South African police clearance for New Zealand

Who needs a South African police certificate

Immigration New Zealand's rules depend on the visa:

• Resident visas (including Skilled Migrant and partnership residence): if you are 17 or older, you need police certificates from every country you are a citizen of, and from any other country where you spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years — even if not in one stay. For South Africans, that means a SAPS certificate.
• Work, student and visitor visas, including the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV): you need police certificates if your total time in New Zealand will be 24 months or longer across all visits. You provide them from any country you are a citizen of and have lived in for more than five years since you turned 17.

The certificate must show any criminal record at any time, not just the last ten years. A record does not automatically mean refusal — INZ assesses character case by case.

The six-month rule

INZ requires the police certificate to be less than six months old when you submit your visa application. For an AEWV, you must upload a valid, complete certificate with the application — INZ will not accept a receipt showing you have applied. So time it carefully: not so early that it ages out, but early enough to be in hand when you apply.

Do you need an apostille for New Zealand?

INZ's police-certificate rules ask for the certificate (and an English translation where needed — SAPS certificates are in English); they do not ask for an apostille. If another body in your process asks for one, it is R1,650 and we do it in the same run, within DIRCO's six-month window.

Getting fingerprinted in New Zealand

NZ Police says fingerprinting for South African police checks is available from private fingerprinting providers in many regions, and some police stations outside those areas can help. The South African High Commission in Wellington works by appointment. Use ink prints on paper — SAPS does not process scanned or electronic prints. See the SAPS fingerprint form.

How we do it

1. We send you the formThe fingerprint form, the application form and a short note for whoever takes your prints.
2. You get fingerprinted in New ZealandInk prints, fully rolled — see where to get prints taken.
3. You courier the originals to usFingerprint form, application form and a certified copy of your ID or passport.
4. We submit, track and collectWe pay the SAPS fee at cost (R190), lodge the application in Pretoria, track it and collect it.
5. We courier it to youZone 4 (Asia, Australia and rest of world) courier to New Zealand is R1,300.

You can also post an application to SAPS yourself — SAPS accepts applications directly from abroad. People use us so that someone in Pretoria checks the file before it goes in, follows it up, and collects it before the three-month collection deadline.

Sources: Immigration New Zealand, Police certificates; NZ Police, having fingerprints taken; South African High Commission, Wellington; SAPS, Applying for a Police Clearance Certificate. Checked 23 October 2026. Rules change — confirm with the authority handling your application.

Frequently asked questions