Eligibility for Publicly Funded Health and Disability Services

Information about Passports without Visas or Permits

Some people don't need a visa to enter New Zealand. They include:

• British citizens and other British passport holders who produce evidence of the right to reside permanently in the UK can visit for up to six months without a visa.
• Australian citizens and people who hold a current Australian permanent residence visa or a current Australian resident return visa
• Specific other visa-free countries.

Most will still get a visitor’s permit in their passport when they enter. Except for Returning Resident’s Visas, eligibility is based on permits rather than visas.

A small number of people are exempt from having a permit. Those people should be treated as ineligible for publicly funded services unless they can prove that they meet one of the criteria.

A list of people who are exempt from having to hold a temporary permit and who are ineligible is follows.

A person who has entered New Zealand from overseas and believes they are eligible for publicly funded services but cannot provide proof in their passport can contact Immigration New Zealand (www.immigration.govt.nz.) for proof of their status in New Zealand, such as a Statement of Movements.

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Page last updated: 29 January 2009