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NZ Visa Medicals and Chest X-Rays: Who Needs Them

INZ's rules turn on length of stay, visa type and time spent in countries without a low incidence of tuberculosis. Residence applicants need both an X-ray and a medical; results must be no more than 3 months old when INZ receives the application. Read from INZ on 10 October 2026.

Most New Zealand visa applications involve a health check of some kind. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) calls the standard it applies the "acceptable standard of health", and it checks that standard through a chest X-ray, a general or limited medical examination, or both. Which of those a person needs depends on the visa, how long they will be in New Zealand, where they are from and where they have lived, and whether they provided medical evidence on an earlier application.

This article explains how the system works as INZ publishes it: when an X-ray or medical is required, how a panel physician and eMedical fit in, how long results stay valid, what INZ looks at when it assesses health, and what a medical waiver is. It does not tell any reader whether they meet the standard or whether a particular condition will cause a problem. Those questions turn on individual facts and belong with a licensed immigration adviser or the applicant's own doctor.

All of this was read from INZ's health requirements pages on 10 October 2026. INZ updates these pages, so confirm the current rules on INZ before booking an appointment.

The three types of certificate

INZ's page on who needs an X-ray or medical examination says there are three types of medical certificate: a general medical certificate, a limited medical certificate and a chest X-ray certificate. What is needed "depends on the type of visa you are applying for, how long you intend to stay in New Zealand, what country you are from, and whether you have provided a medical certificate to us with an earlier application."

A general medical examination, which INZ also calls a full medical examination, has three parts: a medical history and physical examination, urine and blood tests, and a chest X-ray if one is required. INZ says the doctor checks height, weight, mental state, hearing and vision, listens to the heart and lungs, feels the abdomen and checks reflexes and other parts of the nervous system. A limited medical examination is a narrower check. A chest X-ray certificate covers the X-ray alone, which INZ uses to check for tuberculosis (TB).

The forms INZ names for doctors outside the panel system are the Chest X-ray Certificate (INZ 1096), the Limited Medical Certificate (INZ 1201) and the General Medical Certificate (INZ 1007).

When a chest X-ray is required

INZ's rules for X-rays depend on the length of stay. Children under 11 and pregnant women do not need a chest X-ray unless a special report is needed. For everyone else, INZ sets out these situations:

  • Staying 6 to 12 months. An X-ray is required if the person is a citizen of a country that does not have a low incidence of TB, or has spent more than 3 months in the past 5 years in such a country, or since the last X-ray has spent more than 6 months in a row in such a country.
  • Staying more than 12 months. INZ says: "If you will be staying for more than 12 months, you must have a chest X-ray no matter where you are from." Time already spent in New Zealand on earlier visas counts toward the 12 months.
  • Applying to stay permanently. INZ says that a person applying to stay permanently who does not already hold a resident visa "must have a chest X-ray no matter where you are from."

INZ's separate page on countries with a low incidence of TB sets the test. For a visa of 6 months or longer, a person must have an X-ray if they are a citizen of a country that is not on the list and have lived or spent time in it, or if they have spent more than a total of 3 months in the past 5 years in any country not on the list. The 3 months can be made up of several countries and need not be continuous. INZ gives an example where 5 weeks, 4 weeks and 8 weeks in three separate countries over three years add up to more than 3 months, so an X-ray is needed. The list of countries is on INZ's page and is the only source to check.

When a medical examination is required

INZ's rules for general medical examinations are shorter. INZ says that someone who will stay in New Zealand for up to 12 months normally does not need a medical examination, unless the visa will allow a stay of more than 12 months or INZ asks for one. A person staying more than 12 months must have one, and a person applying to stay permanently who does not already hold a resident visa must have one "no matter where you are from."

Other points INZ makes:

  • A woman over 45 "may need to have a physical breast examination", and the physician will say whether it is needed.
  • For a Parent and Grandparent Visitor Visa, a general medical certificate and chest X-ray certificate are both required with the application. For a Parent Boost Visitor Visa both are required unless valid ones issued in the last 12 months were provided before, and new ones are needed at the year-3 health and insurance check.
  • For student visas the rules differ. A person applying for a Fee-Paying Student Visa or Pathway Student Visa does not need a medical examination "no matter how long you are staying in New Zealand" unless there has been intravenous drug use, a blood transfusion, exposure to an activity that may have exposed them to a serious infectious disease such as HIV, Hepatitis B or C, or INZ asks for one.
  • For an Accredited Employer Work Visa, a visitor visa or a student visa, INZ says it "will let you know after you submit your application if you need a chest X-ray or medical examination", and gives an INZ health case reference number (NZHR) for the clinic.

If an earlier medical examination was provided, INZ says another is needed if it has been more than 3 years since the last one, if the standard of health was not assessed as acceptable at the time, or if a different kind of certificate is needed.

Panel physicians, eMedical and the appointment

INZ requires the X-ray or medical to be done by an approved doctor where one exists: "you must use a doctor or radiologist from our approved list of panel physicians, if there is one in your country." Panel physicians are doctors and radiologists approved to complete examinations for New Zealand visa applications. INZ publishes a filterable list of them. If there is no panel physician in the country, any registered doctor can be used, and the applicant should bring a printed copy of the right certificate form and 3 passport-sized photos (1 photo if only an X-ray is being done).

INZ's process overview is: check if an X-ray or medical is needed and when; make an appointment; prepare what is needed for the appointment; attend, noting the doctor may order other tests that take more time; provide evidence of results in the application; then collect the results. At the appointment the applicant signs a form allowing the doctor to send medical information to INZ. A person aged 17 or under needs a parent or guardian to attend and sign. The applicant must bring an identity document.

If a person is already in New Zealand and only needs a chest X-ray, INZ says they "must visit a panel medical clinic who will refer you to a panel radiology clinic." INZ lists the cost as the applicant's: "You must pay any costs related to your X-ray and medical examinations." INZ advises asking the clinic about costs when booking. Where a licensed immigration adviser is used, INZ asks the applicant to take a completed Immigration Adviser Details form (INZ 1160) so that the adviser can see the results.

Most panel clinics use INZ's eMedical system. Where they do, the applicant quotes the eMedical reference (NZER) in the application and INZ receives the results electronically, which INZ calls "the quickest way". For some visas INZ issues a health case reference number (NZHR) instead. INZ has a page on finding both numbers.

How long results last

INZ states one validity rule for most applications: "Your chest X-ray and medical examination results must be no more than 3 months old when we get your application." For the Parent Boost Visitor Visa the certificates must be less than 3 months old when the person applies or completes the health check.

A medical or X-ray provided with an earlier application can be reused in some cases. INZ says another chest X-ray is needed if "it has been more than 3 years since you had the last one", or if since the last X-ray the person has spent more than 6 months in a row in a country that does not have a low incidence of TB. For an earlier medical examination, the three-year rule applies together with the other conditions listed above.

For working holiday visas INZ says evidence of the X-ray or medical has to be provided "within 15 days of submitting your visa application". Rules for individual visas can differ from the general page, which is why the visa page and the health page should be read together.

INZ's Samoan Quota and Pacific Access Category pages show the same pattern in a ballot setting: no X-ray or medical is needed to register, but one is needed after an invitation to apply.

What INZ is checking: the acceptable standard of health

INZ's page on why a person may need to provide evidence of good health says the standard helps INZ decide whether to approve or decline. INZ checks whether the person is "a risk to public health", whether they "will add significant cost to, or place demands on, New Zealand's health services", whether their health may stop them working or studying if that is what the visa is for, and whether a student has a high need for learning support.

INZ says what it cannot consider: "your ability to access the private health system", "any health insurance you may be covered by", and the ability of family, friends or an organisation to care for the person or pay for health services.

The page sets out different conditions for different visa groups. For temporary visas, INZ says it "may decline" if during the stay the person is likely to need hospitalisation, residential care, high-cost pharmaceuticals or high-cost disability services. For resident visas and Parent Boost Visitor Visas, INZ lists conditions that may lead to a decline, including certain malignancies, organ transplant needs, severe renal or hepatic disorders, specified neurological, cardiac and respiratory conditions, severe hearing or vision loss where significant support is required, and a history of MDR-TB or XDR-TB unless cleared by a New Zealand specialist. INZ also says it may decline if the medical assessor thinks health services costs are likely to be more than NZD 81,000 (NZD 41,000 for visas applied for before 4 September 2022).

These are published criteria. Whether any condition falls inside them depends on the facts and the assessment. After a medical examination INZ may continue the application, ask a medical assessor, a registered New Zealand medical practitioner, for an opinion, ask for more medical information, consider a waiver, or decline.

Medical waivers

INZ's page on medical waivers explains that "A medical waiver lets us process your residence or temporary visa application if you do not meet the normal health requirements." A person cannot apply for one: "You cannot apply for a medical waiver. We decide whether to give you one when we process your visa application."

INZ says that before it considers a waiver it first checks whether the applicant meets the rest of the visa requirements, what support the person would need from health and education services, their potential benefit to New Zealand, what family they have in New Zealand and how long they are staying. For temporary visas INZ lists the groups for which it will consider a waiver, including the partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen or residence class visa holder who meets the criteria for a Partnership or Dependent Child resident visa. For resident visas INZ says a waiver "will usually be granted" if the applicant is a New Zealand citizen or resident's partner or dependent child and meets every other requirement.

INZ also lists situations where it "must decline" regardless, including needing dialysis or being likely to need it within 5 years, severe haemophilia, needing full-time care, and tuberculosis (in which case INZ can put the application on hold for up to 6 months for treatment). For family category visas it must also decline where the person was eligible to be included in an earlier resident application but was not included or declared.

Because a waiver turns on the whole file, this is a point where a licensed immigration adviser can assess an individual situation; the directory lists advisers who are licensed.

Questions people ask

Do I need a chest X-ray for a New Zealand visa?

It depends on the visa and the length of stay. INZ says a stay of more than 12 months, or an application to stay permanently without already holding a resident visa, needs an X-ray wherever the person is from. For 6 to 12 months it depends on citizenship and time spent in countries without a low incidence of TB.

How long is an NZ visa medical valid?

INZ says chest X-ray and medical examination results must be no more than 3 months old when INZ receives the application. An earlier X-ray may be reused if it is under 3 years old and the person has not spent more than 6 months in a row in a country without a low incidence of TB since.

Can any doctor do my immigration medical for New Zealand?

INZ says to use a panel physician if there is one in your country. If there is no panel physician, any registered doctor can be used, with the right printed certificate form and photos.

Who pays for the NZ visa medical?

INZ says the applicant must pay any costs related to the X-ray and medical examinations. It suggests asking the clinic about costs when booking.

What is a medical waiver for an NZ visa?

INZ describes it as a way to process an application where the person does not meet the normal health requirements. A person cannot apply for one; INZ decides whether to give one when it processes the application.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

Related guides

  • NZ Working Holiday Visas: Country by Country — INZ lists 45 working holiday schemes. Most are for ages 18 to 30, nine are for 18 to 35, and each country's page states its own yearly cap, stay length and money requirement. Figures below are from INZ's country pages as read on 10 October 2026.
  • Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa: How It Works — The Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa is for people whose partner is a New Zealand citizen or resident and who have lived with that partner in a genuine and stable relationship for at least 12 months. INZ showed NZD 5,360 and 80% of applications completed within 7 months on 9 October 2026.
  • Dependent Child Resident Visa NZ: How the Rules Work — The Dependent Child Resident Visa lets a New Zealand citizen or resident bring a single, dependent child aged 24 or younger to live in New Zealand. INZ showed NZD 3,230 and 80% of applications completed within 7 months on 9 October 2026; the child's resident visa carries the same section 49 conditions as the parent's.
  • Parent Boost Visitor Visa NZ: Income, Insurance and Fees — The Parent Boost Visitor Visa lets parents of New Zealand citizens or residents visit for up to 5 years, with a health and insurance check in year 3. INZ showed NZD 3,100 and an expected processing time of around 4 months on 9 October 2026; a person can hold only 2 of these visas and it does not lead to residence.
  • 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 Visa Processing Times: What INZ Publishes and How to Read It — Immigration New Zealand publishes processing times in two forms: an average wait time (50% of applications) and a most-completed-within figure (80%), in working days, updated weekly for applications processed in the last 4 weeks; and a separate 80% figure in its fee finder. On 9 October 2026 the two sources gave different numbers for some visas, so the source and date matter.