Counting your days: the 1,350 and 240-day presence rules

Of all the New Zealand citizenship requirements, the one that trips people up most is counting days. You can hold residence for years and still fall short if you have travelled a lot. Here is how the presence rules actually work, with worked examples, and an interactive checker above so you can test your own numbers.

The two rules you have to meet

For citizenship by grant there are two separate presence tests, and you need to pass both:

• At least 1,350 days in New Zealand across the five years immediately before you apply.
• At least 240 days in New Zealand in each of those five years.

The five-year total works out to an average of 270 days a year, but the 240-days-each-year rule is the stricter one in practice. You cannot bank a big year to cover a thin one: every single year has to clear 240 days on its own.

How much time can you spend overseas?

Because each year needs 240 days in New Zealand, you can be away for up to about 125 days in any given year and still qualify. Over the full five years, to reach 1,350 days present you can be outside New Zealand for no more than around 475 days in total.

So the binding limit for most people is the yearly one: keep each year above 240 days in the country.

How days are counted

A few details matter when you tally up:

• Part-days count as present. The day you fly out and the day you fly back are both treated as days in New Zealand, so only whole days spent entirely overseas count against you.
• The clock is the five years immediately before you apply, not five calendar years. Each "year" is a rolling 12-month block counting back from your application date.
• Time before you held residence does not count toward the days you need as a resident.

Some situations are treated differently, including time spent in Crown service overseas, or as a citizen of the Cook Islands, Niue, or Tokelau. If that is you, check the specific rules.

Worked examples

A quick sense of how it plays out:

• Steady resident: you live in New Zealand and take a three-week overseas holiday each year (about 20 days away). Every year you are present around 345 days, and your five-year total is roughly 1,725 days. You clear both rules comfortably.
• Frequent traveller: your job sends you overseas often and one year you are away 140 days. That year you are present only 225 days, below the 240 threshold, so you would not yet qualify even if your five-year total looks fine. You would need to wait until you have five consecutive years that each clear 240.
• Close to the line: you average about 100 days away each year. Each year you are present around 265 days (over 240), and your five-year total is about 1,325 days, just under 1,350. You meet the yearly rule but narrowly miss the total, so a little less travel, or a bit more time, gets you there.

Try your own figures in the checker above to see where you land.

What this means for timing

If you travel a lot, the smart move is to watch your rolling 12-month totals and apply in a window where each of the last five years clears 240 days. A single heavy travel year can push your earliest eligible date out, so it pays to plan trips with the rule in mind.

Presence is only one requirement, and it sits alongside the new New Zealand citizenship test arriving in 2027. For a fuller picture of all the requirements, use our citizenship eligibility calculator, and see the full application checklist when you are ready to apply. You can also run the official self-assessment on the govt.nz citizenship eligibility checker.

Sources

• govt.nz: Check your eligibility for citizenship
• govt.nz: Apply for NZ citizenship
• Citizenship Act 1977 (presence requirements)

This guide explains the presence rules in plain English and is an informational summary, not legal advice. Day counting can be complex in individual cases, so always confirm your situation with the Department of Internal Affairs.