New Zealand Proof of Funds Requirements for International Students 2026

By Olami, AbroadPilot · Reviewed September 2026

Quick summary: For tertiary, English language, or other non-compulsory study, Immigration New Zealand requires you to show NZD $20,000 per year for courses of a year or longer, or NZD $1,667 per month for shorter courses. School-level study (Years 1–13) uses a lower figure: NZD $17,000 per year, or NZD $1,417 per month. Confirmed directly against Immigration New Zealand’s own Fee Paying Student Visa page.

The published figures

This figure is your living-cost proof only. You must separately show you can pay your tuition fees — or that you don’t need to, because you have a scholarship or your fees are already paid — and separately show you can cover your outward travel out of New Zealand at the end of your stay.

What actually counts as proof

• Bank statements, evidence of fixed-term deposits, or evidence of an education loan (including the loan sanction letter and how it will be repaid).
• Evidence of a full or partial scholarship, if that’s how you’re funding your stay.
• If you have a sponsor (an organisation, or a family member or friend), you provide their “sharing ID,” and they complete an online form with evidence they can afford to sponsor you — recent bank statements, pay slips, or an employment agreement.
• If you have a guarantor instead, they complete the Financial Undertaking for a Student form (INZ 1014) and provide evidence the funds are their own, not borrowed.
• Citizens of China, India, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam may be able to use the Funds Transfer Scheme to demonstrate access to funds in New Zealand.
• South Asia restriction: if you’re applying from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, or Bhutan, only immediate family — partner, parents, siblings, grandparents, or parents-in-law — can act as your sponsor or guarantor.

Visa fees and timing, while you’re budgeting

• The Fee Paying Student Visa costs from NZD $850.
• Immigration New Zealand’s own published standard: 80% of applications are processed within 8 weeks. Apply at least 3 months before you plan to travel — processing is busiest between October and March.
• The visa can be issued for up to 4 years, though it’s normally issued for the length of study you’ve paid for, or up to your passport’s expiry if that comes sooner.

What this means practically

• The money for your outward travel ticket must be in addition to your living-cost funds, not drawn from the same pool — if you’re relying on evidence of funds to buy a ticket rather than an actual booking, keep it clearly separate in your documentation.
• If your course runs longer than a year, you don’t need the following years’ funds available now, but showing a credible plan for how you’ll pay for subsequent years — family income evidence, for example — strengthens your application.
• Students on this visa can work part-time up to 25 hours a week during study and full-time during scheduled breaks, but that work eligibility is separate from, and doesn’t reduce, the proof-of-funds requirement itself.

Frequently asked questions

Does the NZD $20,000 figure include tuition fees?

No. It’s your living-cost requirement only. You must separately provide evidence you’ve paid your tuition fees, can pay them, or don’t need to — for example, because of a scholarship.

Can family assets or property count toward the requirement?

Immigration New Zealand asks for evidence the money is genuinely available and from a source they can confirm — bank statements, fixed-term deposits, loan documentation, or a sponsor’s/guarantor’s evidenced funds. Illiquid assets like property aren’t listed as acceptable direct evidence of living costs.

Do I need a return ticket, or just the money for one?

Either. You can show your actual return ticket, or documents such as bank statements proving you have enough money to buy one — but that money must be in addition to what you need to live on, not counted twice.

Is the proof-of-funds amount different for a shorter course?

Yes. If your course is shorter than a year, you show NZD $1,667 for each month of tertiary/non-compulsory study (or NZD $1,417/month for school study), rather than the full annual figure.

Official sources

Checked directly against the official source as of September 2026:

• Immigration New Zealand — Fee Paying Student Visa

Proof-of-funds figures and visa fees can change without much notice. Re-check the live page above before finalizing any budget or application based on this article.

Explore more on our Proof of Funds Requirements by Country hub.