Registration of New Zealand Citizenship by Descent

New Zealand citizenship by descent carries the right to live in New Zealand and hold a New Zealand passport. But you must apply to register citizenship by descent with the Citizenship Office of the Department of Internal Affairs or the right to this status will be lost on the applicant's 24th birthday.

Applications forms and further information is available on the Department of Internal Affairs website. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this file.

The Citizenship Office in Wellington, New Zealand processes all applications.

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
• Send the application to one of our offices

The processing time to register citizenship by descent is 20 working days from receipt of a correctly completed application.