skilled Migrant Category and 2021 versions work differently, and INZ's 2021 Interim Visa page mentions requesting a visa to travel, but the general Interim Visa page describes no such step.

The 21-day period after a decline connects to reconsideration. INZ's reconsideration page requires a person to "still hold a valid visa", and says that "this could be an Interim Visa". An Interim Visa ending 21 days after the decline therefore overlaps the 14-calendar-day window for a reconsideration request. After the Interim Visa ends, a person without a visa is in New Zealand unlawfully, and INZ's page on staying after expiry says that includes no right to work or study and a risk of detention and deportation. Our guide to reconsideration of a declined visa explains the review route.

One more limit comes from INZ's page on staying after a visa expires: "You cannot get a new temporary visa such as a work, student or visitor visa if you are in New Zealand on a limited, interim or transit visa." So the Interim Visa is a waiting status for the application already lodged, not a platform for a different application.

What conditions an Interim Visa carries

The conditions depend, in INZ's words, "on the type of visa you had before and the type of visa you are applying for next". The Interim Visa conditions page works through the combinations. The rules, as published:

Applying for an AEWV, from a current AEWV, another work visa, or a student visa that allows work in term time. The Interim Visa has "the same work rights as the AEWV you are applying for". That is the April 2025 change described below.

Applying for an AEWV from any other visa, such as a visitor visa or a student visa without work rights. The Interim Visa "will not allow you to work".

Last visa a visitor visa, applying for a visitor visa or work visa. The Interim Visa has visitor visa conditions, so the person cannot work until a work visa is granted. INZ gives the example of someone on a visitor visa who has applied for a partnership-based work visa.

Last visa a visitor visa, applying for a student visa. The Interim Visa has the conditions of a student visa with open conditions: any course, at any education provider, in any New Zealand location.

Last visa a student visa, applying for a visitor or work visa. Visitor visa conditions. Applying for another student visa gives open student conditions, and if the old student visa had work conditions those same work conditions carry over.

Last visa an employer-specific work visa, applying for a new work visa. If the person wants a different employer, job or location, or is applying for an open work visa, the Interim Visa has visitor visa conditions. If the new work visa is for the same employer, job and location, the conditions are the same as the current work visa. INZ's worked example is a dental assistant whose conditions allowed them to keep working in the same role for the same employer in the same place while the new visa was assessed.

Last visa an open work visa. The same open conditions carry over if the person applies for the same type of open work visa. A different open work visa or an employer-specific one gives visitor conditions.

A student Interim Visa does not make someone eligible for funded education. INZ's page notes that the person must meet the definition of a domestic student to be eligible for funded education and otherwise pays international fees.

Work rights while waiting for an AEWV (from 8 April 2025)

INZ's news item of 31 March 2025 announced that from 8 April 2025 "applicants will be granted interim work rights if they apply for an AEWV while holding any type of work visa or from a student visa that permits work during term time". INZ listed three effects:

the applicant can take up the job specified in the new AEWV application, connected to the employer's job check, which lets them move into the job more quickly;

time spent on an Interim Visa with work rights counts towards the work experience needed for work to residence pathways; and

for a second or later AEWV, time on an Interim Visa with work rights counts towards the maximum period a person can stay in New Zealand on an AEWV. INZ adds that the maximum continuous stay "excludes any time spent on an interim visa granted before the applicant's first AEWV".

Taken with the conditions page, the AEWV rule is specific: the work rights depend on what the person held when they applied, and a visitor or non-working student visa leads to an Interim Visa without work rights. The counting rule has its own page, covered in our guide to the AEWV maximum continuous stay.

Common points of confusion

Is it an extension of the old visa? No. INZ says visas cannot be extended, and an Interim Visa is a separate visa that starts after the old one expires.

Does it count as time on the old visa type? Sometimes. For a person moving from one AEWV to another, INZ says time on the Interim Visa counts towards the total time they can stay. For a person moving from a student or visitor visa to an AEWV, INZ says the Interim Visa time does not count, and the total time "will start when your AEWV is approved".

Can it be used to leave and return? INZ's general Interim Visa page says leaving New Zealand ends it. Plans involving travel are therefore a question for an adviser before any departure.

What if no email arrives? INZ asks people to check spam folders first and then contact INZ.

What if the application is declined? The Interim Visa ends 21 days after the decline. Our guides to a declined visa and reconsideration cover the review and appeal routes.

What if a person has no Interim Visa and the old visa has expired? Then they are in New Zealand unlawfully. INZ's page explains the consequences and the narrow remedies, including a section 61 request, which does not stop deportation.

When an adviser or lawyer is usually brought in

Predicting what a particular Interim Visa will allow, or deciding whether an application was lodged in time to attract one, applies these rules to a person's visa history, and that is immigration advice under New Zealand law. A licensed immigration adviser, a lawyer with a practising certificate or an exempt person can do it. People usually ask for help when a visa is within weeks of expiry and a new application is not yet lodged, or when an Interim Visa has been granted with conditions that do not match what the person expected.

A typical engagement begins with the adviser reviewing the current visa, the new application and its lodgement date, then confirming the scope and fee in writing. The Code of Conduct (cl. 16) requires an adviser who charges for an initial consultation to get the client's written consent to the fee and payment terms before the consultation.

Migratio lists licensed immigration advisers so you can compare them and contact one directly. Every listing shows the adviser's licence number, which you can check on the IAA's public register before you book. We don't assess cases and don't tell anyone which visa or route fits them; that is the adviser's job.

Questions people ask

Can I apply for an NZ Interim Visa?

No. INZ says it cannot be applied for. If the person is eligible, INZ gives it automatically, with no fee, starting the day after the current visa expires (read 9 October 2026).

Can I work on an NZ Interim Visa?

It depends on the visa held before and the visa applied for. INZ says an Interim Visa for an AEWV application has the same work rights as the AEWV if the person held an AEWV, another work visa or a student visa with term-time work rights; otherwise it does not allow work.

How long does an NZ Interim Visa last?

Up to 6 months while INZ decides the new application. If the new application is approved the new visa replaces it, and if it is declined the Interim Visa expires 21 days after the decline.

What happens to my Interim Visa if I leave New Zealand?

INZ's Interim Visa page says it will expire if the holder leaves New Zealand.

Does Interim Visa time count towards the AEWV maximum stay?

INZ says time on an Interim Visa while moving from one AEWV to another counts towards the total time that can be stayed. Other Interim Visa time, such as moving from a student or visitor visa to an AEWV, does not count.

Do I need an Interim Visa for a residence application?

INZ says that for a resident visa application where the current visa may expire during assessment, a new temporary visa application is what makes a person eligible for an Interim Visa. The Skilled Migrant Category and 2021 Resident Visa have their own Interim Visas.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • Reconsideration of a Declined NZ Visa: How the Rules Work — INZ can reconsider a declined work, student or visitor visa only if the person applied in New Zealand, is still there, still holds a valid visa (an Interim Visa counts) and INZ receives the request within 14 calendar days of the decline. The fee is NZD 220 and there is one review only.
  • AEWV Declined: What the Options Are — A declined AEWV can be reconsidered by INZ for NZD 220 if the worker applied in New Zealand and meets the 14-calendar-day rule; a declined employer job check or accreditation can be reconsidered for NZD 250 within 14 days of the day after the decline. Otherwise INZ describes a new application.
  • AEWV Job Change and Variation of Conditions: The Rules — An Accredited Employer Work Visa holder who wants a different employer, job or location applies online for a Job Change, which needs an accredited employer and a valid job check for the new job. It does not change the visa's expiry date, and the new job's maximum continuous stay can block a move.
  • AEWV Maximum Continuous Stay: How the 3 and 5 Year Caps Work — INZ caps the total time a person can stay in New Zealand on one or more Accredited Employer Work Visas at 5 years for most jobs and 3 years for ANZSCO skill level 4 or 5 jobs unless a pay or list exception applies. After reaching the cap, a person must spend 12 months in a row outside New Zealand before another regular AEWV.
  • Section 61 Requests in New Zealand: How They Work — A section 61 request asks INZ to grant a visa to someone in New Zealand unlawfully. INZ is not obliged to consider it, gives no reasons, has no time frame and there is no appeal; a fee of NZD 640 (temporary) or NZD 1,510 (residence) is charged only if INZ decides to grant.
  • NZ Visa Declined: Reconsideration, IPT Appeals and Reapplying — Which routes exist after a decline depends on the visa type and where the person is. Temporary visa declines can be reconsidered by INZ in limited cases (14 days, NZD 220); residence declines can be appealed to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal (42 days, NZD 964).