New Zealand's 1,350-Day Citizenship Presence Requirement

Citizenship by grant needs 1,350 days in New Zealand across the five years before you apply, and 240 days in each of those years. Here is exactly how the count works.

Last verified: September 2026

In short: to be granted New Zealand citizenship you must have been present in New Zealand for at least 1,350 days during the 5 years immediately before your application, and for at least 240 days in each of those 5 years. Throughout that period you must also have been entitled to be in New Zealand indefinitely, which in practice means holding a residence class visa. Both day counts have to be met.

Threshold: At least 1,350 days present
Counting window: The 5 years immediately before you apply
A day counts if: You were in New Zealand that day
Other conditions: At least 240 days in each of those 5 years, and entitled to be in New Zealand indefinitely throughout
Applies to: Adults applying for citizenship by grant
Legal basis: Citizenship Act 1977, s 8(2)(b)

The rule

New Zealand asks a citizenship applicant to show a presence in the country that is both long and evenly spread. The requirement is really three conditions sitting on top of each other, and all three have to hold at the moment you apply.

Two day counts, not one. The 1,350-day total across the five years is the headline number, but each of those five years must separately reach 240 days. A year spent almost entirely in New Zealand does not repair a year spent mostly abroad: the two tests are checked independently.
The window ends on your application date. The five years are measured backwards from the day you apply, and so are the five 12-month periods inside it. Move the application date and every block moves with it, which can push a weak stretch of travel out of one block and into another.
Your status has to hold for the whole period. You must have been entitled under the Immigration Act 2009 to be in New Zealand indefinitely throughout the five years. Days spent in the country before that entitlement began, on a visitor or work visa, do not count towards either figure.

How to count it

List every New Zealand stay with its arrival and departure dates.
Count every day you were in the country. Arrival and departure days both count, and stays that overlap count once.
Add the days that fall inside the five years ending on your intended application date, and compare the total with 1,350.
Split those same five years into five 12-month blocks counted back from that date, and compare each block with 240.
Confirm the figures with the Department of Internal Affairs presence calculator before you file, since that is the count the department itself will run.

Example. You have held a resident visa since early 2021 and plan to apply on 7 September 2026. The five years before that date run from 8 September 2021 to 7 September 2026, which is 1,826 days including the 2024 leap day.

Your days in New Zealand, by 12-month block counted back from the application date: 300, then 320, then 200 in the year you took a long overseas contract, then 290, then 284. The total is 1,394 days, so the 1,350-day test is met with 44 days to spare.

The application still fails the presence requirement, because the third block holds only 200 days and is 40 short of 240. Nothing in the other four years fixes that.

Beyond the day count

Presence is one requirement among several. A grant of citizenship also turns on being of good character, having sufficient knowledge of English, and intending to continue living in New Zealand, and time spent overseas in Crown service for the New Zealand Government can count as presence. Tax residency is a separate question decided by its own count, described in New Zealand's 183-day tax residency rule. If your dates sit close to either threshold, or your residence status changed partway through the five years, the exact chronology is worth checking with an adviser before you apply.

AtlasDays tracks New Zealand's 1,350-day presence requirement automatically

Log your trips once. The New Zealand Citizenship Presence tracker counts your days in New Zealand across a rolling 60-month window, privately on your iPhone, and tells you when you reach 1,350. AtlasDays tracks the 1,350-day total; the 240-days-in-each-year condition you check yourself with the presence calculator for now.

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FAQ

How many days do you need in New Zealand to apply for citizenship?

At least 1,350 days during the five years immediately before the application, and at least 240 days in each of those five years.

Can extra days in one year make up for a short year?

No. The 1,350-day total and the 240-day yearly minimum are separate tests, and a year below 240 days fails on its own.

Does time in New Zealand before you became a resident count?

No. You must have been entitled to be in New Zealand indefinitely throughout the five years, so days spent here on a visitor or work visa before that do not count.

About this article: AtlasDays provides general information, not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Rules change and outcomes depend on your circumstances, so never rely on it alone: check the linked official source or ask a qualified professional.