Medical certificate requirements for visitor visas: what determines whether you need one

Medical and chest x-ray certificate requirements for visitor visa applications are based on how long you intend to stay in New Zealand, not the duration of the visa you apply for. This is an important distinction that catches some visa applicants off guard.

How the rules work

The requirements are based on your intended length of stay, assessed as a continuous period. The thresholds are:

• Six months or less: no medical certificate or chest x-ray required in most cases.
• More than six months and up to 12 months: a Chest X-ray Certificate is required if you have risk factors for tuberculosis.
• More than 12 months: both a Medical Certificate and a Chest X-ray Certificate are required in most cases.

Why visa duration and intended stay can differ

The visa you apply for may have a shorter maximum duration than your intended stay. Officers consider the length of intended stay, not the visa duration, when deciding whether health certificates are needed. This applies even where the maximum duration of the visa is shorter than the threshold that would normally require a medical.

A practical example is the Culturally Arranged Marriage visa, which has a maximum duration of three months. Because applicants typically intend to stay longer to marry a New Zealand citizen or resident, a medical certificate may still be required even though the visa itself is short.

How to answer the question when applying

When completing a visitor visa application online, you will be asked to select your intended length of stay. This question is independent of the visa duration applied for. Answer it based on how long you actually plan to be in New Zealand, not the visa length.

If a Medical Certificate or Chest X-ray Certificate is required based on your answer, you will be contacted automatically with instructions on how to provide them.

What to do if you are unsure

If your intended stay is close to one of the thresholds, or if you are unsure whether your circumstances require a medical, it is worth checking before you lodge your application. Submitting an incomplete application can slow processing.

If you have questions about whether your visitor visa application requires a medical certificate, our team can assist.