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NZ Citizenship Test 2027: What Has Been Confirmed and What Has Not

DIA says that from late 2027 most people applying for New Zealand citizenship by grant will have to pass an in-person test of 20 multiple-choice questions, with at least 15 correct. Aspeq Limited was named as the provider on 7 October 2026; the start date, test locations and test fee have not been decided.

New Zealand has announced a citizenship test for people who apply for citizenship by grant. The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) has published the main design on Govt.nz and says more detail will follow "as work progresses". The page was read on 9 October 2026, two days after DIA recorded that Aspeq Limited had been selected to run the test. Everything below is what DIA has said so far, and each undecided point is labelled as undecided rather than guessed.

This is an explanation of a published government plan. It is not a prediction about when the test will start, what any question will be, or how a particular person should plan an application. Those are questions for DIA's later announcements and, for a person's own circumstances, for a lawyer or licensed immigration adviser.

Because the details are short, the sections below also set out what the test sits on top of: the current citizenship requirements, the way the same understanding is shown today, and the dates DIA has actually given.

The headline: what DIA has confirmed

DIA's citizenship test page opens with: "From late 2027, most people who apply for New Zealand citizenship by grant will have to pass a test to become a citizen." Three facts stand out.

First, the test applies to grant applicants, not to everyone who holds or seeks New Zealand citizenship. Citizenship by birth and by descent registration are different routes with different pages and fees.

Second, the date is "late 2027" and no exact day has been given. DIA says details "including how to sit it, exemptions, costs and the exact date it will become a requirement" will be provided as work progresses.

Third, the test does not add a new rule. DIA says: "The test is a change to how applicants show they meet the requirement, not to the requirement itself." Understanding the responsibilities and privileges of New Zealand citizenship is already a requirement for grant applicants, and today it is shown by a declaration in the application. The test replaces the declaration as the way of showing it.

On 7 October 2026 DIA recorded that Aspeq Limited had been selected to administer the test. In the same notice DIA said that details about how the test will be implemented, including test locations and cost, are still to be decided, and it pointed to the Beehive media release for more.

What the test is expected to look like

The format is the most detailed part of what has been published:

  • It will be sat in person. Locations are not yet decided, but DIA says the aim is to have test locations "throughout New Zealand, not just in the main centres".
  • The administrator is Aspeq Limited.
  • The test has 20 multiple-choice questions in English.
  • At least 15 answers must be correct (75%) to pass.
  • There will likely be a fee for each attempt. DIA says this will be additional to the citizenship application fee and charged only to applicants who must sit the test. The amount is still to be decided.
  • DIA will provide study materials, available before the test becomes a requirement.

The "likely" in the fee line matters. DIA has not said the fee is certain, only that there will likely be one per attempt. Anyone budgeting should treat both the amount and the fact of a charge as unconfirmed.

Because the test is in English, it also sits alongside the existing English requirement. DIA's language page says an applicant must be able to hold a basic conversation in English and shows it with documents such as a school certificate, IELTS form or university record. Applicants who have been granted a waiver for the English language requirement are among those who will not sit the test.

What the questions will cover

DIA says the test will "check applicants understand the responsibilities and privileges that come with New Zealand citizenship". Under the heading "Privileges and responsibilities of a citizen" it lists the topics:

  • the Bill of Rights Act;
  • human rights;
  • voting rights and democratic principles;
  • New Zealand's system of government;
  • Te Tiriti o Waitangi, the Treaty of Waitangi;
  • some criminal offences; and
  • travelling overseas on a New Zealand passport.

DIA will supply study materials, so the question wording is not yet public. What is already public is DIA's separate page on the privileges and responsibilities of a citizen. It says a citizen is entitled to live in New Zealand indefinitely, travel overseas on a New Zealand passport, vote, stand for Parliament or local government, have full access to education, have full economic and social rights, and represent New Zealand in sports. It lists the responsibilities as obeying and promoting the laws of New Zealand, not acting in a way against the interests of New Zealand, registering on the electoral roll ("you do not have to vote, but you must enrol to vote"), paying tax and behaving as a responsible New Zealander. That page is not a syllabus, and DIA has not said the test is drawn from it, but it is the published statement of the same subject.

Who will sit it, and who will not

After the test becomes a requirement, DIA says "most people who apply for citizenship by grant will need to sit the test". It lists the people who will not have to. These are applicants who:

  • are under 16 years old;
  • are aged 65 or over;
  • have been granted a waiver for the English language requirement for citizenship;
  • are not of full capacity;
  • have a severe medical condition that would prevent them from completing the test;
  • have unique personal circumstances that would prevent them from completing the test;
  • are a New Zealand citizen by descent applying for citizenship by grant; or
  • are applying from overseas but meet the presence requirement, for example people living in Niue, the Cook Islands or Tokelau, or working overseas for the New Zealand government.

The page also says that exemptions will be set out in more detail later. Whether a particular medical condition or set of circumstances is enough is not something DIA's current page decides, and this guide does not either.

Retakes and what happens after repeated failure

DIA has set out the retake pattern in some detail. If an applicant does not pass on the first attempt, they can rebook and try again. If they do not pass after 3 attempts, they must wait at least 30 working days and are then allowed up to 3 more attempts. Applicants will likely have to pay a test fee each time they sit.

An applicant who has not passed after 6 attempts "will be provided options, including withdrawing their application to get a partial refund of their application fee". DIA says this is in line with the current process for applications that do not clearly meet citizenship requirements. If an application is unsuccessful and the person reapplies, they may have to sit the test.

On those numbers, six attempts at a likely per-attempt fee, on top of the application fee, is the full cost exposure the page implies. Because the fee is undecided, no total can be given.

Applying before the test starts

DIA states: "You do not need to sit the test if you have already applied for citizenship, or if you apply before the test becomes a requirement in 2027." It adds that people planning to apply should make sure they meet the requirements at the time they apply, and warns again that applications that do not meet the requirements are unlikely to be approved, with no refund of the application fee.

Two features of DIA's wording are worth reading closely. The first is that the cut-off is tied to when the test "becomes a requirement", which DIA has not dated beyond "late 2027" on one line and "in 2027" on another. The second is that the page speaks of a person who has "already applied" or who applies before that date, which ties the test to the date of application as DIA describes it. DIA's citizenship timeframes page, updated in October 2026, says that 90% of applicants receive an outcome within 4 months and 90% are granted within 6 months, which gives a sense of the processing period, but each applicant's timeline depends on their own application.

Nothing here says whether to apply sooner or later, and nothing on DIA's page suggests that requirements are being relaxed or tightened by the test. A person asking whether and when to apply, and whether they meet the existing presence, English and character rules, is asking for advice on their own facts. DIA's Citizenship Office offers general information, and a lawyer or licensed immigration adviser can assess the specifics.

The requirements the test sits on top of

The test changes one part of the application. The rest is unchanged, and DIA's requirements page lists them. A grant applicant must meet the presence requirements, which for most adults are 5 years living as a New Zealand resident, at least 240 days in New Zealand in each 12-month period and 1,350 days across the 5 years, and an intention to keep living in New Zealand. The language requirement is a basic conversation in English. The character requirement covers things such as convictions, investigations and pending charges, with a list of matters that must be declared.

The fee for an application by grant, from 28 August 2026, is NZD 641 for an adult and NZD 320 for a child. The guide to citizenship by grant covers the presence, English and character rules and the process in full.

DIA also describes an "exceptional circumstances" route, under which in rare cases the Minister might grant citizenship to someone who does not meet every requirement. DIA calls this "very difficult". Whether the test would apply to someone using that route has not been addressed on the test page.

What to watch for next

The unanswered questions are the ones DIA lists: the exact date the test becomes a requirement, the locations, the per-attempt fee, how to book and sit it, and the detailed exemptions. DIA says it will publish them as work progresses, and the citizenship test page on Govt.nz is the place it will appear. The page carries dated notices, which is how the provider announcement of 7 October 2026 appeared. Because those notices change, anything in this guide that depends on an unannounced detail should be rechecked on the page before relying on it.

Finding a licensed immigration adviser

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 Immigration Advisers Authority's public register before you book. We don't assess cases and don't tell anyone which visa or pathway fits them; that is the adviser's job.

Questions people ask

When does the NZ citizenship test start?

DIA says from late 2027, with the exact date still to be announced. Its page also says a person who applies before the test becomes a requirement in 2027 does not have to sit it.

How many questions are on the NZ citizenship test?

DIA says the test has 20 multiple-choice questions in English and that at least 15 answers must be correct, which is 75%, to pass.

How much will the NZ citizenship test cost?

Not decided. DIA says there will likely be a fee for each attempt, additional to the application fee, and that the amount is still to be decided. The application fee itself is NZD 641 for an adult from 28 August 2026.

Who is exempt from the NZ citizenship test?

DIA lists people under 16, people aged 65 or over, people granted an English language waiver, people not of full capacity, people with a severe medical condition or unique personal circumstances that prevent them sitting it, citizens by descent applying for a grant, and some people applying from overseas who meet the presence requirement.

What happens if someone fails the citizenship test?

DIA says they can rebook. After 3 failed attempts they must wait at least 30 working days and are then allowed up to 3 more. After 6 failed attempts DIA will provide options, including withdrawing the application for a partial refund.

Who runs the NZ citizenship test?

DIA recorded on 7 October 2026 that Aspeq Limited had been selected to administer the test. Test locations and cost are still to be decided.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • NZ Citizenship by Grant: Fees, Requirements and Timeframes — From 28 August 2026 the Department of Internal Affairs charges NZD 641 for an adult (16 and over) and NZD 320 for a child to apply for citizenship by grant. Govt.nz lists three presence rules, an English requirement and a character requirement, and says 90% of applicants receive an outcome within 4 months of applying.
  • NZ Permanent Resident Visa: The 2-Year Rules and Five Commitment Tests — The Permanent Resident Visa is for people who have held a resident visa for at least 2 years in a row and can show commitment to New Zealand in one of five set ways, of which the 184-days-a-year test is only one. INZ showed NZD 315 and 80% within 2 weeks on 9 October 2026.
  • NZ Immigration Changes 2026: A Dated Timeline — This is a dated list of 2026 changes announced by INZ or Govt.nz, in order of effective date. Each entry says whether it is in force or still to come. Nothing here is a proposal unless it is labelled that way. Read on 10 October 2026.
  • NZ Visa Fees 2026: The Main Visa Costs in One List — Immigration New Zealand's fee finder showed these main application costs on 9 October 2026: visitor visa NZD 441, AEWV 1,540, Fee Paying Student 850, Post-Study Work 1,670, residence under the Skilled Migrant, Straight to Residence and Work to Residence visas 6,450, and Partner of a New Zealander Resident 5,360. Each is a stated amount for the passports and places queried.