Citizenship Application Fees and Forms
General Requirements for a Grant of New Zealand Citizenship
New Zealand Citizenship by Descent
Denial and Confirmation of New Zealand Citizenship
Citizenship Online Calculation Tool
Services › Citizenship › New Zealand Citizenship by Descent
- Return to Citizenship home page
- Additional information about citizenship by descent
- A definition of a New Zealand citizen "otherwise than by descent"
- How to register citizenship by descent
- Documents required when applying for citizenship by descent
- Establishing paternity for New Zealand citizenship purposes
- Surrogacy
- Citizenship by descent: frequently asked questions
- Application fees
- Application forms
Additional Information
- If you are claiming citizenship by descent through your father and he is not named on your birth certificate, you may be required to provide extra information. Please see our paternity information for more details.
- Citizens by descent who were born before 1978 do not need to register their citizenship. However, you may wish to apply for a Confirmation of New Zealand citizenship as official evidence that you are a New Zealand citizen. Please contact us for more information.
- If you were adopted outside New Zealand by a person who was a New Zealand citizen otherwise than by descent, you may be a New Zealand citizen by descent. However, the adoption must fit several criteria. Please contact us for more information.
Definition of a New Zealand Citizen "Otherwise than by Descent"
A person is likely to be a New Zealand citizen "otherwise than by descent" if they:- Were born in New Zealand.
- Were adopted in New Zealand on or after 1 January 1949 by a New Zealand citizen parent.
- Received the grant of New Zealand citizenship.
- Were born outside New Zealand on or after 1 January 1978 and one parent was a New Zealand citizen who was on overseas service.
- Were a British subject who was born before 1 January 1949 and was:
- o ordinarily resident in New Zealand throughout 1948; or
o naturalised in New Zealand before 1949; or
o born in Samoa before 1949; or
o married to a man who automatically became a New Zealand citizen on 1 January 1949.
How to Register Citizenship by Descent
To register citizenship by descent you must:- complete the Application for Registration of New Zealand Citizenship by Descent form;
- provide the required documents;
- pay the application fee; and
- send the application to one of our offices.
Documents Required
There are different documents required for applicants under 16 years of age and applicants 16 years of age and over.Please check the documents required below or contact us for more information. All documents supplied must be original documents (not photocopies).
Applicants under 16 years of age
The applicant must provide:
- Birth certificate
- Adoption order, if applicable
- Change of name document(s), if applicable
- Passport or other photographic state-issued identification, if applicable
- Change of name document(s), if applicable
- Evidence of name used in the community
- Deeds of paternity, if applicable
- Proof of New Zealand citizenship, if applicable
- Passport or other photographic state-issued identification
The applicant must provide:
- Birth certificate
- Adoption order, if applicable
- Change of name document(s), if applicable
- Passport or other photographic state-issued identification, if applicable
- Evidence of name used in the community
- Change of name document(s), if applicable
- Deeds of paternity, if applicable
- Proof of New Zealand citizenship, if applicable
- Passport or other photographic state-issued identification, if applicable
This document records the applicant’s name, place and date of birth and their parent(s) names. This document is required in all cases.
Applicant's passport
If the applicant does not have a passport, they must provide alternative state-issued photographic identification. If the applicant has no identification please contact us.
Applicant’s adoption order
This is required where the person being registered has been adopted outside of New Zealand.
Claim parent’s passport or state-issued identification
If the claim parent does not have a passport they must provide alternative state-issued photographic identification. If the parent has no identification please contact us.
Change of name documents
Any official change of name documents are required (e.g. marriage certificate for change through marriage, deed poll certificate) where applicable. Please note that you will not need to send documents if the claim parent or applicant was born in New Zealand and changed their name in New Zealand or if the marriage took place in New Zealand.
Evidence of name used in the community
Please provide two other forms of evidence showing that the applicant or claim parent uses the name on their identification documentation. Evidence may include:
- Current utility account (e.g. telephone, electricity) issued within the last 12 months.
- Current drivers licence.
- Proof of their name on an electoral roll.
- Current photo identification cards.
- Bank or tax statements issued within the last 12 months.
- Current cards issued for Government services.
Claim parents proof of citizenship
You will not need to send documents if the claim parent:
- was born in New Zealand; or
- has New Zealand citizenship by grant; or
- has confirmation of New Zealand citizenship by other means.
- was born in the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau.
Establishing paternity is the legal term for determining who is the father of a child under New Zealand law.
If the claim to New Zealand citizenship by descent is through the mother then it is not necessary to establish who the father is. But if paternity is not established then the father's name will not be added to our records.
If the claim to New Zealand citizenship by descent is through the father, then we must establish paternity. In general, a person’s father is assumed to be the man named on a person’s birth certificate.
If the applicant’s father is not named on their birth certificate, and the claim for citizenship is through the father, paternity will need to be established. Paternity is normally established by the completion of deeds of paternity by both parents.
The current passports of both parents are required in all cases where deeds of paternity are completed.
