How long are police certificates valid for a New Zealand visa?
Less than 6 months old, counted from the issue date, on the day you submit your application.
INZ measures this against your submission, not against today. A certificate does not stop existing on a date — it stops supporting an application submitted after that date. INZ also names an exception: for Fiji, Israel and Hong Kong you can upload proof you have applied rather than the certificate itself.
“Ensure police certificates are less than 6 months old (from the issue date) when you submit your application.”
Source: INZ — Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa · last checked 2026-09-01
When this answer doesn’t apply
- · Which countries you need certificates from is a separate rule, based on citizenship and where you have spent 12 months or more over the last 10 years.
- · New Zealand's rule is its own. Other countries word their police-certificate requirements differently, and the periods do not transfer.
These are limits of the answer, not a judgment about any reader’s situation. Working out which apply is yours to do.
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