Interim visas
A visa between visas
An interim visa is a bridging visa. It issued automatically when your existing visa expires before the new visa is granted (or refused). It lasts for up to six months, or whenever your new visa is granted, whichever comes first.
NOTE: Interim visas are not issued automatically when you apply for residence. They are only issued between temporary visas. Even if you have applied for residence you still have to keep you temporary visas up to date.
If you applied for another temporary visa while you were on a lawful visa, and your new visa is later declined your interim visa will be continued for another 21 days after that. During that 21 days you would have 14 days to seek a reconsideration of the decision. On an interim visa you cannot leave New Zealand or your visa will lapse. You cannot apply for any other visa except for the application you have already made while you were on interim visa.
An interim visa is an electronic visa although you normally will receive a letter about a week before the current visa is due to expire, to confirm an interim visa will be granted.
If you are simply renewing the same visa class with work conditions it is likely that those conditions will continue. Otherwise visitor visa conditions may apply. There are also some exceptions when applying for accredited work visa which allow work conditions to continue. The rules can be quite complex: See here for more details.
Interim visas are not available if your visa has already expired.
This general information was up to date as at March 2025. Immigration instructions change over time and each case is different.
Contact our friendly team for specific advice in your case.
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