For a driver licence application, you must present:
If you don’t have your New Zealand driver licence or your New Zealand passport has expired, you'll need to provide one document from table 1 and one document from table 2 below. One of these documents must contain your photo.
All documents must be originals. Photocopied or scanned documents aren't acceptable.
Document type |
Issued by |
New Zealand passport* |
Department of Internal Affairs (DIA – Identity Services) What you need to renew or apply for a passport(external link) |
Overseas passport (may include New Zealand visa/permit)* |
Overseas authority |
New Zealand emergency travel document |
DIA (Identity Services) |
New Zealand refugee travel document |
DIA (Identity Services) Certificate of identity or refugee travel document(external link) |
New Zealand certificate of identity (issued under the Passports Act 1992) |
DIA (Identity Services) Certificate of identity or refugee travel document(external link) |
New Zealand certificate of identity (issued under the Immigration Act 2009) |
Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment (Immigration) |
New Zealand firearms licence* |
NZ Police |
New Zealand full birth certificate issued on or after 1 January 1998, carrying a unique identification number |
DIA (Identity Services) |
New Zealand citizenship certificate |
DIA (Identity Services) |
*These documents can be current or expired up to two years. All other documents in this table must be current. |
Document type | Issued by |
Kiwi Access card (formerly known as an 18+ card) |
Hospitality Association of New Zealand |
Community services card |
Ministry of Social Development (MSD) |
SuperGold card |
MSD |
Veteran SuperGold card |
MSD |
New Zealand student photo ID card | Educational institution |
New Zealand employee photo ID card | Employer |
New Zealand electoral roll record | Enrolment centre of NZ Post |
Inland Revenue number |
Inland Revenue Department |
New Zealand-issued utility bill or bank statement* | Utility provider or bank |
Overseas driver licence | Overseas licensing authority |
Steps to freedom form |
Department of Corrections |
*These documents must be issued within the last six months. They must show your first name (or initials) and last name, and the issuer (utility company or bank). They don't need to show any transaction details. All other documents in this table must be current. |
If neither document contains a photo, you must also provide a passport-style photo and an identity declaration signed by an identity referee.
Your referee must:
Your referee must provide their:
Your referee must write your full name on the back of the photo and sign and date it. The image must be a good likeness and of equal standard to the one required for a driver licence or passport application.
Note: a business that takes passport photos will usually supply a photo with a pre-printed label on the back.
Identity referee declaration form (DL26) [PDF, 80 KB]
If the name you want on your photo driver licence is different from the name on the Driver Licence Register, or on either of your two forms of identity, you'll need to provide one of the following documents (which must be an original) as proof of your name change.
An example of when you might need to do this is if you've been married since your evidence of identity document was issued.
Document type |
Issued by |
New Zealand birth certificate showing both names |
DIA (Identity Services) |
Marriage or civil union certificate |
DIA (Identity Services) |
Dissolution of marriage or civil union order |
Ministry of Justice |
Certificate of annulment |
Ministry of Justice |
Deed poll certificate, change of name certificate |
DIA (Identity Services) |
Statutory declaration confirming change of name has been registered with the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages |
DIA (Identity Services) |
We need to have steps in place to prevent people from getting a driver licence fraudulently.
Requiring particular forms of identification, every time you get or renew your driver licence, improves the integrity of the licence system and protects law-abiding drivers.
Identification for driver licensing (Factsheet 20) [PDF, 57 KB]