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In New Zealand, children between the ages of 6 and 16 must go to school. If your child does not have the legal right to be in the country, you will need to apply to us for approval before you can enrol them in a school.
You might need to do this if your child:
- is not a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
- came to New Zealand on a valid visa that has now expired
- was born in New Zealand and neither parent holds citizenship or a valid visa.
If approval is granted by us, you can enrol your child as a domestic student. This is different to enrolling as an international student, when you have to pay international student fees and have the correct visa.
The domestic student application is not a visa. It does not impact or assist your family's immigration status in New Zealand. Before starting the application, we strongly encourage you to find a long-term solution for your child by checking if they are eligible for a student visa, a residence visa or citizenship.
This notice describes what a domestic student is.
The Education (Domestic Students) Notice 2022 – New Zealand Gazette
Who is eligible
Your child might be approved to attend school as a domestic student if they meet the criteria in the Education and Training Act. To be eligible, your child must:
- have been living in New Zealand with a parent or legal guardian for at least 6 months
- not have a valid visa to stay in New Zealand
- not have enrolled in school as an international fee-paying student (if they were enrolled it must be as a domestic student)
- be between 5 and 19 years old.
Children approved to enrol as domestic students receive the same education as other students. This includes access to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and other learning support programmes.
How to apply for your child to go to school
For your child to attend school in New Zealand, you have to apply for them to be a domestic student. This application is made to us.
Before you begin, read our guide to help you apply.
Guide to applying to be a domestic studentYou can then fill in the application form.
Application form to apply to be a domestic studentIf your application is successful, your child's status as a domestic student will last for 5 years. After that, you have to fill in a renewal form.
Read our guide to help you fill in the renewal form.
Guide to renew approval as a domestic studentYou can then fill in the renewal form.
Application form to renew domestic student statusIf you need help to download or print these documents, you can go to:
- your local library
- your regional office
- your child's school.
When you have filled in the forms, you can email or give it to your child's school or your regional office. They will send it to us.
What information you have to give us
We need as much information as possible about your child's identification and proof that they live in New Zealand.
This can include:
- your child's passport
- the last visa your child entered New Zealand on
- your child's birth certificate
- proof of your child's New Zealand address, such as a household bill
- proof of your child's whānau | family connection in New Zealand.
We will also ask for information about you, or another adult looking after your child in New Zealand. This can be personal identification such as a passport or driver's license.
If your child is in the process of being adopted into New Zealand, you may have to show us documents about their case.
If you do not have the right documents, contact your regional office.
What happens after you apply
Your application will take 4 to 6 weeks to process. We will then let you know if the application is successful. If it is not, we may ask you for more information.
If your application is approved, you can enrol your child at a state or state-integrated primary, intermediate or secondary school.
This approval is valid for 5 years or until the last day of the school term following your child's 19th birthday.
If your child's circumstances change
If your child's application to be a domestic student was successful, but their immigration status in New Zealand changes, you need to let your regional office know.
Your child's domestic student status finishes when they leave school. It does not apply to tertiary education.
