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New Zealand Government
New Zealand Government | Te Kawanatanga o Aotearoa
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Our online passport service will be unavailable on Sunday, 10 August 2025 from 8am until 6pm (NZST) while we complete planned system maintenance.

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What you need for your application

  • Identity referee or witness
  • Parental consent for children
  • Document translations
  • Certificate of identity or refugee travel document

What you need for your application

  • Identity referee or witness
  • Parental consent for children
  • Document translations
  • Certificate of identity or refugee travel document

Parental consent for children

Children aged 15 and under need parental consent to apply for a passport.

Consent can be given by:

  • a parent named on the child's birth record
  • a person appointed as the child's legal guardian through a court process, or in a parent's will.

The parent or legal guardian needs to:

  • complete the consent section of the application
  • give their name, address and contact details.

If you are a legal guardian not named on the child's birth record and this is the first time you are giving consent for this child, you must also provide documentation – either a court order or a testamentary in a parent's will – to prove that you are their legal guardian.

A parenting order, also known as a custody order, cannot be used as evidence of legal guardianship.

The consent of only 1 parent or guardian is needed for a New Zealand passport to be issued to a child.

If you are in a situation involving the removal of your child from New Zealand without your consent, or keeping your child outside New Zealand, we recommend you seek assistance from a lawyer.

Find out more about what to do:

Stop a child leaving New Zealand

Get a child returned to New Zealand

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Last Updated

Page last updated: 28 May 2021

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