New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship Visa (Subclass 461)
Reviewed 5 Oct 2026
What is the 461 visa?
The 461 visa (New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa) lets the partner or dependent child of a New Zealand citizen live, work and study in Australia for five years. The government charge is $1,330 for the main applicant, and half of applications are decided within 5 months.
It is for family members who are not New Zealand or Australian citizens. The New Zealand citizen must hold a Special Category visa (subclass 444), the visa most New Zealanders receive when they arrive in Australia, or be travelling to Australia with you and receive one on arrival.
For the partner of a New Zealander living in Australia, the 461 does the job a partner visa does for an Australian’s partner, at $1,330 against $11,710. The trade-off is that it never becomes permanent residence by itself. You can apply for a further 461 every five years while you still qualify.
The 461 depends on your New Zealand family member’s status. If they are an Australian citizen, or an eligible New Zealand citizen (a protected status held mainly by New Zealanders living in Australia on 26 February 2001), the 461 is not available and a partner or child visa is the right application.
Who can get a 461 visa?
There are three ways to qualify. Most people use the first.
- Joining a New Zealand family member — you are a member of the family unit of a New Zealand citizen who holds a subclass 444 visa in Australia, or who will travel with you and be granted one on arrival.
- Staying on after the relationship ends — you are in Australia, you hold a 461 (or the last substantive visa you held was a 461), you are no longer part of that family unit, and you have not become part of another person’s family unit.
- Returning after the relationship ends — you are outside Australia, you held a 461 when you last left, and the same family-unit conditions apply. You also need either 2 years in Australia on a 461 in the last 5 years, or business, cultural, employment or personal ties that benefit Australia.
Under the third option you must not have been away from Australia for 5 years or more in a row before applying, unless you have compelling reasons for the absence.
A member of the family unit means your married or de facto partner and your dependent children. A child aged 18 or over must still be dependent on the parent, and age limits apply. Parents, brothers and sisters, and a fiancé are not covered.
The New Zealand citizen must actually hold the 444, or be granted it when you arrive together. Home Affairs points out that New Zealanders are not automatically granted a 444 in every case. You can check their visa in VEVO (the Department’s free online visa check).
Who cannot get a 461 visa?
- New Zealand citizens — they use the subclass 444. If you become a New Zealand citizen while your 461 application is being processed, you can continue with it, or withdraw it and take the 444.
- Family of an Australian citizen — once your New Zealand partner or parent becomes an Australian citizen, you can no longer apply for a 461 from that date. A 461 you already hold stays in effect until it expires.
- Family of an eligible New Zealand citizen — the 461 rules exclude them. An eligible New Zealand citizen can sponsor a partner visa or child visa directly.
- Children born in Australia to a 444 holder on or after 1 July 2022 — they may already be Australian citizens from birth, and can apply for evidence of citizenship instead.
Can you apply for a 461 from inside Australia?
Yes. You can apply in or outside Australia, but not at the airport (in immigration clearance). In Australia, you must hold a substantive temporary visa (any visa other than a bridging visa), or have held one in the last 12 months; otherwise extra criteria apply. A few diplomatic domestic-worker visas do not count.
A visa with a No Further Stay condition (such as 8503) can stop an application in Australia unless the condition is waived. Check the conditions on your current visa in VEVO before you lodge.
If you lodge from overseas so that the rules for applicants outside Australia apply to you, stay outside Australia until Home Affairs sends its acknowledgement letter.
What else does Home Affairs check?
These checks apply to every applicant, including family members on the same application.
Health and character
Every applicant must meet the health requirement, and every applicant aged 16 or over must meet the character requirement. Family members who are not applying may also be asked to meet them.
Home Affairs encourages you to complete health examinations and police checks before you lodge. A complete application is processed faster. You can arrange the health examinations through My Health Declarations before applying.
Health insurance and Medicare
Home Affairs states that 461 holders are personally liable for their healthcare costs in Australia, and recommends private health insurance from arrival.
If you are a citizen of a country with a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, you may be covered for some treatment. Check with Services Australia before relying on it.
Immigration history, debts and the values statement
Home Affairs looks at your immigration history, so a previous visa cancellation or refusal can affect the decision. Any debt to the Australian Government must be repaid, or an arrangement to repay it must be in place.
Applicants aged 18 or over sign the Australian Values Statement. For applicants under 18, the visa is not granted if it is not in the child’s best interests.
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★★★★★ 4.9How much does the 461 visa cost in 2026?
| Charge | Amount |
|---|---|
| Main applicant | $1,330 |
| Each additional applicant 18 or over | $675 |
| Each additional applicant under 18 | $325 |
Source: Home Affairs current visa pricing, checked 5 October 2026.
A couple with two children under 18 pays $2,655 in total. The charge is paid once, before you lodge, with no second instalment. Health examinations, police certificates and biometrics cost extra.
Family members must be included when you lodge, because Home Affairs does not allow them to be added to a 461 application later. Every current visa charge is on our visa fees and thresholds reference. Our own professional fees are fixed and quoted before you start.
How long does a 461 visa take?
Half of 461 applications are decided within 5 months, and 9 in 10 within 6 months (Home Affairs processing tool, checked 5 October 2026).
Home Affairs names three causes of delay: a form filled out incorrectly, missing documents, and information that takes longer to verify. If you apply in Australia while holding another visa, you may be granted a bridging visa A, which keeps you lawful if your current visa ends before the decision.
How do you apply for a 461 visa?
- Check the New Zealand citizen’s visa. Confirm in VEVO that they hold a 444, and that they are not an Australian citizen or an eligible New Zealand citizen.
- Pay the visa charge. The payment receipt goes in with the form, and Home Affairs will not process the application until it sees it.
- Complete Form 147 on paper. The 461 cannot be lodged online. Attach certified copies (never originals) of identity and travel documents for every applicant and for the New Zealand citizen, plus your relationship evidence.
- Post it before your current visa ends. New Zealand Family Relationship visa office, GPO Box 9984, Sydney NSW 2001. Applications in person are not accepted.
- Import it into ImmiAccount. When the acknowledgement letter arrives, import the application using its application ID, your date of birth and your passport number. You can then upload documents, read messages and apply for a bridging visa if you need to travel.
- Wait for the decision. You can be in or outside Australia when it is made. The visa is linked to your passport digitally; there is no label.
What documents do you need for a 461 visa?
Identity documents
The passport pages showing photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates, for every applicant and for the New Zealand citizen. Add a national identity card if you have one, and evidence of any change of name, such as a marriage or divorce certificate.
If a passport has expired, give its details and a copy, with evidence that you have applied for a new one.
Character documents
Police certificates for each applicant aged 16 or over. Home Affairs encourages applicants to obtain them before lodging, so the application is complete when it arrives.
Get them close to lodgement, so they are still current when the case is decided.
Evidence of your relationship to the New Zealand citizen
For a married partner, the marriage certificate. For a de facto partner, evidence that you live together and share your lives: a joint lease or mortgage, joint bank accounts, shared bills, and statements from people who know you as a couple.
For a child, a birth certificate naming the parents. If a child is applying and a parent with a legal right to decide where the child lives is not coming, expect to need that parent’s written consent.
Frequently asked questions about the 461 visa
Can a 461 visa holder get permanent residence?
Not through the 461 itself. The most common route opens when the New Zealand partner becomes an Australian citizen. Since 1 July 2023, New Zealanders on a 444 can apply for citizenship directly once they have lived in Australia lawfully for four years and meet the other citizenship requirements.
After that, the citizen partner can sponsor you for a partner visa. While you hold a 461, you can usually lodge it inside Australia, provided your visa has no condition that stops you. Some 461 holders qualify for a skilled or employer-sponsored visa in their own right.
Can I renew my 461 visa?
There is no extension. You apply for a further 461, with the same charge, if you still meet the criteria. Lodge it before your current visa ends.
You cannot apply for a further 461 once your New Zealand family member has become an Australian citizen. Plan the move to a partner or child visa before your current 461 expires.
What happens to my 461 if the relationship ends?
Tell Home Affairs about the change in your relationship. The 461 rules allow a further 461 after the relationship ends, as long as you have not become part of another person’s family unit.
If you are outside Australia, you also need 2 years on a 461 in Australia in the last 5 years, or ties to Australia that benefit Australia. Get advice before your visa ends.
Is a 461 visa holder eligible for Medicare?
Home Affairs states that 461 holders are personally liable for their healthcare costs in Australia and recommends private health insurance. Citizens of countries with a reciprocal health care agreement may be covered for some treatment.
Can I add family members after I apply?
No. Home Affairs does not allow family members to be added to a 461 application after it is lodged, so include everyone at the start. A baby born after you apply is the exception: Home Affairs has a separate process for newborns.
Does a baby born in Australia need a 461?
Possibly not. A child born in Australia on or after 1 July 2022 to a parent holding a 444 may be an Australian citizen from birth, and can apply for evidence of citizenship instead.
Home Affairs also warns that a child born in Australia to a New Zealand citizen may not be eligible for New Zealand citizenship by descent. Check both before choosing a visa for the child.
