Parent Boost Visitor Visa (NZ): The 2025 Criteria, Costs & How to Qualify

Effective from 29 September 2025, Immigration New Zealand introduced the Parent Boost multiple-entry visitor visa. Below is a plain-English guide to who qualifies, what it costs, and the evidence you’ll need.

What is the Parent Boost visa?

It’s a five-year, multiple-entry visitor visa that lets parents of New Zealand citizens and residents spend long stretches of time in NZ to support family—especially with childcare—while also helping retain skilled migrants.

At a glance

• Apply from outside NZ and you must also be outside NZ when the visa is granted.

• First arrival must be within 6 months of visa start; then you get a 5-year stay with multiple entries.

• You can hold up to two Parent Boost visas in your lifetime (each up to five years) if you meet the conditions.

• No medical waivers are available for this visa.

Who can apply (eligibility checklist)

To be approved, the principal applicant (and any partner included) must:

• apply and be outside New Zealand at application and at grant;

• meet character and residence-level health requirements;

• be sponsored (see below);

• have no dependent children (special definition applies);

• show sufficient funds (three pathways below);

• hold acceptable travel/health insurance; and

• not have already held more than one Parent Boost visa.

Sponsorship rules (who can sponsor you)

Your sponsor(s) must be:

• your adult child who is a NZ citizen or resident; or

• joint sponsors: your adult child and their partner; or

• your adult child and one other adult child from either parent included in the application.

Each sponsor must be an acceptable sponsor, agree to undertakings, not be a dependent child themselves, and (if you’re relying on sponsor income instead of your own funds) meet minimum income requirements. Up to two adult children can sponsor, and a sponsor can sponsor up to six parents (including partners).

“No dependent children” — what that actually means

For Parent Boost, your application must not include any dependent children. A child is counted as dependent if they are:

• under 18, single, and totally/substantially reliant on parents; or

• 18 or 19, single with no children of their own, and totally/substantially reliant.
  Applications are declined if any included applicant has dependent children.

Show you can afford your stay — three ways to meet the sufficient funds test

You must prove one of the following:

1) Maintenance funds (lump-sum savings)

• NZ$160,000 if you’re applying alone

• NZ$250,000 if applying with a partner
  Funds must be genuinely available, unencumbered, and evidenced (e.g., bank statements). Gifted/borrowed funds aren’t acceptable.

2) Annual income (recurring)

• NZ$32,611.28 if you’re applying alone

• NZ$49,552.88 with a partner
  Income must have been earned over the 12 months immediately before you apply and be ongoing (pension, rentals, dividends, interest, company profits, trading, etc.). Provide credible third-party evidence (e.g., pension letters, rental statements).

3) Sponsor income (your child/children meet the threshold)

Your sponsor(s) can meet minimum income thresholds for two completed tax years within the three tax years before you apply. Joint sponsors’ years must match. Parental leave carve-outs exist if evidence is provided. Only taxable income recorded by IRD counts (company/trust income must be paid to the sponsor and appear on IRD statements).

Minimum income thresholds for sponsors (based on the current median income):

Minimum income thresholds for sponsors (based on the current median income)

Note: Thresholds are tied to Stats NZ median income and are usually reviewed each April; the table above reflects the June 2024 median. The applicable figure is the one in effect when you lodge the application.

Insurance you must hold (and prove)

Before the visa can be granted, you must show at least 12 months of acceptable travel/health insurance. The policy must be from a provider with experience and a credit rating of A (strong) or equivalent, and must cover at least:

• Emergency medical (diagnosis/treatment, ambulance & hospital): NZ$250,000 per year

• Cancer treatment: NZ$100,000

• Repatriation (serious illness/disability): NZ$250,000

• Return of remains: NZ$50,000

Limited exclusions for pre-existing conditions are allowed (emergency & cancer). If approved in principle, you have 3 months to provide 12-month insurance or your application is declined. You must maintain cover for all time spent in NZ, and you’ll later need to prove it.

Visa conditions you’ll need to keep

• Keep insurance current for all time in NZ and continue to meet residence-level health settings.

• Each sponsor must be ordinarily resident in NZ and stay in NZ at least 184 days in every 12-month period from your first arrival.

• 3–4 years after first arrival, you must complete an offshore compliance check: submit a form (with fee), provide fresh medical & x-ray certificates from a panel physician (issued <3 months prior), and evidence that your NZ stays were insured. You must remain outside NZ until INZ confirms you’ve met conditions.

Can I get a second (renewal) Parent Boost visa?

Yes—maximum of two in total—if you:

• met all conditions of your first Parent Boost visa;

• provide new medical & x-ray certificates (<3 months old); and

• have no debt to the Crown incurred while on a Parent Boost visa.
  If you haven’t been outside New Zealand for 90+ days when the second visa is granted, INZ may add a travel condition delaying your next arrival.

Planning for residence later (Parent Category)

Holding a Parent Boost visa doesn’t grant residence, but if you later pursue the Parent Category (EOI/ITA), INZ will check whether—while on Parent Boost—you maintained acceptable insurance and incurred no Crown debt (both defined in the Parent Category instructions).

How Aspiring Immigration can help

As a Licensed Immigration Adviser (IAA #202101015), I help families plan the best funding pathway, check sponsor income, prepare insurance evidence, and set up a smooth compliance timetable so you keep your five-year stay on track.

Book a consultation to confirm your eligibility and map your fastest route to family time in New Zealand.