New Zealand · Immigration guide
Living together: what partnership visa guidance means
For partnership visas, sharing a home as partners is different from spending time together. This guide explains the distinction and how it connects with the requirements of different partnership visas.
Where to start
Use the general partnership evidence guidance beside the exact visa category. The shared-home evidence, the relevant time period and any time apart can matter in different ways depending on the visa being checked.
Key points
Map the shared home
Start with where the couple lived, when they lived there and what documents show the shared address. That gives the rest of the evidence a timeline.
Separate holidays from living together
Travel, visits and time together can support the relationship story, but they do not automatically show a shared home.
Keep visa-category rules nearby
Different partnership visa categories can ask for different periods or conditions, so the exact visa page should sit beside the general partnership guidance.
Do not treat screenshots as the whole story
Messages and photos can help explain a relationship, but official records, address evidence and a clear timeline usually do different work.
Why a timeline helps
A timeline helps separate living together from travel, visits, temporary separation or periods at different addresses. It also helps explain changes in address, work travel, family commitments or other periods apart without turning the evidence into a confusing pile of documents.
The visa category can change the evidence period
INZ notes that some partnership applications, including Partner of a New Zealander Resident Visa applications, may need living-together evidence covering 12 months before the application is submitted. Other partnership visa types can have different settings, so the category page should be checked beside the general partnership evidence page.
Documents are only part of the picture
Address evidence is important, but partnership evidence can also include relationship history, shared responsibilities, financial links, time together and recognition by other people. A clear timeline makes it easier to see what each piece of evidence is meant to show.
What to check next
- Check the exact partnership visa category as well as the general INZ partnership evidence page.
- Organise address evidence by month and year, especially if the couple moved or spent time apart.
- Do not rely on photos or messages alone when the central question is whether the couple lived together.
A useful next step
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Sources and dates
Information was checked on 27 September 2026. Open the current official page before relying on a rate, threshold, eligibility setting or process that may have changed.
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